Walls and Ceilings - Ceiling Question

Can I use 3/8" thick blueboard for a ceiling with joists/furring strips 16" on center? The ceiling will be plastered.

Should I have to worry about sagging?

Thanks.

I would worry about sagging though I/ve never tried 3/8 on ceiling alone. With 16 inch centers 1/2 inch is adequate.

I'd agree with mudder on the sagging issue with the 3/8" board for a drywall ceiling. I'm not sure of the standards for a plaster ceiling, but it would seem that even with the plaster, which is harder than drywall, still if it's just applied over a 3/8" base, I'd think sagging would still be an eventual concern.

We've got some everyday plaster guys here, let's see if we can get some other opinions.

I agree with everyone else ,I would use atleast 1/2 inch.
Doyle

Time was when gypsum lath like RockLath was common it was 3/8" thick and came in sheets 16" X 48" Plaster was applied about 1/2" thick over that then finished. Ceilings done that way 50 years ago are just as straight today as the day they were put on.
But does blue board even come in 3/8" anyway? It might be a moot point.

Yup,...it does come in 3/8" thickness. In fact, it is attached to half of my ceiling right now...just bought it at the big box store a couple days ago.

Now, the reason I asked the question is because I had already finished one-half of the ceiling when I realized I may have committed a no-no, and I'm obviosuly looking for re-assurance that I'm OK so that I don't have to tear it down and start over : ).

[The part of the ceiling I already did is the addition part, which is is about 9' x 25' and sloped from 90" at the low end to about 115" at the high end. The reason my dad and I used the 3/8" was because working alone and with so many recessed lights to work around, we thought it would be much easier to handle the lighter load---otherwise using 1/2" sheets is a no-brainer.]

We are going to do the other ceiling side (in effect replacing the original 10' x 25' kitchen ceiling which is a uniform 90" high) with 1/2" blueboard. This way, in a worst case scenario if in a few years--assuming I don't get talked out of keeping the 3/8" blueboard already in place-- if the 3/8" ceiling does sag, I don't have to replace the whole kitchen ceiling, but just the sloped portion.

Thanks for all your input so far, and please keep it coming. My plasterer (I'm hiring a professional for that part of the job!) is going to call me back tonight with his thoughts, so I'll fill you in on what he says.

bite the bullet and replace it....
why?

you won't need to pay the plasterer twice.
one cleanup..
you won't hurt your neck and strain your eyes over the next few years looking for signs of sag....


When replacing now..
Pull the sheets and use them as templates..

Replacing years from now..

carefully cut the joint between the cieling and wall to minimize wall damage. Feather down the wall further to hide the buildup of additional coats when seeming in the ceiling panels.....

purchase additional gallons of wall paint if it is a custom color so it matches the old.....