Miserable plastic-coated ceiling panels in a log house

[rallysmulan]

Hello!
I hope I posted this in the right forum; otherwise, I apologize.

I'm wondering if there's anyone who can help me a bit.
We purchased my in-laws' old house. It's a log house from around 1890 (I think).
They have renovated (unfortunately) and I want to restore at least a little bit, even though we don't have the means to restore everything I would like.
Now to what I am wondering.
In the ceiling of our future bedroom, there are unfortunately some sort of chipboards with white plastic on them. Horrible, in my opinion, and have no place in a house like this.
Underneath, according to my father-in-law, there is some not-so-great paper.
Then he didn't know more.
My husband has tried to check and scratch away the paper where the ceiling moldings were and it looks like some form of tongue-and-groove boards. I don't know if they're painted or unplaned.
In the attic, he tried to move a bit of insulation and look. There he saw more clearly that the boards were tongue-and-groove.
But then there was nothing more there.
So the risk is that if we tear down the mess in the ceiling, a bunch of sawdust and such will fall in.
We don't know if there are gaps between the boards either.
We have a tight budget as both sewage and bathrooms need to be fixed in the coming year/years, plus other things.
Do you think it's possible to seal the gaps and paint the ceiling?
Would the house benefit from getting rid of the plastic mess in the ceiling?
I would, at least.
Unfortunately, we can't afford to install a new wooden ceiling right now, even though it's in the long-term plans.
But I would rather have a miserable wooden ceiling than plastic.
I would also prefer painted masonite boards (as we have in the kitchen) if the old wooden ceiling doesn't work.
Because it probably wasn't meant to be visible.
But what I'm most concerned about is if it's better for the house to remove the plastic or if it will become drafty and cold in the bedroom then?
Do you have any ideas? 😊

 

[rallysmulan]

Hello!
I hope I've put this in the right forum, otherwise I apologize.

I wonder if there is someone who can help me a bit.
We have bought my in-laws' old house. A log house from around 1890 (I believe).
They have renovated (unfortunately) and I want to restore at least a little, even though we don't have the possibility to restore everything I would like to.
Now to what I'm wondering about.
In what will be our bedroom ceiling, there are unfortunately some kind of chipboard with white plastic on top. Horrible in my opinion and have no place in a house like this.
According to my father-in-law, beneath there should be some poorly maintained paper.
He didn't know more than that.
My husband has tried to check and scratched away the paper where the ceiling moldings were and it looks like some kind of tongue-and-groove boards. I don't know if they are painted or rough-sawn.
Up in the attic, he tried to move some insulation and check. There he saw more clearly that the boards were tongue-and-groove.
But then there was nothing else there.
So the risk is if you tear down the stuff in the ceiling, a lot of sawdust and such will fall in.
You also don't know if there are gaps between the boards.
We have a tight budget because both the sewer and bathroom need to be fixed in the coming year/years plus other things.
Do you think it would be possible to seal the gaps and paint the ceiling?
Would the house be better off without the plastic mess in the ceiling?
I certainly would prefer it.
Unfortunately, we can't afford to install a new wooden ceiling right now, even though it's in the long-term plans.
But I'd rather have a miserable wooden ceiling than plastic.
I'd also take painted hardboard (like we have in the kitchen) if the old wooden ceiling doesn't work.
Because it wasn't really made to be seen, I guess.
But what I'm most curious about is if it would be better for the house to remove the plastic or if it will be drafty and cold in the bedroom then?
Do you have any ideas? 😊

No one with any tips/advice?

 

[Dilato]

Would the house be better off without the plastic mess in the ceiling?

Probably not.
You seem to be fixated on the idea that plastic is bad, so you should address that with any possible consequences it may bring.
Just start tearing it down a bit and the rest of the questions will become clearer.

 

[rallysmulan]

What a condescending answer. Fixation!? I happen to think that a plastic-coated ceiling in an old log house is ugly and wondered if it was also wrong and could cause damage and was wondering if anyone had any knowledge about it and tips on how to seal an old wooden ceiling in a good way.
I think there's no need to be rude when people ask about things they don't know.
This happens to be a forum for asking questions about things you don't know/aren't aware of.

 

[Spikrätaren]

The ceiling boards were probably once the interior ceiling, at least if they are original. It's very possible that fine planks are hidden there. If the boards have shrunk enough that the tongue has come out, one idea could be to place windpaper between the beams in the attic, under the insulation (a bit tricky if it's shavings but doable). You can seal or use linseed oil putty for any small gaps. Good luck!

 

[rallysmulan]

The boards were probably used as a ceiling at one time, especially if they are original. It's quite possible that there are nice floorboards hidden underneath. If the boards have shrunk so much that the tongue-and-groove has come apart, one idea is to lay windpaper between the beams up in the attic, under the insulation (a bit tricky if it's shavings but doable). Any single gap can be filled or sealed with linseed oil putty. Good luck!

Yes, perhaps they were, that would be great.
Ah, I will tell my husband to see if it's possible to fix it (I'm not lazy for not doing it myself, I'm disabled 😊).
Sounds like a good, cheap, and relatively simple solution.
Thank you so much for your response!