We are starting a project were we will be installing a bunch of lighting in a plaster ceiling. Needless to say well will have lots of patching to do and I would like to smooth up the already rough ceiling.
I was thinking about replastering the areas we will remove to get back to original ceiling thickness.
I was then going to prime the whole ceiling and then smooth our the whole ceiling with hot mud
I cannot lower the ceiling at all so putting drywall on top is not an option-not for lack of trying.
Questions:
1) Is this a good approach? If not what would you do?
2) Any formulas for a 1950’s vintage cementatious plaster?-it looks alot like stucco to me
3) Will the primer and hot mud work to slick up the ceiling?
Thanks
Bruce
Replies
What kind of lath (wood, wire, rock, ...)? How big is the room? Why can't you spare 3/8" (or even 1/4") for drywall over the old plaster?
Me, I'd probably lose the plaster if it's in bad shape and either suck it up and re-plaster (I hate plastering ceilings - can't stand up straight for weeks afterwords) or run new DW. For me, I'd rather do a new ceiling from scratch than try to level out an old mess with compound. YMMV.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
What kind of lath (wood, wire, rock, ...)? How big is the room? Why can't you spare 3/8" (or even 1/4") for drywall over the old plaster?
Wire Mesh
Why can't you spare 3/8" (or even 1/4") for drywall over the old plaster?
This is a kitchen area and all the cabinet upper doors are 1/2" from the ceiling and the exterior windows go flush to the ceiling. Believe me, I have look at every possible way of not mucking with the plaster. Not an option
I considered tearing it down, but it is a 500 sf ceiling area and the plaster is solid and the kitchen is loaded with sexy stainless appliances and an expensive stone floor. I know as soon as I start taking it down there will be a 200 sf chunk dropping from ceiling despite the many cuts I would have made in the plaster beforehand.
Well, if you gotta save & patch, at least the wire mesh is a plus. It's a pain (literally) to work with, but it tends to deal with having holes punched in it a lot better than wood lath.
You could patch, apply a bonding agent and then skim coat with plaster if you want a smooth surface. You could also just use DW compound, but I think it's easier to get a smooth surface with plaster -- but that's probably just a personal skill issue with me. That said, search in this forum for posts about "D-Mix" -- it's a mixture of DW compound, paint and plaster of paris IIRC. Never tried it personally, but it's supposed to be just the ticket for what you're trying to do.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
Thanks Mike