For questions on the general topic of the upper containing surface of a room or other enclosure. Please use additional tags to refer to a specific area of concern, such as lighting, insulation, repair, painting, waterproofing, etc.
3
votes
1answer
328 views
Worthwhile to insulate basement ceiling while remodeling?
I have an existing finished basement where I'm in the process of replacing an severely damaged plaster ceiling with drywall. I've got the entire thing open, and as it's an old house (1925) there is ...
3
votes
2answers
724 views
How can I fix a ceiling above the shower that was damaged by water?
Our pipe coming out of the wall was leaking a very fine stream of water. We haven't had time to fix it. I don't know what that bumpy stuff on the ceiling is called but it's all peeling off. I know the ...
3
votes
1answer
101 views
What could be leaking after installing a pet sprayer on a tub?
Installed a simple pet sprayer in the upstairs master bathtub. It has a long hose with a release valve/button on the very end of it. About 6 hours after installation (and without officially using it ...
3
votes
2answers
68 views
Can I sheetrock over styrofoam on a garage ceiling?
I am buying a home with a detached garage that the original owner insulated. The garage is probably 25 years old. At the time of construction, 1" expanded foam was nailed directly to the rafters to ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
How do I paint over a textured ceiling without removing the texture?
A painter I had at one time painted the textured drywall mud ceiling (off white color) in a different part of the house. He had to change to a sprayer because he said the drywall texture was coming ...
3
votes
1answer
357 views
Are there octagon box extenders that are slimmer than 1 1/2" deep?
Is there an octagon box extender that's slimmer than 1 1/2" deep? So far I haven't been able to find one.
Here's why: to cover up 30 years of patching on one of my plaster and lath cielings, I'm ...
3
votes
1answer
404 views
How can I locate and deal with mold between floors?
About 9 months ago, my wife and I replaced a toilet that had a broken wax ring. We got some water leaking down to the ceiling on the first floor. Now I'm having what seem to be mold symptoms -- I ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
How far can I move ceiling joists up?
The second floor of our house has a fairly low ceiling, perhaps 6'8" or 6'10".
The width of the structure is only about 16' with standard construction and the ceiling joists running parallel to to the ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Would this be an effective method to remove painted popcorn ceiling?
Sand off tops of "popcorn bumps" with rotary sander or multi tool (like bosch multi-x).
Spray with vinegar and water.
Use elbow grease and a scraper or hope this happens:
...
2
votes
3answers
359 views
Is it safe to use a former furnace flue to vent my dryer through the roof?
Our dryer is located in the center of our house. The current vent situation has tubing that makes several bends between the dryer and the crawl space before hitting metal duct that takes it about 25' ...
2
votes
4answers
582 views
Why do some painters leave a gap between the wall and the ceiling?
I've noticed that (at least here in Germany) some walls are painted so that a tiny fraction of the upper wall has the same color as the ceiling. Why do people do that? I find this not so pretty.
2
votes
1answer
319 views
Punching bag mounted on ceiling in flat
I would like to mount a punching bag on the ceiling as there are not really any good boxing gyms here in Madrid.
Key Facts
I am on the Ground Floor known as "Bajo" in Spanish
The weight on the ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views
How to permanently remedy a patch of mold on a ceiling from a water leak above?
I recently discovered that water was dripping from the ceiling light fixture in a first floor bathroom. It turned it was due to a toilet leak (faulty wax ring) in a bathroom directly above.
The ...
2
votes
2answers
740 views
How do I repair a drywall ceiling when there is blown in insulation above?
I was finishing the space above a garage. The space was buried in blown in cellulose insulation and we framed in some walls, laid a subfloor, and finished the room. During framing two different ...
2
votes
1answer
509 views
Is there such thing as join-compound primer? And, is there a need to prime before texturing a ceiling?
In this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIt3YEJjFko
The guy breaks down the process of making a California Ceiling into five steps:
Cover the Walls
Prime the Ceiling
Mix joint compound
Spray ...
2
votes
1answer
241 views
What would cause a ceiling fan to stop while the light still works?
Installed a new fan/light today. Wiring appeared to be identical to old fan we removed.
green ground to green ground on mounting bracket.
white to white.
black and blue to black.
