Fixing a damaged ceiling: what to sort before the plasterer arrives

What the job involves

Ceiling repairs span a wide range: patching a small hole, cutting out and replacing a water-damaged section, or re-sheeting an entire sagging ceiling. Most jobs are quoted as a fixed price after the plasterer has seen the damage, because the cause matters as much as the size. Water damage is the classic case — the visible stain is often the small part, and the plaster around it may have lost its strength even where it still looks fine.

Sagging ceilings in older homes are usually failed adhesive or fixings letting the sheet drop away from the joists. That's a job to look at promptly, because a partial collapse is dangerous and far dearer to fix than re-fixing a sheet before it lets go. Ornate cornices, heritage lath-and-plaster and textured finishes all take specialist work to match.

Crucially, the plaster is the finish, not the fix for what caused the damage. A roof leak or a plumbing leak above the ceiling is a separate trade and a separate cost, and it has to be sorted first.

How the cost works

A small patch-and-set ready for paint sits at the bottom of the range, cutting out and replacing a water-damaged section lands in the middle, and removing and re-sheeting a whole room reaches the top. The estimate on this page adjusts for the area affected and the type of repair, so read any figure as indicative rather than a quote.

Beyond the size, two things move the price: access and finish. High, raked or stairwell ceilings need scaffolds or trestles that flat, standard-height rooms don't, and matching a decorative or textured ceiling takes longer than a plain one. Most plasterers leave the repair paint-ready — repainting the ceiling for an even colour match is usually extra, and worth budgeting for since a patch rarely blends into old paint.

Choosing the right plasterer

Ceiling repair is a plastering job, and general plastering is usually an unlicensed finishing trade — so judge on the work rather than a register. The best plasterers ask what caused the damage before quoting, because they know a stain over a bathroom or under a roof valley points to a leak that has to be fixed first. One who quotes to patch without asking is treating the symptom.

Ask whether painting is included and expect to repaint the whole ceiling for a seamless colour match, not just the patch. For a sagging ceiling, treat it as a safety issue: keep people out of the room until it's assessed, and don't let anyone talk you into a cosmetic skim over a sheet that's actually pulling away from its fixings.

Mistakes to avoid

Ceiling repair regrets almost always come from fixing the finish before fixing the cause.

• Repairing the ceiling before fixing the leak — you'll pay for the same job twice
• Ignoring a sagging ceiling instead of treating it as a safety risk
• Expecting a patch to blend into old paint without repainting the whole ceiling
• Skimming over a sheet that's pulling away from its fixings rather than re-fixing it
• Forgetting that high or raked ceilings need scaffold or trestle access, adding cost
• Not asking whether painting is included when comparing quotes