The ceiling is the largest surface in a room that you never touch, and that is precisely why you only notice it when something is wrong with it: a yellowed textured layer from the 1970s, straight cracks that keep coming back, a damp patch in the bathroom or a ceiling that simply no longer suits a sleekly renovated room. There are four common ways to renew a ceiling, and which one suits best depends on the substrate, the room and what needs to happen above or within the ceiling. In older homes there is an additional question that comes before everything else: could the old sprayed finish contain asbestos? This article is specifically about ceilings. If you want to compare finishes for walls and ceilings in general, read Plasterer or spack sprayer? Smooth plaster, spack, decorative plaster and spachtelputz compared.
Four ways to renew a ceiling
- Smooth plaster. The plasterer applies gypsum plaster by hand and finishes it crisp and flat. The ceiling is then painted with emulsion. The result is the most neutral and the easiest to touch up, but also the most demanding: every irregularity becomes visible in raking light from a window or a spotlight.
- Spack (spray finish). A sprayer applies a thin, fine-grained layer by machine, which is usually delivered white straight away. It is quick and camouflages small imperfections, but it does not hide cracks and is hard to touch up locally without it showing.
- Suspended ceiling. A metal grid suspended from the existing ceiling, with loose tiles that sit in the grid. You mainly know it from offices. In a home it is found in basements, storerooms and sometimes kitchens, because the tiles can be lifted out and pipes remain accessible. It does take up height and has a distinctly office-like look.
- Plasterboard or a secondary ceiling. Plasterboard is screwed onto timber battens or metal profiles, after which the joints are finished and the ceiling is plastered, sprayed or painted. This is the solution if the old ceiling is in too poor a condition to work on, if you want to conceal pipes, spotlights or insulation, or if the old ceiling may not or should not be worked on.
In practice, the choice is usually between smooth plaster and spack on an existing concrete ceiling, and between a new plasterboard ceiling and repair for a timber joist floor with an old ceiling of reed, laths or board. A lowered ceiling of any kind reduces the clear height; during a renovation the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl, the Dutch Building Decree) requires a habitable area and a habitable room to remain at least 2.1 metres high, and a bathroom or toilet room at least 2 metres (Articles 5.17 to 5.19 Bbl). So in a low room, measure beforehand what will be left and consult the tradesperson or the municipality.
First question: could the old sprayed finish contain asbestos?
Many homes from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s have a ceiling with a coarse texture: sprayed finish, also called textured spray work or spray plaster and in everyday speech sometimes spack, although technically it was often something different from today's spack. In homes built or renovated before 1994, such sprayed finishes may contain asbestos, because asbestos has been banned in the Netherlands since 1 July 1993 and stocks were still used after that. According to Milieu Centraal, sprayed asbestos was used as an insulating and fire-resistant layer until 1978 and is non-bonded, but wall and ceiling plasters were also made with asbestos as reinforcement, so decorative textured work from later years may also contain asbestos. The same applies to old ceiling panels, such as softboard or flat cement sheets.
You cannot tell by looking at it. A coarse, greyish-white texture is a reason for caution, not proof; conversely, an innocent-looking ceiling may well contain asbestos. Only laboratory analysis gives certainty. As long as the sprayed finish is undamaged, firmly attached and you leave it alone, the risk is generally small; if it is crumbling or loose, have an expert take a look immediately. The problem arises during the renovation: scraping off, sanding, drilling for a spotlight or lamp, screwing for a secondary ceiling or even scraping off loose pieces can release fibres. So do not "just quickly" drill a hole for a new light as long as you do not know, and do not let the plasterer or electrician start on it either.
What the law says about asbestos-containing sprayed ceilings
Since 2024, the rules for demolition and asbestos removal during renovation have been set out in the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl) under the Omgevingswet (Environment and Planning Act); the requirements for the companies doing the work are in the Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit (the Dutch Working Conditions Decree). For your ceiling, they come down to the following.
- Asbestos survey. If you are going to demolish or renovate in a building from before 1994 and asbestos may reasonably be present, an asbestos survey (asbestinventarisatie) by a certified company is generally required. The report records where asbestos is present, what type it is and which risk class its removal falls into.
- Demolition notification. You report asbestos removal to the municipality in advance via the Omgevingsloket (the government's online permit portal), in a sloopmelding (demolition notification). The exception for small quantities of demolition waste does not apply to asbestos, and the standard notification period is at least four weeks before the start. The report must accompany the notification; a removal contractor can submit the notification for you.
- Removing it yourself is not allowed. Under strict conditions, private individuals may remove a limited quantity of asbestos themselves, up to a maximum of 35 square metres in total. That exception is intended for screwed, bonded asbestos cement sheets such as corrugated sheets on a shed, for non-glued floor tiles and sheet flooring that come away in one piece and for loose items. Asbestos-containing sprayed finish on a ceiling does not fall under it: it is stuck to the substrate, cannot be removed in one piece and releases fibres when scraped off. The survey report determines which risk class the removal falls into; in risk class 2 or 2A only a certified asbestos removal company may do the work, and strict requirements on the company and the working method apply in risk class 1 too.
