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We have an 85-year old house with textured ceilings. We had a plasterer advise us to install new plastered ceilings over the old ceiling; if we do so, without removing moulding, the new ceiling will cover half an inch of the moulding. But if we do remove the moulding, we are worried about the risk of damage to the wall. Does anyone have experience with a similar issue?
Edit: Sorry, I should have been more precise: they are going to but a blueboard and then a skim coat of plaster.

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  • Half an inch? What's it going to stick to? I hope he means skim coat, in which case it's not that thick. But generally, removing the wood will damage the plaster. At least around here that's how they did it back in the day.
    – jqning
    Oct 22, 2015 at 1:36
  • Are they going to put sheetrock over the existing texture, or more plaster? There's a pretty big difference.
    – Comintern
    Oct 22, 2015 at 2:21
  • Is the moulding made of wood and finished nailed, is it painted or stained, and if any piece breaks while removing it, can you get a replacement?
    – BMitch ♦
    Oct 22, 2015 at 2:58
  • How much is there to remove? Is it worth the time and effort (and/or money)? Will the outcome ,if you did one or the other, be more pleasing to you?
    – ojait
    Oct 22, 2015 at 3:05
  • I feel like there are other options you haven't explored that aren't so invasive. Mesh and a skim shouldn't be anywhere near thick enough to ruin your molding profile. Removal of the existing plaster and then install of drywall should leave your molding intact. I'd be very scared about the cost and damage of removing the existing molding. (Quadruple that concern if it's stained wood.)
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Oct 22, 2015 at 13:25

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Yes, you should remove the trim before the ceiling is done.

Yes, some and possibly a lot of the material will get damaged if you have not done it before. Even a pro will crack some, but a pro will know how to repair it too. Sometimes it is better to get a new molding that closely matches the original.

Yes, the wall will get damaged too here and there but the same crew doing the plaster can mud in the damaged spots too.

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