Planning to renovate the ceiling in the living room and have received different suggestions from the four craftsmen who have been here on how best to do it. None of them can explain what's currently in the ceiling. At the core, it seems to be some form of wood fiber board (dark dot in the middle), then you see some thin mesh that appears to be plastered with something white (gypsum compound?). On top of this, there is another kind of fiberboard/ceiling wallpaper/treetex/masonite or whatever it is. That layer is yellow-brown in color, about 1 mm thick and "flaky" in character.
What is this and why is it there? This layer is peeling from the underlying layer (where the screwdriver is) and has formed cracks in some places. If you press the cracks upwards in the ceiling, it is flexible and feels porous. Do you need to take down the entire ceiling or is it enough to repair the cracks and apply a broad coat of plaster on top?
On top of the "unknown" layer, there's a gray plaster layer today and finally it's painted.
Extremely grateful if someone can help a house rookie!
