Lime
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Good suggestion worms.
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How do you install ceiling beams?
- Thread starter mrssmith
- Start date
mrssmith
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- 14
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- Leigh on Mendip, Somerset
Many thanks everyone for your advice, really appreciated. Being a novice to owing a property this old I assumed the ceiling was another bad job done by the previous owner as there have been a few! I am now looking at it with new eyes and just thinking of getting the centre light removed and the area patched. Then to paint it with a nice trad. paint and leave.
I'm not sure about the dining room ceiling, I lifted an upstairs floorboard or should I say chipboard, the floorboards are long gone unfortunately. Couldn't really see too much but thought it looked like more board so maybe the old ceiling was taken down, a shame. Will have to put thinking hat on with that one so it doesn't look odd against the living room ceiling.
Many thanks
Charlotte
I'm not sure about the dining room ceiling, I lifted an upstairs floorboard or should I say chipboard, the floorboards are long gone unfortunately. Couldn't really see too much but thought it looked like more board so maybe the old ceiling was taken down, a shame. Will have to put thinking hat on with that one so it doesn't look odd against the living room ceiling.
Many thanks
Charlotte
Nemesis
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Do consider attending a SPAB Homeowner's weekend course - you will learn a great deal about how to repair and generally love your period building which will prove invaluable to you.
http://www.spab.org.uk
http://www.spab.org.uk
mrssmith
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- 14
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- Leigh on Mendip, Somerset
Thank you that's really helpful. I will definately look into attending one of those!
Lime
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- East of England
A 17th century cottage with chipboard floor boards?
Good God!
That would be the first thing to come out if it were mine.
Good God!
That would be the first thing to come out if it were mine.
mrssmith
Member
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- 14
- Location
- Leigh on Mendip, Somerset
I think I'll crack the champagne when they do, disgusting!
Lime
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- East of England
You could well be right.NT said:If all you saw was more boards then you havent dug far enough. Normal ceiling structure, top to bottom, is floorboards, joists/beams, plaster ceiling. On occasion you will find 2 layers of wood for the floor instead of one.
NT
I have come across two layers of floor in an old cottage that had exposed beams below.
It was said that the extra layer was installed to stop dirt falling through the floor board cracks into the rooms below.
However I think there was also some fire prevention intended too as the extra layer was asbestos. :shock:
Geoffrey
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- 83
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- Oxfordshire
We have one floor with joists and beams exposed. Ceiling downstairs between joists is fibreboard with a plaster skim. Haven't lifted boards upstairs to see if there's any insulation between. But joists are chamfered like the ones Nemesis mentioned. Our surveyor suggested removing fibreboard throughout the house as it's considered inferior to modern plasterboard but I must say there are none of the cracks one finds with plasterboard. Wondered if anyone had any opinions on that.
I think this part of the house was altered considerably in the late '40s or early '50s would that be the period for fibreboard?
I think this part of the house was altered considerably in the late '40s or early '50s would that be the period for fibreboard?
worms
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In this house the ceilings date from about 1948 and are all plasterboard. Don't know if this is typical or not.
Gervase
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- North London
Fibreboard seems to have lingered on into the Sixties in some areas - it was cheaper than plasterboard and easier to cut and manhandle into place. It does flex more than plasterboard, and that leads to less cracking - but if ever it gets wet it swells up and is essentially knackered.
If you want a breathable, insulating replacement which can be lime-plasterd, have a look at either clay board or Heraclith wood wool board.
You can fix these to battens attached to the sides of your beams which will give you a beamed ceiling effect while still having some of the sound and thermal insulation of a plastered ceiling (and somewhere to hide your pipes and wires).
If you want a breathable, insulating replacement which can be lime-plasterd, have a look at either clay board or Heraclith wood wool board.
You can fix these to battens attached to the sides of your beams which will give you a beamed ceiling effect while still having some of the sound and thermal insulation of a plastered ceiling (and somewhere to hide your pipes and wires).
Geoffrey said:We have one floor with joists and beams exposed. Ceiling downstairs between joists is fibreboard with a plaster skim. Haven't lifted boards upstairs to see if there's any insulation between. But joists are chamfered like the ones Nemesis mentioned. Our surveyor suggested removing fibreboard throughout the house as it's considered inferior to modern plasterboard but I must say there are none of the cracks one finds with plasterboard. Wondered if anyone had any opinions on that.
I think this part of the house was altered considerably in the late '40s or early '50s would that be the period for fibreboard?
Why would one remove ceilings theres nothing wrong with?
NT
Geoffrey
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- 83
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- Oxfordshire
Couldn't agree more NT - have no plans to remove ceiling simply because fibreboard is "considered inferior" was just wondering why this is so.
bower1
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- 132
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- Dorset, UK
My last house had been 'renovated' in 1964 (it was written on some new joists) and the downstairs ceilings were fibreboard. All upstairs walls were fibreboard as well.