tin ceilings

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4f665dda94d7e-.jpg

heey everyone, i had  a question about renovating tin ceilings.  i’m not sure what to do about them in a house we just purchased.  We like the idea of keeping the tin in the kitchen area, but there not in the best of shape (and the ceilings is diving in a bit in some spots).  How should we renovate the ceiling?  We want to preserve the height, does that mean we should remove the current ceiling and put up a new tin ceiling?  or should we drop it a bit and put up sheetrock?  I put a few pictures below.

bk_homeslice

in Bath & Kitchen 13 years and 2 months ago

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callalily | 13 years and 2 months ago

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Stonergut, it’s my understanding lead was present in all oil-based paint, whether for interior or not, although the lead helped greatly in strengthening exterior paint and preserving the color. I could be wrong! In any case, if the OP suspects lead, the best solution is to paint over it (called “encapsulation”). Trying to remove it will sprinkle lead dust all over the house, exactly what you want to avoid.

Stonergut | 13 years and 2 months ago

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Chances are a ceiling won’t be lead paint, since lead was normally used only on exterior surfaces, like doors, windows and clapboards.

BobMarvin | 13 years and 2 months ago

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You don’t really need oil paint–just a good oil based primer. I always believed that only oil-based paint can be used and was careful to use this on the two tin ceilings we had installed when we bought our house in 1974\. Indeed, I recall seeing houses with rust spots where latex had been used. However, latex paint has been greatly improved. When we had a third tin ceiling installed a few years ago our painter claimed that latex over oil-based primer would be fine-and he was right; we’ve had no problems at all.

bk_homeslice | 13 years and 2 months ago

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thanks for all the comments, they’ve been really helpful!!!  we are going to try our best to save these tin ceilings.

Rick | 13 years and 2 months ago

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The sagging could be from plaster that failed and is now sitting on the underside of the tin. I see this all the time. The weight is making the tin sag. If that’s the case it’s difficult to repair because removing it will cause more damage to the tin. It you can nail it up tighter, great, if not, it’s best to leave it alone.

anonymous | 13 years and 2 months ago

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I also agree with moper, just prime with oil primer an paint it with oil base paint.Picture shows its a good condition ceiling just neeed painting.You can do it yourself not a big deal only if you dont have time or dont want to paint youself than you may Call M.Hamid Construction co at 718 633 1500.You will get reasonable price and its licensed an insured contractor.

callalily | 13 years and 2 months ago

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You do not need to remove lead paint. Just paint over it. That is an approved method of getting rid of the hazard. Do not sand it. The reason I say to use oil based primer followed by oil based paint is because if you use latex even on the second coat, the ceiling can rust. (I’m assuming the existing paint is oil based — has to be.) I don’t see any sagging to be at all worried about, but if you’re concerned, contact someone who installs tin ceilings and get them to nail the bits that are sagging to the joists before you paint. Really, this ceiling looks to be in excellent condition with an unusual pattern, and people love them. Around the turn of the century they were used in new construction on ground floors, not to cover failed plaster. Ours date from the 1890s when the house was built. (Underneath you may find merely joists? Not sure.)

bk_homeslice | 13 years and 2 months ago

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thx for the comments…i believe this is lead based paint also so i would probably hire someone to remove the paint???  the ceiling also seems to be sagging in some areas which has me a bit concerned.  i just wanted to have the highest possible ceilings while preserving the most original details.  

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4f66801031919-processed-tin.jpg

callalily | 13 years and 2 months ago

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Your tin ceiling is in beautiful condition, and I love the pattern. All you need to do is paint it. I suggest you start with an oil-based primer, then use oil-based paint on top. This means you will need to use a respirator and all the windows and doors must be open, so do it on a nice day. If you don’t feel like doing it yourself, you can easily find a painter to do it for a few hundred bucks. We also have tin ceilings, and one of them is all crumpled and the other is rusty, so believe me, this looks terrific.

Rick | 13 years and 2 months ago

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From the one photo, all I see is some pealing paint. You may be able to fix that by removing the pealing paint to the closest grid line. I often cut an edge with a razor on the grid line and remove the paint in that area to my cut mark. This helps it from looking scabby when you paint over it.  Prime and paint it again and it will look okay..  If the whole ceilng is pealing you could strip it with Peal Away. It is a nice design that I’ve never seen before. However, if you need to replace an area,  that would be difficult because it’s a rare design and not all patterns are available new. Often these old tin ceilings are mounted on 1×2’s over the original plaster. You really only have an inch difference in height. These were considered the drop ceiling of the day when the plaster would start to fail. So your options are only a few, repair what you have, replace it with sheetrock or install a new one.