A vintage-style embossed metal ceiling gives a nostalgic note to a thoroughly modern kitchen.
A SERIOUSLY DETERIORATED ceiling is a high-altitude problem. Cracked plaster, sagging drywall and water stains that can't be camouflaged with a coat of paint call for radical remedies. Fortunately there are several affordable and easy-to-execute options, including some that you may be tempted to dismiss.
For example, despite the fact that acoustical ceiling tile is one of the most effective and affordable fixes for defective ceilings, it often has been regarded as the remedy of last resort. Common to classrooms and convenience stores, it has been used sparingly in homes. For good reason: It has not been a particularly attractive material, sometimes making an otherwise unobtrusive surface annoyingly conspicuous.
But that was back in the day. Things are definitely looking up for ceiling tile and for suspended ceiling panels. Genuine style has, finally, come to these ceiling fixes.
New tiles and panels bear an uncanny resemblance to classic, turn-of-the-century plasterwork. Others have hefty bevelled edges that produce a raised-panel look or edges that are scalloped or fluted, as if bordered with picture-frame moulding.
There are differences between ceiling tile and ceiling panels, though both are typically made of a lightweight mineral fibre. Tiles are typically 12 inches square. They are attached with invisible clips or staples to metal or wood furring strips nailed or screwed to the old ceiling.
Ceiling panels, on the other hand, may be 24 inches square or 24 by 48 inches. These rest on an all-but-invisible, colour-matched metal grid suspended by wires from the original ceiling. Do-it-yourselfers with a modicum of skill and a few basic tools can install either ceiling in a weekend.
The advantage of suspended ceilings, especially for those working in older homes, is that they can hide new overhead wiring and exposed heating ducts and pipes. Usually a minimum clearance of 3 inches is required. But if you have ceilings that are 9 feet or higher, that won't be much of a sacrifice.
Both panels and tiles are washable and paintable. In addition to their acoustical properties, most are fire retardant.
If you live in a vintage home or want a vintage look, consider using "tin" ceiling panels, the kind often found in century-old general stores, banks and office buildings. These days the 2-by-2-foot panels are made of aluminium but come in clear, white, copper, brass or matte finishes and hundreds of embossed patterns. Like mineral fibre tiles or panels, they can be nailed to furring strips or "laid-in" to a suspended grid.
Similar embossed panels made of real plaster or rigid foam are also now available.
If your ceiling is beset with spider-web cracks, wallpaper is an option. Some wallpaper manufacturers are now offering embossed ceiling papers that approximate the look of elaborately plastered ceilings.
PAPER CRACKS
If you only want to hide the cracks and restore a smooth surface, choose a good-quality wallpaper in a neutral colour. Ask your dealer to help you select one that is paintable so you can paint the ceiling in a colour of your choice. Depending on the severity of the cracks, you may have to fill them with a joint compound first and then put up a liner paper.
Replacing an old plastered ceiling with gypsum wallboard is less costly than replastering and usually a once-in-a-lifetime job. Installing 4-by-8-foot sheets of wallboard and taping, applying joint compound to hide seams and nail holes, then sanding is a process best left to professionals.
An alternative is to cover an old ceiling with tongue-and-groove boards, usually nailed to wood furring strips that are nailed or screwed to the old ceiling. Six-inch-wide boards are the most popular, but 4-inch-wide beadboard the material often found on ceilings of old porches produces a stunning look.
Beadboard plywood in 4-by-8-foot sheets will produce a similar look with less labour than individual boards. In either case, the wood can be stained or painted to suit your taste.
Remember, though, it doesn't do any good to restore an ailing ceiling if you haven't solved the underlying or, rather, overlying problem. A leak in the roof or a wobbly rafter has to be repaired first, or your investment of time, energy and money will have been wasted.
- Michael Walsh, Universal Press Syndicate
