Brownstone original plaster ceiling repair

The big chunk of the plaster ceiling in my 110+ yr old brownstone fell out (ironically, on Labor Day)- likely due to years of layers and repairs, but also from radiator leak/water damage last winter. Question: should I demo the whole ceiling and replace with drywall? There are bulges all over the ceiling; don’t think anything will fall off, but it’s not in super great shape. Also, I’ll lose all original molding and medallion, which is sad. Or – can I just put drywall over the whole thing. Has anyone done this before? How much $$$ am I potentially looking at? I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!

summerjamz

in Brownstoner Renovation 11 years and 8 months ago

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robertinho3030 | 11 years and 7 months ago

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yurigmusha71 | 11 years and 8 months ago

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call mr luis 347 600 0512 luisarias 486@gmail.com

handyrenny | 11 years and 8 months ago

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by the picture it looks like its fixable, but on the other hands you need to check if your ceiling is sagging and this may cause pieces of the ceiling to fall, if this is happening you will need to re-do the entire ceiling

restorationcontractor | 11 years and 8 months ago

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The ceiling should be repairable, even if you have to remove some sections and replace the base and finish coat plaster it is definitely preferable to drywall. I have rarely encountered plasterwork that was not repairable. From your photo it appears that the ceiling was improperly skimcoated previously with an overly thick layer of straight Plaster-of-Paris. Additionally there was no bond between this newer skimcoating and the painted surface below. It is readily apparent by veiwing the layer of paint on the existing ceiling area that has failed. I would remove all the loose existing skimcoating (its going to fail anyway). In areas where loose plaster has been removed down to the lath, start with a base coat of Perlite gypsum plaster (structolite is the common trade name), using a scratch and rough coats, followed by several coats of Plaster-of-Paris mixed with joint compound. The joint compound creates a softer mix with better adhesion that is not as prone to cracking. Areas of existing painted surfaces should be thouroghly scraped and sanded prior to skimcoating. You can also use a bonding agent to improve adhesion. As some of the other posters said, use plaster washers to secure the existing plaster to the lath in areas that are loose.

JoeBushwick | 11 years and 8 months ago

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this acually doesn’t look too bad. I second the recommendation of plaster washers and patch and paint. You will never have a perfectly smooth ceiling but that is what gives old plaster its character. I’d only go with sheetrock as a last resort.

lino | 11 years and 8 months ago

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FOR REPAIR CALL 347 248 84 76 OR MAIL TO LENOCONS@GMAIL.COM

slu2 | 11 years and 8 months ago

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Most important to me – Has the cause of the leak been fixed? Cause even if you fix the whole plaster ceiling, and the leak comes back, the ceiling will fall again. The plaster will not adhere properly. -Concerned.

Rick | 11 years and 8 months ago

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The ceiling can be repaired, you need not replace the medallion or tear down the old ceiling. I often use plaster washers and screws to hold the old ceiling in place and plaster & skim coat.

jockdeboeraia | 11 years and 8 months ago

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They can cut around the medallion and molding and replace the lumpy ceiling.