House from 1909 ceiling in need of repairs

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user 35298

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Hi!
I recently bought this beautiful house built in 1909. The master bedroom ceiling has had major leaking issues in the past, which is pretty evident from just looking at it. It's not gyprock, it looks to be paneling or just wooden boards. Since moving in, I've repaired the roof, now it's onto the ceiling. Would it be too much of an undertaking to remove the whole ceiling and start fresh, or should I try to salvage what hasn't been majorly damaged then replacing the rest. Or just gyprock over the whole thing and say "f" it? I can't find anything online to help me with this process, any input would be appreciated.

:D
 
Welcome to the site. If it is just boards and all is not rotton I would install a vapour bearer and drywall over it,
 
A lot of that depends on how much you like the wood look, and how easily you could match it if you only go halfway. Have you (can you) had a good look above the ceiling to check for more problems? If you have pictures, you can post them here.

And, of course, :welcome: to the site.
 
It looks like boards, probably T&G. Are any of them rotted from water damage? it may just be a matter of refinishing them, but stripping that paint will be hard and it will likely contain lead in the older layers.
 
I would drywall over it. I would locate the joists and use screws long enough to reach the joists. The nails holding up the boards may not be up to the job. Drywall screws come in length all the way to 3"
 
No way would I take the time to strip and repaint all that mess.
I also would not just go right over that old wood with the sheetrock.
I'd go over it with 1X strapping first at right angles to the joist every 16" using decking screws not nails so I could check how flat the ceiling is and shim if needed to get it flat.
The most important area will be along the walls so you do not have a wavy joint line.
You can check how flat it is with a simple string pulled tight.
Sheetrock is going to follow every wave, flaw, sag in the old ceiling if it's not strapped.
 
While good points were made about replacing or covering it, curiosity would get the best of me. I would want to know exactly what the wood is. First checking for lead paint then stripping a small area to see what the wood is and its condition.
 
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