Original lath and plaster ceilings with artex, how do I fix it without losing the coving?

Your ceiling was made of wooden strips covered with lime plaster reinforced with horsehair, it's called Lath and plaster. A lot while ago it cracked and looked awful so someone artexed over it. Go anywhere near it and you risk the whole lot coming down. If you must keep the coving then cutting out the rest of the ceiling and fixing more timber supports and screwing modern plasterboard then plastering is the basic solution. I prefer the old ways but it simply costs a fortune labour wise so modern plasterboard is the way to go. Rusty corroded nails and dried out wooden laths are all that's holding that ceiling at the moment, i certainly wouldn't want to add 50 odd KG's of more plaster to it.

If the ceiling looks in good condition no cracking or movement and no bowing in the ceiling then it should be fine to plasterer straight over and a well trained plasterer that you have round to view and price it will be able to see if its ok to plasterer or it needs to be boarded and plastered to the exsiting coving

Hi there Iv plasterd over loads of lave and plaster ceillings in my time and there still up. if there not moveing around then it's fine to over skim if there's movement and loads of cracks then it'sbest and safe to take down or over tack with plaster board. I have in past taken down the ceilling with out touching cove the replasterboard which is a carefull job to do sum times it don't work but it can be done.to take ceilling down u would carefully cut around clove before takeing ceilling down but it's got to be done slowly and gentley starting with the plaster first then the leaves.there is a small chance it won't work but can be done