Help!! We just bought a 20 year old house, and are doing some updating; after taking down the light fixture in the bedroom, we found the ceiling starting to sag down in the center of the room, about 2-3 inches!!! It appears that the ceiling is in two layers, and the outer-most layer is just glued to the inner layer. Now the glue is separating and we have to push the ceiling up to meet the other layer and attach it somehow.

My question is: has anyone heard of such a method of doing ceilings (no drywall screws, just adhesive), and how do we get the ceiling to stay back up where it belongs!!!!! Is there any kind of adhesive we can put in the space - we will have to put the adhesive in the hole (small) where the light fixture attaches to the ceiling, that's the only opening. How do we spread it around enough to get good coverage. Also, since the house is 20 years old, are the other ceilings going to start giving way, too???

Thanks for any help you might have for us!!

 

O.K. I'm not sure why anyone would hang two layers of drywall on a ceiling. Perhaps the first layer is plaster and someone just hung drywall over that. But with a 20 year old house it should be drywall. Anyway, I would screw the entire ceiling off. Use drywall screws long enough to go through both sheets of drywall into the ceiling joists. If there are 2 layers of 1/2" then 1 5/8" screws will work. Make sure you don't screw the screws in too far. They should not tear the paper.

 

9 times out of 10, water damage will cause a stain on the ceiling, and since this stain is not a stain but mold or bacteria, it will eat through any paint or repair compound on the market;so an inexpeiranced contractor or homeowner will simply hang a layer of 3/8" drywall over the stain, this technique is known as double-hanging a wall. it is not advisable on ceilings however, due to the weight of the drywall itself, as you know this, from the dip in your ceiling, it will eventually pull itself down. I would have the house checked by an expirianced contractor or carpenter evidence of leaks, as water can also loosen the glue that holds the drywall up. Or, is the room at the top of the house? if it is, excessive heat can also loosen the glue or destroy the bond between the two layers.
I would repair as follows:
Begin by drilling a hole in the center of the bulge to make sure that the ceiling is indeed falling, and not full of water. A 1 inch hole should suffice. This hole can later be patched with spackling or joint-compound.
If water is detected, i feel it for you, the house has a leak, and that is a bad thing... consult a pro. However, if no water is apparent, buy some long dry wall screws (at least 1 3/4" length) and obtain a drill (cordless if available, power drills are to powerfull and you trip over the cords when looking up) Also, you will need a freind and a ladder or something you can both stand on. 1 find the studs (or joists in a ceiling) this can be acheveid with a studfinder, available at home depot or even wal mart for under 20$ and MARK THE STUDS (or joists whichever) WITH A PENCIL. 2 Have the freind stand in the center of the bulge, and use his/her hands to press the bulge back up into the ceiling (this will be physically demanding) 3 While the person is pressing the ceiling, screw the drywall back up on either side of the bulge. Space the screws about 1 foot apart and begin as far from the bulge as practicable, working towards the bulge, and continue to screw untill you are well past the bulge. do the same on the other side. All this must be done while the ceiling is being pressed by the freind, otherwise you are likely to move the bulge to another area of the ceiling, or cause the ceiling to FALL. 4 take a break, your freind should be pretty wore out by now, you can tell him/her to go home whatever. 5 screw off the rest of the ceiling. 6 MOST IMPORTANT: TAKE CARE TO ENSURE THAT THE SCREWS DO NOT SINK BELOW THE PAPER FACE OF THE DRYWALL! THE SCREWS SHOULD BE BARELY BELOW THE SURFACE, PULLING THE PAPER FACE DOWN WITH IT! (think of a finger pushing down on a mattress, instead of poking through the mattress) ANY SCREWS THAT PENETRATE THE PAPER FACE AND LEAVE A HOLE ARE NOT SUPPORTING THE DRYWALL THEY ARE WEAKANING IT AND NEED TO BE REPLACED AND A SCREW SET IMMEDIATLY BESIDE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Is this ceiling in a manufactured home?What are the measurements of ceiling panels?