Bad Ceilings

[Francesca C]

Have any of you had experience with fixing ceilings?

When I say this, it does not require plastering or anything like that.

The property is from the early 70's and it seems that the ceilings have been painted a number of times with cheap paint without any prep work being done. We tried to sand it back but have now ended up with an uneven surface and peeling. It really is driving me nuts.

What can we do?

 

[skater]

When I say this, it does not require plastering or anything like that.

The property is from the early 70's and it seems that the ceilings have been painted a number of times with cheap paint without any prep work being done. We tried to sand it back but have now ended up with an uneven surface and peeling.

If it was me, & there wasn't too many rooms involved, I think it would be quicker & cheaper to just replaster. Gyprock is not that expensive, or hard to do, it just takes practice.

 

[Francesca C]

Hi Skater

Thanks for your reply

Would you attempt to do this yourself first time tho? Is it easy to mess it up and if so, how difficult is it to fix.

What do you think?

 

[BayView]

I've found over the years that no-one looks at the imperfections in the property like YOU do.

Least of all; ceilings. Who looks up? The last time I looked up at a ceiling was because the light bulb had blown.

Over here, everyone goes for a type of "hobbytex" rough finish on walls and ceilings. It actually looks pretty good.

Try that; make it look rough and scabby. No-one will care but you anyway.

You can buy the textured paint already made, and use a special roller for the finish.

 

[Francesca C]

LOL yes L.AAussie.... I know what you are saying, I cant help it sometimes . My partner and I have been unblessed with the anal streak

I like to keep my properties in really good order to keep the bank happy with valuations and to secure really good tenants.

Thanks for all the tips, I will look into both of them and see the easiest most cost effective way.

Are you really in L.A.??

 

[skater]

Hi Skater

Thanks for your reply

Would you attempt to do this yourself first time tho? Is it easy to mess it up and if so, how difficult is it to fix.

What do you think?

Sure! We did our first PPOR. Made a real mess when the old ceiling came out, but looked great when finished.

 

[skater]

Over here, everyone goes for a type of "hobbytex" rough finish on walls and ceilings. It actually looks pretty good.

Try that; make it look rough and scabby. No-one will care but you anyway.

You can buy the textured paint already made, and use a special roller for the finish.

YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! That is what we had in the PPOR. Couldn't wait to get rid of it. Mind you it was the PPOR & we were the ones who had to live with it.

 

[wylie]

What about getting in a plasterer to put a "skin" over the top. I would think it would be cheaper than new plasterboard.

We have had the old horse hair plaster walls and ceilings that you just cannot sand successfully, and just had a skin put over the top.

 

[Aimjoy]

Have any of you had experience with fixing ceilings?
The property is from the early 70's and it seems that the ceilings have been painted a number of times with cheap paint without any prep work being done. We tried to sand it back but have now ended up with an uneven surface and peeling. It really is driving me nuts.
What can we do?

There are 2 answers:
1. Mix Bondcrete into the Dulux one coat ceiling white and IF it sticks on - the bondcrete will stick it all on.....for a fair while
2. Best I've found is to:
a) Spray water mist on it in small sections using a spray bottle (and if necessary steam using an old electric iron and a wet tea-towel to soften it up)
b) Peel the 1st layer of paper (with all the coats of paint) off the gyprock (now softened by the water)
c) Use Selley's skim coat to go over the paper surface
d) Seal with Dulux sealer (undercoaty stuff)
e) Paint with Dulux ceiling white

Cheap alternative that works IF you don't value your own time that much.

Read a previous thread on same subject:
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22107&highlight=ceiling

Aimy

 

[BayView]

LOL yes L.AAussie.... I know what you are saying, I cant help it sometimes . My partner and I have been unblessed with the anal streak

I like to keep my properties in really good order to keep the bank happy with valuations and to secure really good tenants.

Thanks for all the tips, I will look into both of them and see the easiest most cost effective way.

Are you really in L.A.??

If it's your PPoR then it's worth doing it how you want it, but for a rental; neat, cheap and bullet-proof.

We were in L.A for 20 months, but moved up to Santa Rosa (1 hour nth of San Fran) in June just gone.

 

[Francesca C]

LA Aussie

What are you actually doing in the U.S? is it all property related stuff? (never know, you could be a star)

Have you met any famous people?

 

[deanthomas]

Depending on which room I'd put a new ceiling up and be done with it, with new cornices it would look sweet. Quite a simple job really and don't bother about pulling the old one down either....way too messy. Fix battens through the old ceiling to the rafters - fix the new gyprock to the battens. Cornices over the old ones next, then flush, seal and paint . Give us a buzz (pm) if you want some more tips if you go this way.

Dean

 

[Francesca C]

Hey thanks Dean! your a Perth boy!!

