How to remove adhesive from ceiling?

Question

I just started to renovate my apartment in an old building. I removed the paint from the walls, but when i started to remove it from the ceiling I noticed it was fitted with polystyrene sheets.

I thought that it was glued, but to my unfortunate surprise adhesive, cement i think. It was used to bind it to a wall. How do I remove it without damaging the ceiling? I read that chemicals are used on bricks but not sure about wall?

Also underneath cement is from what I can see paint on a plaster (i think its called that in English)

I would be really grateful for any help, or do i have to call somebody with more experience?

Answer 1

C&P from comments as requested:

Epoxy will usually chip off when it is that thick but it is a lot of work. If you can find a proper solvent you could paint it on , I would use a demo drill/hammer with a wide chipping blade. If you have equipment rentals they should have an electric demo drill /hammer is what they are called here like a sds tool with the chisel instead of a drill bit, more expensive than a drill but handy if you do a lot of remodeling.

Answer 2

I would venture to say that if you remove that cement, the people in the apartment above you would land in your apartment. Your entire building is probably made of poured concrete and you're seeing the bottom of the upstairs apartment's floor.

The Styrofoam™ sheets you're seeing are for sound and thermal insulation between your apartment and the one above.

I'd suggest that you'll want to cut off the torn Styrofoam to create neat, square edges, replace it, then paint over it.

Also, you say "apartment" - to me, that implies that you're renting. I presume you have permission to do the renovation work? Often landlords don't like it when you start messing with their property without permission...