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Message |
    
Genki
Citizen
Username: Genki
Post Number: 4
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 10:06 pm: | 
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We were just chatting on the sofa and heard a loud clatter upstairs. We ran up to find a huge patch of the ceiling GONE - exposing the attic splints and several pounds of plaster on the floor. We think the combined effect of a very hot attic and a very cool bedroom was too much for the previous owners attempts to tape and paint over this problem corner.
We're not sure who to call or what to request. We're also not sure if the rest of the ceiling is likely to keep dropping. Do we just ask to patch it and pray or take out a second mortgage and redo the whole ceiling. Is this kind of thing expensive? Can anyone recommend a specialist in this and one who won't take us rookies for a ride....?
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Mommasan
Citizen
Username: Mommasan
Post Number: 24
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 11:00 pm: |
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John Hone of Hone Restorations is one of the few people in the area that restores plaster. He's a real upfront guy and will give you options. He is expensive but I would trust his judgment.
Good luck. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 12303
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 4:04 am: |
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A cheaper alternative, which I admit isn't ideal, is to sheetrock the ceiling.
This is what most people do with bad ceilings on the second floor. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8818
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 6:06 am: |
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Unfortunately, we've had to rock a couple ceilings over the years. It is actually not a bank-breaker. I know that the cost of sheetrock has gone up, but you should be able to do this and have it painted for ~$1k (?).
Call a painter. They do this all the time. |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1122
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 10:18 am: |
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Alvarro (pronouned "Albaro") can probably do this, but I don't think it'll be less than $1K - you want a major repair if you're going to put a ceiling fan back up. He has done some major repair work for us in our garage, basement and breakfast room, although his specialty is interior painting.
971-219-0342 |
Genki
Citizen
Username: Genki
Post Number: 5
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 10:18 am: |
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Thank you all for the reassurance and recs. Can anyone explain why sheetrock is less desirable than plaster. Is there a huge difference? |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1124
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 10:26 am: |
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IMO taking down the plaster is the big negative - what a huge mess it makes!!!
I have found that replacing plaster with sheetrock leaves much to be desired sound-wise and smell wise. After replacing our kitchen ceiling (after the 2nd floor shower pan leaked and ruined the 1st floor ceiling) we now hear everything that goes on in the kitchen, and dinner smells are much more noticeable than before.
The pros of sheetrock are no cracking and a nice flat smooth wall or ceiling. Based on our kitchen experience, we put sheetrock OVER our plaster ceiling in the LR after adding high-hats (what a MESS just cutting the holes for high-hat lights was!). Make sure whoever does your repair or replacement uses LOTS of plastic to protect your floors and drape the doorways to limit dust getting everywhere. And if you have Central Air, tape over the return ducts. |
AngelaK
Citizen
Username: Angelak
Post Number: 74
Registered: 7-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 10:59 am: |
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Pdg,
Did you do the sheetrocking over the plaster ceiling yourself? If yes, was it a tough job? I have a cracked bathroom ceiling and a lumpy, bumpy bedroom ceiling that I'd like to sheetrock over. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 12311
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 11:03 am: |
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Also plater has a sheen to it that sheetrock doesn't and it extremely smooth when corectly done. It just looks a little better. |
Mommasan
Citizen
Username: Mommasan
Post Number: 27
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 12:04 pm: |
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When John Hone repaired our dining room, I agreed to employ a technique of sheetrock repair over the badly damaged areas and then plaster was skimmed over all the wall surfaces. One way to keep the cost down and very smooth finish.
I wouldn't have done it for all rooms but it was right for the dining room.
The previous owners sheetrocked our living room and I hate it - the seams, the periodic indentation from the nails, the surface is not smooth.
You'll want to also make sure that it's someone who knows how to deal with these old mouldings so you don't lose any detail. |
Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4902
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 12:19 pm: |
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My husband did what Mommasan said in a bedroom where a 2x3 or so chunk of plaster fell. He's not even a pro and the end result is pretty good. |
gretchen
Citizen
Username: Gretchen
Post Number: 216
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 1:18 pm: |
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A big chunk of my stairway ceiling fell in and after we cleaned it up and let it sit like that for 4 or 5 months we called Alvarro. He put in a piece of sheetrock and only charged us $270 (including painting). It looks great.
Nice guy, too. |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1129
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 4:16 pm: |
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AngelaK - No, we didn't do it ourselves, but had less than terrific guys do it. We learned in hindsight that it is important to be sure that the sheetrock is installed with the longest edges running parallel to the longest wall (our guys did it with the shortest edge running into the longest wall.) This has something to do with the bowing/dipping that occurs where the rock meets.
We had our gorgeous dentil moulding removed, which destroyed it, and the same guys made the exact same moulding so it would match the rest of the 1st floor. This they did well. We didn't trust them to do the taping and spackling and had our painters do that, but then we also learned it is best to tape and spackle BEFORE installing the mouldings. We used fabulous, very expensive painters for this particular paint job, and they did a fantastic job getting us past the mistakes. The ceiling looks great. I'm certain it would not if we had done it ourselves. |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1130
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 4:19 pm: |
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Agreed, Gretchen. Alvarro is not only hard working, but has a great attitude and is eager to please his customers. |
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