You guys are spinning my head with all this reno stuff. Let me think about it and ask my partner what he prefers (he will be the one doing it) LOL

 

[AlmostBob]

repair or redo,,
1600 feet[sup]2[/sup] of gyprock takes 5 days to batten, fix, mud and paint looks perfect.
25*14 feet of ceiling takes 3 days to skim, dry, and paint, looks perfectly awful ***
easier to regyp

*** didnt want to regyprock, had moulded in place ceiling roses, cornices, geegaws & doodads from 100+ years, took a very lot of work, to preserve the ballroom ceiling, and not as good a finish as the new ceilings

 

[Francesca C]

Thanks AlmostBob

Your weighing up the options for me.

 

[yadreamin]

We have the same ceiling problem in one of our ips.
Everyone has a different opinion on fixing the problem.
The things we have tried
we have scraped the flaking bits off and what a killer of a job. we have done this 3 times now in 4 years.
we mixed boncrete with ceiling white[good quality] and painted entire ceiling.twice now. This helped slow the peeling a bit but its cracking up again now. The thought of scraping again makes me feel sick.
l think we are going to bite the bullet and replace the ceiling room by room. Now that our tenant in the ip is a plasterer it good work very well for us.
We think wthe cause of the peeling paint is that it was painted with an inferior wall paint. celing paint is designed to breathe aparently, wall paint does not. I dont think we would ever be able to completley remove the paint.
if you have an empty ip then replace the ceilngs now it will save you a lot of time money and bloody hard work.
good luck
cheers yadreamin

 

[wylie]

Hi yadreamin. We also have an IP with the same problem. When we bought this house it had an office style suspended ceiling with lovely fluros built into it.... yuck!!

Elderly neighbour told us the owner had the suspended ceiling installed because he didn't want the hassle of scraping and painting.

We needed to get cashflow quickly, so left it as is and planned to remove the suspended ceiling when we had more time.

Imagine my delight and surprise when I called in at 5pm the day before we had the rent ad in the paper, to find my hubby had changed his mind and had ripped the whole lot down. There was metal, ceiling tiles, fluros all over the living and dining rooms and huge flakes all over the original ceiling. It looked a big, big mess and I nearly throttled him

Anyway, we scraped back what we could and painted it that night ready for rental next day. Since then, we have scraped it back again and repainted. One day we will address it properly and either replaster (it is plaster and batten style with fancy plaster in the centres) or something. I just try not to look up.

 

[AlmostBob]

Since then, we have scraped it back again and repainted. One day we will address it properly and either replaster (it is plaster and batten style with fancy plaster in the centres) or something. I just try not to look up.

When you get to it, we did a 100+ mansion this (winter) summer, lath and plaster is very easy to gyprock, the laths give sufficient strapping behind the gyprock that you dont have to put up battens to screw to, just use 2 1/2 inch drywall screws instead of 2inch and screw right through the plaster to the laths, studs and joists, pretty much every where you put a screw will hit something solid
for appearance, 3/8inch thick gyprock sheets (lower weight to lift) and cut out the ceiling roses and mouldings and fit the sheets in close. When you mud the joins you might lose 3/8" of the rose and mouldings but its very much easier than trying to remove them and refix them on the surface of the gyprock, they break. and when mudded and painted they look really good.
the rented gyprock lifts, that hold full sheets in place against the ceiling, are golden.

 

[BayView]

LA Aussie

What are you actually doing in the U.S? is it all property related stuff? (never know, you could be a star)

Have you met any famous people?

I am being Mr. Mom while my wife completes a 2.5 year travelling nurse contract. 3 more months to go.

The closest I've come to "property stuff" was settling on our block of land back in Aus 2 months ago, (and I did nothing; the solicitor and the Bank did all that), and other than that; talking to you guys on this forum. Mostly, I just play golf, look after the "terror" and we do a lot of travelling when my wife is off; she works 4 days, has 3 off.

Is my life exciting, or what?

I saw Dr.Phil out the front of a friend of our's place. He was driving past, and had to stop and wait for a car coming the other way. He gave us a wave.

The only famous person I have actually met (our friend we were visiting when Dr. Phil went past) is Ed Marinaro.

For the older brigade who used to watch Hill St Blues, he was Officer Coffey.
He was also on Laverne and Shirley and numerous other things. He still does a few cameo roles, but is basically retired and plays golf in Pro-Celebrity events around the Country, and after-dinner speeches for a living.

Ed is also a Heiseman Trophy winner from the NFL. This is a similar achievement to the Brownlow award (best and fairest), or whatever the equivalent is in Rubgy.

His wife, Tracy York, is also famous; an aerobics guru to the stars in Hollywood, and has done about 30 videos.

Google them and you'll see what they've done.

They are both very, very modest and very, very wealthy. A great family with their son; little Ed.

I met them at the West Hollywood Park; little Ed was playing with my son, and Tracy got talking to me, found out I was a golfer (Big Ed is a fanatic golfer) and the next thing you know, we are at their house for a barbie in the Hollywood Hills.

My wife got to look after; Urula Andress, Rachel Welch, Cheryl Crowe, Walter Matthau, and a slightly wealthy guy named Kirk Kircorian (google him), at Cedars-Sinai Hospital - she worked there when we were in L.A.