is my deco ceiling dropping as fasteners pull through plasterboard?

Question

I am renovating a recently purchased 1930s apartment. The ceiling is very nicely decorated across the face of the old plasterboard (the plasterboard is the old type with hessian fibre running through the middle of it) and has cool cornices too.

There are now many little divots (about 1cm cirle) in lines where i imagine the josits run. I think the sanding of the ceiling has encouraged the plaster boards to drop down a bit, and where the fastener is pulling through the boards the divot is created in the paintwork over the fastener.

Is this common, is my ceiling going to fall in, what do I do about it?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Answer 1

Well, whether the ceiling WILL fall down ius about as easy to predict as the weather.
But if you are concerned, you could add more plaster board screws along the joist lines, BUT THIS TIME, add large stainless steel washers (something not all builders do on a ceiling, but I would....)
The problem is: If your ceiling has already sunken a bit, then pushing it back up (if that works at all) could most likely cause cracks where the joint compound had been applied.....