gnostic19

i have a 70 yr old house pier and beam with some terrible cracked popcorn ceiling in the living/dining/kitchen rooms. My house has moderate foundation issues, though it has more or less settled, though it does its seasonal shifting.

Anyways, the ceiling has cracks up to 10 ft long at every corner. Up in the attic i have some old nasty insulation, though there's not alot of it. It could probably be covered with some good insulation...at least the stuff that i can't bag myself. I want to replace the ceiling, but the thought of clearing out the half the house and having the ceiling and insulation crash down all over the place doesn't appeal to me. I'd rather cap the ceiling if possible with sheetrock. Only thing is, i know not all the ceiling is level, so i would have to have someone who had a clue about how to do this, right? Is this even a method used by people, or does it dd too much weight and risk crashing down after a while?

Thanks for any help.

oldognewtrick

How tall is you ceiling height and how much room do you have between the top of the windows and the ceiling?

gnostic19

8ft tall, 14" from celing to top of window molding.

budro

you can put sheetrock up over an old ceiling. make sure you glue and screw it. nails will help here and there. a little sag causing it to not be level shouldn't be an issue since rock is a little flexible. if you have crown molding try to take it down easy and reuse it as it is probably characteristic of the house. new will be fine if that is the best thing to do. if you are hiring this out and trust your people, use their advice. you might want to consider 3/8th over 1/2 inch since it weighs less and also is easy to handle. it will probably cost a little more since 1/2 inch is industry standard. use your best judgement and you will be fine. thanks, budro

budro

also make sure those screws penetrate through your current ceiling INTO the joists. thanks, budro

GBR

Check the size, span and on center spacing of the ceiling joists. If the ceiling material is original to the house it is probably plaster and lath. This weighs 8# per square foot, plus the insulation above; cellulose weighs 1# per 7” thick. So if the joists are 2x4 original, max. span = 7’2” if 24”o.c. with a 10# live load.

Gary

gnostic19

would there be a need to nail/screw up support-type 1x4 or 2x4 pieces of wood across the old sheetrock throughout the who ceiling and screw the new sheetrock over this, the old sheetrock and the beams in case the old sheetrock ever cracks and fails on to new sheetrock and weigh it down?

One guy told me they could go directly in to the old sheetrock and into the beams. That seems kind of rinky-dink to me. Don't you want to put some more support/bracing up there to hold up the old sheetrock?

budro

you said my suggestion sounds rinky dink? i have screwed rock over other rock dozens of times and guess what? no call backs or complaints on any of them. your deal may be different though. if you don't know, get someone out who does. they will probably take a ladder, go up it and lightly push up at certain spots in your ceiling and determine how bad the situation is. they may want to take a look in the attic. is the sag between the old rock (or plaster) and the joists? or is the joists and rock sagging together? is this sagging lumber "relaxing" over years of playing a supportive role? is it carrying a load you don't know about? or is it simply there to hold your ceiling? someone who knows what they are doing would be a good move i think. unlike many of my counterparts in the construction industry i have never done anything to any customer i wouldn't do in my own house. after 40 years in this business i have been blessed financially and my phone number is in the book. if you do not know what application is best, then call a pro. at least get his advice on which way to go. if you do screw rock over other rock make sure you use screws long enough to penetrate well into the wood above the old rock. you can actually hold the old rock up with this new rock and be fine with correct application. if this "old" rock is plaster, the cracks can look worse than they are but sheer weight may be a big factor in determining which way to go. there may be a reason to not use my method, but it is not rinky dink. thanks budro

gnostic19

Don't take it personal, pal, just saying what i think. Your follow up eases my mind.
The ceiling has popcorn on it and some like 1/8"-1/4" plaster over the sheetrock. There some parts with gaping holes with 4x4" chunk cracked off. I covered it with 2 ash planks. It's right where the living room meets the dining room, so has kin da worked. Just shows how bad the ceiling is.

I think the joists are fine...it's just that my house has moved alot over the years(in TX) and it's probably the original sheetrock, right? House built in the 40s.

gnostic19

greek to me.