Check the current rules and any additional requirements from your municipality on rijksoverheid.nl, iplo.nl or via the Omgevingsloket before you make plans. Whether the ceiling can stay in place and be encapsulated rather than removed, for example with a closed secondary ceiling that is not fixed through the asbestos, is something to discuss with the survey company; a survey often also gives advice on leaving in place or removing. Bear in mind that the asbestos then remains and will still have to be removed during a later renovation or demolition. Screwing or drilling through the asbestos-containing sprayed finish is not an option in any case. More about recognising asbestos, surveys and the role of the removal contractor can be found in Spotting asbestos when renovating.
Having a sample tested
If you first want to know where you stand before you commission a full survey, you can have a sample analysed by a laboratory accredited for this. Some laboratories accept samples from private individuals and give instructions for taking and packing them: wet the material, take off a small piece, double-bag it and cover the spot. Bear in mind, though, that taking a sample can also release fibres; follow the instructions precisely or have the sample taken by a certified survey company.
A stand-alone lab result is not an asbestos survey report. If the result is positive, a survey by a certified company is still required for removal. If the result is negative, that gives certainty about the sampled material, but not automatically about other layers or spots; a ceiling that was touched up in different periods may consist of different materials. You can check whether a company is certified in the Ascert register.
Preparing the substrate: adhesion and cracks
If the old ceiling is asbestos-free or has already been cleared, the actual work starts with the substrate. A plasterer assesses three things: is the substrate absorbent, is it sound, and does it move?
- Bonding primer. Smooth concrete hardly absorbs and offers little grip; the plasterer applies a bonding primer to it, often with fine sand in it, so the plaster can take hold. Highly absorbent substrates, on the other hand, are primed to prevent the plaster from drying out too quickly.
- Old layers. Old sprayed finishes, distemper or paint must be firmly attached. Loose layers and old glue-based distempers are removed. Whether plastering over existing (asbestos-free) sprayed finish is possible depends on the adhesion and the texture; sometimes a levelling layer is needed first.
- Cracks. A crack is a sign that something is moving. Small shrinkage cracks can be raked out, filled and bridged with mesh. A crack that keeps growing or runs at an angle is a matter for a building surveyor or structural engineer before any plastering is done.
A common phenomenon is the straight crack in the ceiling exactly on the joint between two precast concrete slabs, such as hollow-core slabs or precast lattice-girder slabs. With a hollow-core slab floor, the individual elements move slightly relative to each other under load and temperature differences; with a lattice-girder slab floor, the joint between the precast bottom slabs remains a weak point. That movement shows up in the plasterwork. Simply filling it usually only helps temporarily. A plasterer can reinforce the joint with a crack-bridging mesh or system, or deliberately create a neat joint or shadow gap that absorbs the movement. With a plasterboard ceiling, the joints between the boards are the weak point: they are finished with tape and jointing compound, and the boards must be fixed with the correct screw spacing to a flat, rigid substructure. A ceiling under a timber joist floor moves more than a concrete ceiling; there too, a rigid, flat substructure is the best protection against cracks.
The work itself and the drying time
With smooth plaster, the plasterer works in one or more coats, depending on how flat the ceiling already is. An uneven ceiling first gets a scratch coat, followed by the finishing coat, which the plasterer rubs with a float and finishes crisply with a trowel. Spack is sprayed in one pass or in a few coats after masking and preparation. With plasterboard, the substructure comes first, then the boards, then the joints and finally the finish.
How long plaster needs to dry depends on the thickness of the layer, the temperature, the humidity and above all the ventilation. A thicker layer clearly needs more time than a thin finishing coat. Plaster that is painted too early traps moisture, resulting in discoloration or peeling paint. Ventilate during drying, but do not turn the heating up to speed it up: drying too fast can cause hairline cracks and adhesion problems. Ask the plasterer when you can paint and have that stated on the quote or the handover note. How the ceiling fits into the schedule of a larger renovation is explained in How long does a renovation take.
Bathroom: moisture and ventilation
A bathroom ceiling has a hard time: warm, humid air rises and condenses on the coldest surface, and that is often the ceiling. Ordinary gypsum plaster is sensitive to prolonged moisture. In the bathroom, therefore, choose a plaster intended for wet rooms, for example cement- or lime-based, or moisture-resistant plasterboard with a moisture-resistant finish. There is also spack for wet rooms, but that too needs good ventilation.
No finish holds up in a bathroom without a working extractor. Milieu Centraal advises setting the ventilation to its highest setting or opening a window while showering, and drying the walls and floor after showering. If there are already black spots on the old ceiling, find the cause first before having it plastered; otherwise the mould will come back on the new ceiling. How to recognise damp and mould and who to call is explained in Recognising damp and mould in the home.