Turned it ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I refinish a bathroom ceiling after it got moldy and peeled?
I need to refinish the bathroom ceiling in my 35-year-old house. Before I bought the house a few years ago, the bathroom had just had some work done (new wallpaper, probably new lights, and I assume ...
2
votes
1answer
853 views
Can a new ceiling be build directly onto an old one
I would like to build a new ceiling on to an old slightly sagging and poorly finished ceiling (peeling paint and no joint plaster used). I see this way as more convenient and less messy than ripping ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
How to wire two light bulb sockets inside a ceiling fixture?
I purchased a flush-mount ceiling light with 2 light bulbs. The wiring is a simple 1 black, 1 white, and 1 ground to the ceiling box, but there were also wires connecting one bulb to the other. ...
2
votes
2answers
564 views
Fluorescent Light In Garage - Mounting Issues
In our garage, I'm trying to mount a flourencent light fixture that is 4 foot long. The problem is, I don't know how to mount it. I'm assuming that I would want to drill the screws into the ceiling ...
2
votes
1answer
622 views
IKEA recessed lights: extreme clearance requirements?
I'm finishing the ceiling on my basement. I'm planning to insulate the ceiling with the Roxul Safe'n'Sound Fire & Soundproofing Insulation. It is 3 inches thick so it only occupies the upper 3 ...
2
votes
3answers
412 views
What is a good solution for hiding insulation in an unfinished basement?
First off, let me note that I am a tenant in this house. My landlord lets me do small improvements, but I'm not going to finish the basement with drywall myself.
Basically, we have an unfinished ...
2
votes
2answers
440 views
What's the best way to shore up a ceiling register that is loose?
I have a few ceiling registers which are not flush with the ceiling since the duct has loosened over time. What's the best way to get them flush with the ceiling? I thought about driving several ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
How to fit a pendant light hook?
I'm a complete amateur, so please bare with me.
I have a pendant ceiling light that requires a hook.
I'm guessing that simply screwing a hook into the ceiling is a bad idea (electricity and all ...
2
votes
2answers
347 views
How do I replace ceiling drywall over cabinets?
I recently had some water damage to my ceiling after a storm. For the most part, it's a simple cut out and replace procedure, but I'm stuck wondering what to do in the kitchen. There's about 1'x2' ...
2
votes
5answers
6k views
How do I paint a basement ceiling and heating pipes?
What is the best way to paint a basement ceiling?
Can I paint the copper baseboard heating pipes? Do I have to use special paint?
2
votes
2answers
127 views
What should I do about mold until the leak feeding it gets fixed?
About three weeks ago I noticed a leak on the ceiling of my studio apartment. When it began it was just a leak, a few days later it began to get dark-stained all around it and now it's covered in a ...
2
votes
1answer
239 views
How do I patch a 3'x3' hole in a ceiling made up of plaster, lath, and metal mesh?
I've fixed leaks above my plaster-and-lath-and-chicken-wire ceiling, and now I need to fix the cieling below it.
The cieling is a sandwich of wood lath on top, then 1/4" of solid plaster, then ...
2
votes
1answer
593 views
What could cause condensation on a ceiling after painting with a roof sealer?
I am renting an apartment and the tenants recently complained about water droplets on the ceiling in one of the rooms. The apartment is on the first floor and surrounded by plants (we live in a ...
2
votes
1answer
330 views
What to do with a leaking ceiling
I live in New York with 45 degree temperatures, and after heavy rain last night I have leaking ceilings all over my house. Water is just seeping through the ceiling, drops and stops. The water dries ...
2
votes
1answer
185 views
What is the proper way to patch acoustic ceiling after collecting possible asbestos sample?
I want to collect additional samples of an acoustic ceiling for the purpose of having it checked for asbestos. The previous test came back negative but I'm paranoid =)
The procedure as per ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
How do I change the remote frequency options in my ceiling fan?
My Hampton Bay ceiling fan remote control is interfering with my neighbours. Inside the remote there are switches to adjust the remote frequency.
Where in the fan do I make the corresponding ...
2
votes
2answers
127 views
How can I frame a ceiling tray in my dining room?
We have a 12x14 dining room and are looking to add a shallow 6"h x 15"w tray border around the outside. One of the longer sides will not hit any ceiling joists, so I will be using toggle bolts to keep ...
