Can a Ceiling be that Important?

If you were sleeping on a bed under a cracked ceiling like this, would you be worried? Maybe, maybe not. 

Ceiling cracks follow the path of the copper tubing bringing heat to the room.

It seemed a good idea to repair the ceiling and freshen up this extra bedroom. In deciding what to do about it, the heating company that recently upgraded our boiler system seemed a good place to start. They (and we) think that radiant heat in the ceiling is great. But they were at a loss to recommend someone to repair the ceiling. Our house with its plaster ceiling and walls was constructed around 1950. The heat is very even with no blowing or drafts or big ducts. But why did the ceiling crack?

Ceiling accès from the hall and lights plugged in to an outlet in the kitchen.

Inspecting the attic required removing a floor covering over the joists above the ceiling. This revealed a minimal amount of insulation and the shocking revelation that at the center of the room, the "rock lath" was pulled away from the joists by about 3 1/2 inches. The ceiling was held up by what? The strong plaster and the connected copper tubing? When pushing on the ceiling from the room, it did not budge. How had it sagged? Nails too short? Did someone step on it and loosen it, but then cover it over without fixing it? Who knows. But, how to fix it? The structure is in this order:

attic floor

joists

rock lath (like drywall)

copper tubes (with hot water)

plaster covering the tubes

room below

Apparently the room was too small and plasterers too busy to bother with returning my calls. Recommendations went nowhere until I tried "Artisan Plasters" in Madison. The owner Theresa Farris returned my call promptly, came over to look at the job and concurred on Jim's plan for what might be a reasonable approach to fixing it. Whew! I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. We had a plan!

Boards attached to the joists in the attic.

The solution was to attach 2x6 or 2x8 boards to the joists along the line of the sagging ceiling and anchor the plaster to the new joists from below. This was not an easy job. Jim's head has the nicks to prove it. There is very little headroom along the two outside edges of this room. I mainly worked from below.

The plaster washers drilled into the ceiling avoiding the copper tubing.

Jim drills after I measured where the screws would go.

Once we finished anchoring the ceiling we were ready for the professional plasters. Oops! Their schedule was booked. I pleaded and they squeezed us in. There are very few people willing and trained to do this work. Theresa works on the state capitol building! She's thinking of retiring, but can't find people who want to learn the trade. 

Theresa and her partner Conrad made quick work of our small room. They arrive early on Friday to scrape, tape, lay down an adhesive, and apply the first layer of plaster.

They were fast and fun! I loved the stilts! The next morning they came back for the finishing coat.

The room is ready for paint (but not the ceiling, I'm told) and new window coverings and a fresh look. What seemed an insurmountable task is finished. I can get on with the small, easy to manage parts of redecorating. Whew! My mood has improved in spite of a wintery start to spring.