I am renovating my small ensuite. I noticed that the ceiling had a large section where a previous coat had chipped away. It looks like the previous owners simply painted over the top of it.

None of the paint on the ceiling was chipping, but I didn't like the look of the 'step' where the previous coat had chipped away. I got up there with a scraper and scaped away some of the old paint. The part of the ceiling with the older paint came away relatively easily and in large chips. In these areas I have removed the paint down to the plasterboard.

I am left with a ceiling where the reminaing paint is quite 'sound'. It seems impossible to remove with a scraper and does not come off at all when I place strong adhesive tape over it and peel it off. Therefore I assume it can stay,

I have attached a picture of the current state of the ceiling.

My question is, how do I progress from here? If I only prime the ceiling and paint, I will have created a new 'step'. Therefore I assume I need to go over the ceiling with some kind of filler and sand it flat.

In what order do I do this? Do I fill, sand, and then apply a sealer/primer? Or do I apply the primer first, fill, sand, and then apply primer again? I have heard that 'Bondcrete' would be good for this job. Can anyone confirm?

Any advice appreciated.

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Sand first then prime/seal

I wouldn't bother filling. Use a plasterers sanding float and feather off all the paint edges so they don't show through the next coat then use a good sealer/primer and two coats of maybe a semi gloss as this is an ensuite. You could if you wanted sand the edges again after sealing to ensure the edges are feathered off well then seal again before top coating.
Cheers
Bob

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Old age is merely mind over matter!! If you don't mind ..... it doesn't matter.

a trick once learned quite some years ago, with the very same problem you have right now ...acctually looked quite good when done .....cut a board about 300mm square and put a handle in the centre (preferably a broom handle).....about 150mm in length .....this is used to apply the paint .....using a really thick acrylic...and plenty of drop sheets on the floor ......use a spoon to apply a quantity to the centre of the board .....and push it up into the ceiling ....twist ....and pull down slightly ...be patient to catch a few drips ....and continue on .....this will leave a circular drip effect which doesnt look to bad .....and will more than likely cover up a lot of the defects your trying to get rid of ...and in half the time .....

Thanks for the reply guys.

Not sure about the "dripping roof" painting idea.

I have tried to sand the edges of the areas were the paint doesn't scrape off. Even after sanding, the step is noticable/feelable, so I would rather use somekind of film filler and sand to ensure there is no step at all.

Any recommendations on a film filler?

Thanks.

polyfilla

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Regards
Bob Thomas

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your bathroom ceiling was painted with a acrylic ceiling white & was not sealed first

1. get yourself some base plaster - from your local plaster supplier
get a top-coat plaster also, ready mixed. plus a 100mm hand trowel

2. trowel a ( skim )coating of base plaster ( mix the base plaster so its like a paste ) over the whole area that has been peeling, let the first coating dry off but not fully, now trowel another coat over the top of the first coating...but remember ONLY a skim coating, don't worry about trowel lines during the first coat , now you will need to back blade over the area you have troweled this will knock back the markings and high trowel lines...read in this thread, http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=62211 comment #4

3. now trowel a TOP coating of ready-mixed topping plaster over the whole area...this plaster sands very easy.

4. sand the surface with a "carbon foam sanding block" easy to use has 2 grits one on each side...ask at the plaster shop or a paint shop

5. seal the ceiling with 2 coatings of plasterboard sealer - or a good quality sealer undercoat, use a lambs wool roller. this will give a little texture

6. now you can paint the ceiling you can use a flat acrylic or low-sheen....no need for semi-gloss.

have fun......i've done this hundreds of times

Thanks for posting Slobba

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woody U.K.

"Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Thanks Slobba. Much appreciate the advice. This sounds like the "proper" way to deal with the problem even though it sounds like more work than I was hoping for! I may have to repeat this procedure with most of the ceiling in the house.

One more question, how well should the existing paint be removed from the ceiling before performing the fix?

Thanks again.

test it with a sharp trowel on the edge of the paint , work towards the paint edge and not away from it, if it wont move "leave it alone" another test is get some sticky tape..now with a razor make a small cross X about the size of a 50c coin...now place the tape over the cross and peel it back off ...if the paint comes away with the tape, keep working....

you will most likely find that all ceiling joints maybe effected. but mainly in the bathroom, kitchen, ensuite, laundry....any wet areas....

what happens the steam will penetrate flat ceiling white paints..this is why a good sealer must be used before painting plaster board....the picture you posted..i'd say that is above your shower... " thats what happens"...another tell tale sign is "crows feet" along the plaster join.......i wouldn't be to concerned about the other ceilings in your house....give the ceilings in your wet areas a coat of sealer and 2 top coatings of paint....mainly bathrooms & you can use flat acrylic.

What Slobsa has said, you will get a finish you will be happy with, top coat is cheap and easy to apply compared to doing a half baked job that will look very average from the outset. Its all about feathering the edge so you can't get a shadow effect, oddly enough you can not really see large dips and hollows that well in a ceiling but flakes, chips and ridges show up like dogs dovers.

Hmm missed this thread lol.

Slobba is right except that I would use a minimum of an 250 mm joint knife to apply the top coat and a 300mm one would be better still.

Cheers

Rod

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i use a 250 mm Hyde trowel ....but thought a 100 maybe easier for a DIY.

One last question..(s)

I bought a container of Gyprock "Wet Area joint compound" while I was in a hurry because bunnings was about to close. I believe this should be OK for the base coat??

I also assume I NEED to put a topping compound over the base coat? (I have never done this before). Would a multi-purpose compound do the job or should I be using only a "top coat" compound?

Finally, I bought a tin of Dulux "1 Step primer, sealer & undercoat". It says it is suitable for a range of purpose including "paperfaced plasterboard". But now with the compound coats I am putting on the ceiling it is no longer "paperfaced". Is there a specific sealer that I should be using for the job?

Thanks for all the help already. Will post up a picture when I am finally done. (We have had a new-born baby to deal with within the last week. Tends to put the brakes on DIY jobs around the house!).

Thanks again.

i only ever use the normal old base coat ( mixing it myself ) that way i get the texture that i need depending on the job i'm doing. giving it 2 layers..then back trowel after each layer to take any ridges off ( when dry )..then 1 coat of pre-mixed topping.. the sealer you have is good...i will post up some pix of some work i do...

rod should be able to answer about the wet area compound

just remember to take your time, it always takes longer to fix stuff ups..after the first layer ( skim coat ) don't get concerned that it is NOT smooth, the second skim coat will smooth it more, then the topping will smooth it complete. then sand it slowly....you can always add more topping where needed.