Ceiling Repairs in Exeter & Devon

Ceilings fail in a few predictable ways

Cracks, sagging, water damage and tired old artex, all repairable, and all better dealt with early.

Most ceiling problems in Devon homes come down to one of four things: cracks from movement or failed joints between boards, sagging where old lath-and-plaster has lost its grip on the laths above, water damage from a leak above, or a dated artex finish that's cracking and impossible to patch neatly. Each one has a proper fix, and none of them improves by being left.

We repair ceilings across Exeter and Devon: filling and taping cracks so they stay gone, re-boarding and skimming sagging or damaged areas, and overboarding tired ceilings for a flat, modern finish. Sagging lath-and-plaster in particular is worth acting on — once it starts to come away it only goes one direction, and a partly-collapsed ceiling is a much bigger, messier job than a repaired one.

Repair, overboard, or pull it down?

There's a judgement call on every ceiling job. A sound ceiling with a few cracks just needs repairs. A tired ceiling, or one with artex you want gone, is often best overboarded: new plasterboard fixed straight through into the joists, then skimmed, giving you a brand new ceiling without the mess of demolition. A ceiling that's badly sagged or water-damaged sometimes does need to come down and be re-boarded, and if that's what it needs, we'll say so and quote for it properly.

One thing worth knowing: textured coatings applied before around 2000 can contain asbestos. It's safe when left alone and skimmed over, which is one reason overboarding or skimming is often the sensible route for older artex. Our artex guide covers the options.

Leak upstairs done the damage?

Water-damaged ceilings are their own job, and the most urgent one we do. Our water-damaged ceiling repair page covers how we handle them.