Spotlights, wiring and the electrician
The new ceiling is the moment to rethink the lighting, but the order must be right: everything that goes in or behind the ceiling must be in place before the plasterer starts. That means agreeing with the electrician in advance where spotlights, light points, smoke alarms and possibly an extract valve will go.
- In a concrete ceiling, recessed spotlights are only possible if there is enough recess depth. That requires drilling and sometimes chasing, and concrete may contain pipes and reinforcement. In a flat, the concrete floor is usually common property of the VvE, so drilling and chasing into the structure may require permission.
- A lowered plasterboard ceiling provides space for spotlights, wiring and possibly insulation, without having to drill into the structure. Pay attention to the heat from spotlights and the distance to insulation; follow the instructions of the light fitting's manufacturer.
- New circuits or wiring should be installed by the electrician in accordance with NEN 1010 (the Dutch standard for electrical installations). More on this in Can I install electrics myself?
Have the electrician position the boxes and cables so the plasterer can work neatly around them, and mark the positions on a drawing or photo. A hole that has to be made afterwards in a freshly plastered ceiling can rarely be repaired invisibly.
Flat: noise from above and the VvE
If you hear the upstairs neighbours walking, a new ceiling seems a logical solution. Do not expect too much of it. A separately suspended ceiling with insulation in the cavity and resilient fixings can dampen airborne noise somewhat, but impact noise, such as footsteps and chairs being moved, is transmitted through the structure and the walls and is much better tackled at the source, at the upstairs neighbours' floor. An acoustic consultant can estimate what is feasible in your situation.
In a flat, read the splitsingsakte (deed of division) and the house rules beforehand. The concrete floor above you is generally common property; the finish on your side usually is not. Many VvEs also set rules on working hours and the use of the stairwell and lift during a renovation. More about asking for permission can be found in Renovating a flat in a VvE.
Dust, protection and an empty house
Plastering is wet work, but it cannot be done without dust. Scraping off old layers, sanding plasterboard and jointing compound and chasing slots in concrete produce fine dust; with concrete and stony materials that is quartz dust, which is harmful to the lungs. A good tradesperson works with extraction when chasing and provides protection.
For you, that means: empty the room as much as possible, because plaster splashes and dust gets in everywhere. Whatever stays is covered up. The tradesperson lays protective runner or dust sheeting on the floor, masks window frames, doors, window sills and sockets and seals the room off from the rest of the house. Agree who does that and who cleans up afterwards. Bear in mind that the ceiling is done first: walls and floor only follow after that.
Plasterer, spack sprayer or contractor?
- Plasterer for smooth plaster, scratch coats, crack repair, moisture-resistant plasters and often also fitting and finishing plasterboard. A plasterer assesses the substrate and advises whether plastering over is possible. A plasterer who is a member of the trade association NOA works with consumer terms and conditions and a disputes committee.
- Spack sprayer for spack on ceilings, often in a whole home at once. Many spraying companies also do minor preparation, but major repairs and levelling are plasterer's work.
- Contractor if the ceiling is part of a larger renovation, if a new ceiling with insulation, wiring and suspension is going in, or if asbestos must first be removed and several parties need to be coordinated. A contractor then coordinates the removal contractor, electrician, plasterer and painter.
- Certified asbestos removal company for any ceiling in which asbestos has been found. In risk class 2 or 2A a certificate is legally required; even in a lower risk class, leave the removal to a specialist company and not to the plasterer or sprayer.
The quote
Request at least two quotes based on the same description. A good quote for a ceiling states:
- The number of square metres, the rooms and the chosen finish: smooth (sausklaar, ready for emulsion paint, or behangklaar, ready for wallpaper), spack with the grain size, suspended ceiling or plasterboard with the build-up.
- The preparation: removal of old layers, bonding primer or primer, scratch coat and crack repair.
- For old sprayed finishes: the outcome of the asbestos test, or the agreement that this will be done first.
- Agreements on spotlights, boxes, extract valves and who prepares the electrics.
- Covering, masking, dust control and cleaning up.
- The schedule, the drying time and when you can paint or use the room again.
- Guarantee and the terms and conditions under which the work is done.
Plastering work on a home older than two years is subject to the reduced VAT rate, including preparation and materials; according to the Belastingdienst (the Dutch Tax Administration), installing plasterboard walls does not fall under it. The Belastingdienst does not mention plasterboard ceilings or suspended ceilings separately; assume that fitting the substructure and the boards falls under the standard rate and only the plastering on top of it under the reduced rate, and ask for a split quote. Read more in 9% or 21% VAT on renovations and compare quotes with Comparing quotes.
In short: for a ceiling from before 1994, first find out whether the sprayed finish contains asbestos, choose the finish based on the substrate and the function of the room, and arrange spotlights and wiring before the plasterer arrives. On VerbouwPro you post your job free of charge and plasterers from your region respond.