What can I do with a cracked plaster ceiling in the kitchen?

My best solution is to screw 1X2 strapping to the ceiling 16" on center shimming to make sure they are level. Screw drywall the the strapping. patch the seams and screw holes. Use crown molding where the walls meet the ceiling (no patching there). Prime and paint. Repairing and skim coating a plaster ceiling would be costly.

Try to get some advise on why the ceiling is cracked. That cracking maybe cause by the foundation sinking and if you fix the cracks they will be back in about 2 months or so and you could spend the rest of your life making the same repairs over and over. That may be why it has a drop ceiling. They were hunting the most economical fix for a cracked ceiling... May redo the drop ceiling?

I agree, you want to make sure to get to the botto of the cause of the crack before going forward. Good luck!

Thank you. Looks like more research must go into this. You gave me something to consider.

It is an art. Especially with plaster. Sometimes the damaged plaster needs to be removed and completely redone.

Thanks William. I will let you know what happens.

Use the cracks to paint a ceiling mural. Branches, vines etc or stain the ceiling in different shades of the same color to give it an antique look amd feel

Very cool idea. That might be fun. Thank you.

My husband slant-nailed 4x8 sheets of primed beadboard to the ceiling of our 1925 kitchen to secure the large jagged pieces of plaster that were becoming detached from the lathe. While our foundation issues are being addressing this year, the beadboard panels that have secured the ceiling for the past several years, have looked great in the meantime painted a nice creamy white. Hubby finished off the panel edges that meet the walls with an inexpensive molding.

Your ceiling sounds beautiful and this idea is certainly an option. After removing the drop ceiling 2 days ago we have realized that the fine cracks are superficial and may be due to oil painting over latex. Maybe we won't have to cover it but your idea is so beautiful maybe we can try it anyway. Thanks again.

Hey, everyone, Thanks for all the suggestions. As you can see my post above, the cracks might be due to layering the wrong kinds of paint. Now, just have to figure out how to deal with that

Hi Karen, Sounds like you're down to the nitty gritty. Take pics and talk to the folks at Sherwin Williams for a solution if it is indeed oil over latex that may be causing your problem. Latex is flexible and oil is rigid. Oil over latex will crack. Perhaps a good acrylic primer may work. Ask the pros. Here's a good video on skim coating you may find useful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aawh6CEyMTk