I was up in the space between the kitchen ceiling on the main floor and the second floor adding pipe wrap to the hot water heating pipes and acicdent put my foot down on the ceiling. The ceiling is panneling made of the same material drop ceiling pannels are made of. Long story short, my foot didn't go through, but it's noticeable (and now gives me an excuse to get rid of that ugly ceiling).

Looking over the project, it looks to be pretty easy (photos below). Remove the existing false ceiling, box off the hot water pipes repair or cover the holes in the original plaster ceiling.

My questions are;
What is the easiest means of boxing off the hot water piping (for cosmetic reasons)?

Should I bother trying to repair the existing original ceiling, or simply add a layer of drywall and finish?

Here is a picture (only one I have on hand) of the kitchen. The hotwater piping runs along the wall above the windows.


Here is the piping above the false ceiling as it is today (with pipe wrap). The two cables on the left are coming out. They where cables for TV in the room and where not properly ran by the previous owners.


Here are a couple pictures above the ceiling which show a bit more of the area. There is nothing in this space other then the wire running from the original light box to the one in the false ceiling.


The partially framed opening at the far end in this photo must have been the original door into the kitchen. It goes nowhere now and would be repaired with drywall.


Thoughts/suggestions?

 

I would probably patch the existing ceiling. Don't forget that there will be a lot of patch work in the walls too. You have to get them to match the kitchen walls. How far is the outside of the horizontal pipe away from the wall? If it's only 5 inches, I would screw 3 2x4s to the wall running in the same direction & 1 2x4 on the ceiling in the same direction. Then install drywall. That will save a lot of cutting.

 

I'd probably opt to repair also although I'd wait until the false ceiling and it's framing is out before I made the final decision - it will be easier to determine whether repair or new drywall would be best.
Is there any danger of lead based paint on the ceiling? do you know if it's oil base or latex? http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pa...latex-oil.html

 

marksr,
I haven't tested the paint, but I would be willing to guess it's oil paint.

I'm guessing to repair, cut the damaged areas out to make them square, add 4x1 framing behind and install drywall squares and mud smooth?

My original thought was that adding new drywall overtop the damaged plaster would be easier. What reasoning would you guys go with repairing over covering and going?

 

You present endless possibilities, I would look at the opportunity to turn this into an interesting ceiling. Possibly a trey ceiling with multiple steps, even inset lighting. Boxing off maybe 2 feet around the whole perimeter of the room would hide the pipe, and cover up the old door archway. I personally would cover the ceiling with another layer of drywall. I foresee chasing plaster cracks for the rest of your life, there is extensive repair that is needed.

 

I'd repair because it's usually quicker/cheaper but if it takes more time an effort to get the repair to disappear, then it's usually better to laminate the ceiling with drywall.... just make sure the screws are long enough to secure the drywall to the joists. You will also want to check and make sure the ceiling is flat and level - drywall doesn't always hide all the framing defects. Again you want to consider the pros and cons. While it might be best to remove the old ceiling - is it worth the additional work and mess


edit; I like cizzi's suggestion of a trey ceiling

 

czizzi,
That might not be a bad idea. The room is almost 14ft x 12ft and will have ~12ft ceiling once the false ceiling is gone.

Here are a few more pictures of kitchen (again, from when we bought it). I think your set look might work but would need a bit more remodelling down the line.

 

marksr,
The original ceiling at a quick glance looks pretty flat. I'll need to confirm however.