The insulation is literally directly on top of the lathe? There's no a ship lap floor up there?

I'm pretty sure. I'll have to double check tomorrow when I'm off work. But i think i remember feeling the lath boards when i installed my security cameras.

Don't remove anything.

Are you looking to repair the plaster or put up drywall?

Change to drywall...if you're suggestting placing drywall directly over the plaster id like to note it is currently hilly/wavey so the drywall wouldnt sit flush.

You wouldn't put drywall over the plaster and lathe; you'd tear down the plaster and lathe and then put up drywall on the joists.

That's what I'm thinking but I'm gonna have to get in the attic to see if there is some kind of a barrier between the lath boards and the blown insulation. For some reason i thought when we fished the security camera wires through we could feel the lath board from the attic. I'll update tomorrow when i know for certain.

If it's wavy because the plaster is loose and starting to fall down, then screwing it back up with plastic washers on the screws will flatten it out and then you can add your drywall layer or just fix the plaster.

If it's wavy because the joists aren't flat, then maybe you'd have to pull down the plaster and lath and sister some new joists next to the old ones to flatten the ceiling and attach the drywall to the new joists.

But I'd avoid pulling down the plaster. It's a messy job and a pain in the butt to cart off to the dump.

How bad are the ceilings? Are you just used to new houses where everything is flat and right angles? Part of the charm of old houses is the imperfections. If the ceilings aren't actually falling down and they have just always been imperfect, I'd suggest just trying to accept them the way they are.

How much of the ceiling is coming down?

I also used Big Wallys plaster magic, on plaster and lath walls and ceilings. It's working well.

In some spots there were obvious holes and missing patches of plaster. In other spots, there were just bumps that were buckling, and when I touched it, I could tell it wasn't adhered anymore. Is that what you have?

I opened it up and took down all that was hanging off or really loose. Then used Big Wallys around the edge, then patched the hole with plaster. It was quite easy, and it looks nice.

It's not 'new house' perfect, but it looks waaaaay better.

Much easier than taking down all that plaster and lath! Unless the entire ceiling is falling...

Plaster washers and screws to reattach, then skim coat with plaster. In really bad places you can pull the plaster off and have your plasterer patch prior to skimming. If the lath is still good there's no reason to pull it down prior to re-plastering, just re-use it. If it is truly trashed then replace with blueboard and plaster. Nice old houses shouldn't be subjected to drywall. You can vacuum up the insulation prior to replacement, an insulation company should have the right device-- essentially their blower run in reverse. When we had our attic foamed they used such a machine to suck out all the old mouse-pee-infused old insulation.

Thanks for the great tips guys...i haven't had much time to further look into the ceiling but i have looked into Big Wallys. It looks like a great product without the mess and no need to put up drywall. A lot cheaper as well. As always great help/tips here.

Patching and skim coating a plaster ceiling is among the most difficult of DIY projects. Don't underestimate the skill level required or the physical demands of working overhead.

If drywall ultimately seems a better option, the first step would be to install strapping on top of the old ceiling. Use fasteners long enough to penetrate into the existing ceiling joists. Level the strapping using shims so you have a flat, level surface on which to attach the drywall.

We patched and skim coated some of our plaster ceiling last year. We had some superficial cracks running along it as well as paint that had came off in very large flakes. Our insulation is on top of the lathe, so removing it would be a nightmare. DH did the work, and didn't seem to complain about it too loudly.

I think what I did to finish the surface helped as well. It was many coats, but worthwhile. I used a high pile roller to use 'new drywall' primer, and then regular paint primer. I finished with a smoother roller and some good quality ceiling paint.

It's not new amazing flat ceiling but it does look a lot better.