My partner and I have just bought our first shared little condo, a 1-bedroom at 40 square meters. The ceiling was lowered with ugly plasterboards, and underneath there was insulation that had begun to mold due to probable condensation. We quickly decided to remove the entire inner ceiling as we both found it ugly, thought it was unwise to lower the ceiling in such a small apartment, and it was also unpleasant to have mold under the plaster.
The beams that the plaster was attached to were unfortunately screwed with an extreme number of screws and plugged into the ceiling. (About 100 screws/holes/plugs) just in the bedroom. In addition to all the screw holes, the outermost layer has cracked and started to fall off (a few mm thick layer of paint or plaster?). Under this layer is bare concrete. (See pictures)
My question: How do you recommend we proceed the easiest? Fill all the screw holes with house fix or similar and then remove all loose paint/"plaster" and spackle where it was. Or is there a better/easier way to go? I've read a bit about different types of fabrics/sheets, but as I understand it, they don't cover unevenness at all?
We are quite handy but don't have as much knowledge about procedures...
Spontaneously, it looks like the ceiling is already plastered (cove molding in the ceiling/wall angle) and the plaster appears to be in good condition (the cracking visible in the picture is too thin to be plaster + if it were the plaster that had come off, reed matting/plaster mesh would be protruding). Can you upload a close-up of the damage? I agree that the old interior ceiling was terrible. Has it been an office previously?
Regarding beams and a new roof, unfortunately, it's probably not relevant as we want to preserve the original ceiling, partly to save every cm in ceiling height but mainly because the ceiling is nicely vaulted/curved between wall/ceiling.
So, it definitely needs new plaster, I almost suspected this.
Do you know, roughly, what cost range we're looking at if we hire a craftsman to plaster about 30 square meters of the ceiling? Of course, we would do the preliminary work by removing the current plaster, etc.
Again, thank you for the response. Helpful and kind!
Spontaneously, it looks like the ceiling is already plastered (coving in the ceiling/wall angle) and the plaster seems to be in good condition (the cracking visible in the picture is too thin to be plaster + if it were the plaster coming off, reed matting/plaster net would be visible). Can you upload a close-up of the damage? I agree that the old ceiling was terrible. Has it been an office before?
Cpalm, savior in distress. You just gave me a little hope in the evening darkness again. I read this just after I managed to write the previous post. I'll take a good close-up tomorrow when I'm back in the apartment and upload it. The flaking/cracking is only about 3 mm thick. Does that suggest it is older model ceiling paint?
Glad that more than just us share the opinion about the old ceiling. I think it was some old lady who lived there and was extremely sensitive to noise from above. That the apartment was instead transformed into something resembling a healthcare facility didn't seem to bother her.
Big thanks for the response, I'll get back with better pictures!
Just don't hope too much, it's a bit difficult to see exactly how it looks in the pictures
FilipS said:
The part that's peeling/cracking is only about 3 mm thick. Does that suggest it's older model ceiling paint?
Plaster is significantly thicker than 3 mm anyway. Older model ceiling paint = glue paint, and it will peel significantly after a while if you paint over it with another paint. This also matches with the thickness since glue paint is applied in quite thick layers, so that could be the case. If it's glue paint, the advantage is that it will likely be easy to scrape it off. Just don't forget to wash away all glue paint residues thoroughly with water before painting. Holes/damages I would fill with gypsum plaster. It fills well, is cheap, has good adhesion, is easy to work with if you're not used to mortar, and is compatible with lime plaster if that's what's underneath.
Just don't hope too much, it's a bit difficult to see exactly how it looks in the pictures
Plaster is considerably thicker than 3mm anyway. Older style ceiling paint = distemper paint and it will flake significantly after a while if you paint over it with any other paint. It also matches the thickness, as distemper paint is applied in fairly thick layers, so that could be the case. If it is distemper paint, the advantage is that it will likely be easy to scrape it off. Just don't forget to thoroughly wash off all the distemper paint residues with water before painting. I would fill holes/damages with gypsum plaster. It fills well, is cheap, has good adhesion, it's easy to work with if you're not used to plaster and it's compatible with lime plaster if that's what is underneath.
Hello again helpful cpalm!
I've now managed to take some better pictures of the ceiling. What do you think? Old distemper paint and intact plaster underneath or?
I don't think the insulation has molded due to moisture in the apartment. More likely that water-damaged insulation was installed.
Scrape off everything loose.
Repair large holes with husfix.
Possibly block-paint the ceiling.
Skim coat the ceiling.
Sand the ceiling.
Paint in any color of your choice.
Now I got a little afraid of the dark after reading this thread. I have a condo with just such tiles in the ceiling. They don't bother me, they fit quite well here, but how did you figure out there was mold underneath?
What do you think? Old lime paint and intact plaster underneath or?
Yep, it looks like it, the plaster looks really nice in those pictures, there's no doubt that it's the paint that's peeling.
But if you are going to paint, my opinion is that you need to remove all old paint and clean properly, otherwise it will start peeling again after a while.
If you're lucky, everything is loose, just scrape it off with a spatula. If it's harder, you can test and see how the paint reacts to water or try gluing construction plastic to the ceiling and ripping off the paint.
I don't think the insulation has molded due to moisture in the apartment. More likely, water-damaged insulation was installed.
Scrape away all the loose material.
Repair large holes with house fix.
Possibly apply blocking paint to the ceiling.
Put a thin layer of filler on the ceiling.
Sand the ceiling.
Paint in any chosen color.
I understand, sounds more likely now that you mention it. Thank you so much for the tips on the procedure! Cool!
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