Bumps in lath and plaster ceiling

[Miley89]

Lath and plaster ceiling,

These bumps are all over the ceiling!

We have wallpaper on the ceiling

I'm told these kind of ceilings can collapse with no warning at all :/

I'm bloody petrified!

I'm scared me and my children will just be sat here and then the ceiling collapses on us!

Anyone have any experience with lath and plaster ceilings and why these bumps have appeared?

Not sure which bumps you are talking about. Do you mean the small bumps from the woodchip wallpaper, or the larger, linear bumps from where the ceiling has been repaired at some time or another?
It looks like the house has had a bit of history and alterations/repairs to the ceiling previously. It doesn't look dangerous to me.

I mean the larger linear bumps...

I'm told it could mean the plaster has come away from it's support and could make the ceiling collapse :/

@Miley89

similar question and answer posted here if that helps at all?

Get it checked. I had a ceiling like this collapse in the middle of the night. The whole thing just crashed down. Had it been during the day I think my daughter (aged 3 months at the time) would have been very badly hurt or worse.
My ceiling just had a few small cracks. The whole thing was replaced and it looked brand new.

How old is the house?

Do you have access to the loft above the ceiling?

I had this, and had it inspected. I had it in three rooms, one was fine, the other two were replaced. I was worried about it falling as I've known of it happening before.

What answer are you looking for that you haven't already been given in your numerous other threads about this?

Why don’t you get it inspected? I don’t think you’ll feel at ease until you do.

This is your fourth thread on the subject. Please contact your landlord.

OP I see you've found another thing in your house to be petrified about. Perhaps it would be easier to find somewhere else to live?

The plaster has shrunk very slightly and “exposed” the lathes so they look like bumps. It probably won’t collapse as it’s not sagging! Sagging with cracks in the plaster is a much worse scenario. This doesn’t look like a big deal - more cosmetic and a standard shrinkage issue.

My lath ceiling in the kitchen collapsed, luckily there was no one under it at the time! Mine was similar to yours, with the large seams. I would get it checked, it's so much heavier than plaster!

I’m also not entirely sure this is a lathe and plaster ceiling either. In those the plaster typically fails by sagging and cracking. See attached. This is shrinking and exposing, possibly, the joists around, possibly, plasterboard. I think it’s maybe a newer ceiling than you think.

I've had the landlord and a plasterer tell me the ceiling won't fall, but im too scared to believe them!

When people tell me these kind of ceilings can just collapse with no warning ofc I'm worrying!

I have a little girl and the thought of it collapsing when she is around is horrible :(

are you are absolutely sure that’s just lathe and plaster
because it looks like someone’s artexed over

Not a great idea due to the weight

Nevertheless
We have cracks in our lathe and plaster ceiling and it hasn’t come down mainly because it’s a series of seperate parts, unlike plasterboard
( that’s not to say it may come down in bits )
The cracks aren’t usually as angular as yours which makes me wonder if it is lathe and plaster there’s some repair work in plasterboard

More large and plaster cracks

And more typical lathe and plaster cracks
See not in straight lines

@Miley89Your cracks are nothing like the cracks in the recent pictures from
@DrPrunesqualer. I think it’s possibly plasterboard and slight shrinkage. When it’s lathe and plaster, the plaster typically looks bloated and cracked. If you press it, it could collapse. Yours doesn’t look like that.

Agree

Apparently it's lath and plaster with woodchip wallpaper
I honestly have no idea 😕

The landlord didn't seem to know either

If it's not lath and plaster does that mean the ceiling isn't as heavy if it did collapse?

It will be plasterboard papered over
( although some of it looks artexed)

Lathe and plaster breaks up in increments and whilst if it comes down plaster is coming down too it is less likely to come down in one huge mass.
You’d see bowing in the ceiling if that was the case. That’s the plaster losing its key / connection to the lathe
A little like the first photo I sent.

If plasterboard comes down it depends how big the sheets are. If they are standard and not cut that would be a big weight to fall.

If you are concerned ask your LL to get a surveyor out.

I've had environmental health round who wasn't concerned, so the landlord unfortunately won't touch the ceiling :/

OK
You’ve had an independent verify it’s fine

Maybe you could move? Is that a possibility?