2
votes
1answer
292 views
Is this asbestos in my ceiling drywall?
While looking through a hole in the drywall, I saw this...
Is this asbestos?
2
votes
1answer
202 views
How can I mount a projector to a concrete ceiling?
I am in a dorm room and I am attempting to mount my projector and screen in my ceiling... As far as I can tell from just tapping the ceiling it is made of cinderblocks if that sounds right or ...
2
votes
2answers
210 views
How to find the concrete beam in a sandy block ceiling?
I want to hang a ceiling fan at my apartment, where the ceiling is made mostly of a sandy material. How do I find the concrete beam going through it, assuming I do not have access to the blueprints of ...
2
votes
1answer
98 views
How do I prepare a ceiling for restomping?
I had to cut access panels in the ceiling of a 7' x 11' room to make several plumbing repairs. The ceiling has the slapbrush/stomp texture:
I have patched the drywall and I plan on restomping the ...
2
votes
1answer
321 views
Insulating attic ceiling and looking for synthetic t&g ceiling boards
We have a 3/4 upper floor room that is in desperate need of a complete overhaul.
The current ceiling consists of 2x4 ceiling rafters with a foam vent and perhaps 2.5" of foam insulation, then the ...
1
vote
4answers
363 views
Plugging a hole in the ceiling
We had an electrician install a light in our ceiling. In the process he had to move the fitting about 10 centimeters which left a hole roughly three centimeters in diameter.
He tried to pug it using ...
1
vote
2answers
132 views
How to change halogen bulbs at 18 feet height ceiling?
How can I change the halogen bulbs above 18 feet high ceiling? How can I change the light bulbs around 20 feet height in tennis court?
1
vote
3answers
192 views
Will plaster on basement walls and ceiling provide insulation?
My basement's insides are completely unfinished. It has bare brick walls and bare concrete beams-vaults as the ceiling. I though of coating the walls and the ceiling with 2 inch thick plaster with the ...
1
vote
1answer
629 views
How efficient is a drop ceiling?
I have a small room (about 260 sq ft) with a tall ceiling (about 13 feet tall). It's very hard to heat that room up because the heat goes up and doesn't want to heat the lower part where the people ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
How do I mount a ceiling box in 4" thick ceiling?
I'm trying to install a ceiling light in two rooms that didn't previously have hard-wired lighting. After cutting a 4" hole for a circular ceiling box (using a hole saw attached to my drill) I'm ...
1
vote
1answer
337 views
How to rehang vertical blinds on a damaged bay ceiling?
My vertical blind has lost two of its four brackets. It was fixed to the ceiling of my bay window and the plugs and screws have pulled away. Is it possible to fill and replug in the same place and ...
1
vote
4answers
7k views
Do I need a moisture barrier between my bedroom and attic?
This is related to my other question about moisture barriers.
There is an attic above the bedroom and there is insulation with paper backing in place. The attic area seems far more likely to get ...
1
vote
3answers
443 views
What products are available to make coved ceilings?
Due to massive cracks and drooping ceilings we need to tear off our existing plaster/lath walls and replace with sheetrock. The 1948 house currently has coved ceilings that we want to duplicate when ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
How do I fix a squeaky/whiny ceiling fan?
I have a Monte Carlo ceiling fan, similar to this one in style. It has a light that points up towards the ceiling and another towards the floor. The fan is making a whiny almost squeaky noise on all ...
1
vote
1answer
91 views
What are these metal ducts/tubes going into the attic used for?
We live in a house that is approx. 1200 sq ft. and was most likely gutted and 'refactored' by the previous owner. In our laundry room, they built a 'closet' around the water heater and our HVAC unit. ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
How do I determine how much weight an indoor hammock mounting kit can bear?
I'm looking to mount hammock indoors using an indoor hammock hanging kit, and was wondering how I'd determine how much weight the wall studs or ceiling I attach this mounting kit into can bear.
The ...
1
vote
1answer
286 views
How can I attach a light fixture to plasterboard?
After some water damage and a ceiling repair I cannot locate the joist to refix the light fitting. It is a circular fluorescent light weighing about 3 and a half pounds.
Is it safe to fix all 3 ...
