Replacing barracuda roof - vapor barrier

[Kaun]

Hello!

I have just bought a townhouse from '71, where a couple of the rooms still have barracuda ceilings installed.

Do barracuda ceilings function as moisture barriers? Must it be replaced when you tear down the barracuda ceiling?

I am going to cut down the barracuda fabric in the most worn and neglected room today and see what is behind it.

 

[datja]

Hello!

I have just bought a townhouse from -71, where a couple of the rooms still have barracuda ceiling installed.

Do the barracuda ceilings function as a moisture barrier? Does it need to be replaced when tearing down the barracuda ceiling?

I will cut down the barracuda fabric in the most worn and neglected room today and see what's behind it.

From my childhood experiences, I can promise that it is NOT moisture-barrier. You will find VP pipes and such behind the plastic film.

 

[Kaun]

Aha, so when I'm there it's just a matter of figuring out what to hang the new ceiling on?

 

[datja]

Aha, so when I'm there it's just a matter of figuring out what I should hang the new ceiling on?

At my parents' place, they installed a wooden ceiling. A friend's place had plasterboards

 

[Kaun]

Okay, now the barracuda ceiling is torn down. Sure enough, there were plastic pipes where the electrical cables ran.

However, above the barracuda ceiling was a wooden panel. I assume it holds the insulation in place. Was the barracuda ceiling only there to hide the cables?

If it's assessed that the barracuda ceiling acted as a moisture barrier, then I should install a plastic sheet between the wooden panel and new ceiling panel.

Alternatively, you could thread the electrical cable for the ceiling light above the wooden panel, put up ceiling moldings, and paint the panel. That would be cheap and easy, and the little one gets some ceiling height, but is that safe to do? The risk is that warm air condenses in the insulation, and we end up with moisture problems...

 

[datja]

Ok, now the barracuda ceiling is torn down. As expected, there were plastic pipes where electrical cables ran.

However, above the barracuda ceiling there was a wood panel. I assume it holds the insulation in place. Was the barracuda ceiling only there to hide the cables?

If it's determined that the barracuda ceiling acted as a moisture barrier, I should install a plastic sheet between the wood panel and the new ceiling panel.

Alternatively, you could maneuver the electrical cable for the ceiling light above the wood panel, put up ceiling moldings, and paint the panel. It's cheap and easy and the little one gets some ceiling height, but is it safe to do so? The risk is that warm air condenses in the insulation and then we have moisture problems...

I think it's wise to put up a new ceiling at the same height as the barracuda. Especially considering the VP pipes.

 

[Kaun]

And then with a vapor barrier inside the new ceiling? That's where I'm wavering.

Do you draw any conclusions about the vapor barrier based on the conduit pipes? How are they related?

 

[datja]

I only have "inherited" knowledge, based on what my parents and neighbors did in their townhouses in the 90s. But they didn't install any moisture barriers, and the townhouses are still doing well.