Is this a vermicuilite ceiling?

Hi All,

I have just bought my first house and it has very ugly ceilings.

Has anyone seen anything that looks like the attached photos?? I have done a bit of research into vermicuilite ceilings but im not sure if this is what i am dealing with. The texture changes throughout the house and there is a black rubber strip around all of the cornices.

I would like some advice from anyone who has experience in ceilings. Does any one know what this ceiling is made out of? Im not sure if i should paint over retaining the texture or to rip out and put in gyprock.

Any advice on this type of ceiling is greatly appreciated :)

Thanks
Janetf

It certainly looks like the spray finish vermiculite which was generally used to hide rough finished concrete.

Personally I would gyprock over with 90mm cornice. That way you don't have any demo to do.

It doesn't look like vermiculite to me,but some other sort of texture.If have never seen vermiculite on ceilings made of any type of board,and that is what you indicte that you have.It lookslike some sort of suspended ceiling to me.Are they tiles?

Tools

Janet,

A bigger photo please!

From the photo, as Tools said it looks like some sort of suspended ceiling system.

The good news is that if it's in big panels 4' wide and the width of the house, it's probably something like the old Stramit system, which means that it has a pretty good insulation value. Rat's suggestion makes a lot of sense if that's the case!

We need more info!

cheers,

P
:D

Id also like to see bigger or closeup photos, but my 2c worth is plaster rolled on with a course roller. We have the same in a house back Adelaide. Look closely see if there are overlap edges. The easiest way it to fix batterns to the ceiling and resheet with new gyprock

Tony

Hi everyone

Thanks for your feedback!

I have attached a couple more photos, im not sure if they illustrate the ceiling any better.

To answer a couple of the questions, The ceilings appear to be covered in some sort of texture then broken up by a plastic strip that runs the length of the room. They dont appear to be tiles. I had a close look and i notice the texture is not an even finish and varies from light to heavy (looks like stones glued to the ceiling). I am wondering what the white strip that runs the length of the room is for?

Cheers,
Janet

The strips will be joins in whatever the sheets are.It could be a stramit system as previously suggested.Are there eaves outside that sliding door,and if so, are the joining strips outside as well and inlune with the ones on the inside?

Check also to see if the strip0s are metal or plastic.



Tools

It is a strammit ceiling. Compressed straw pannels with a textured face, dropped into metal sections.

Best thing to do is fix metal furring channels to the metal channels with a Rondo part number 237 clip fixed with a tek screw. then line with plasterboard.

Cheers Rod

Janet,
now I see the joining strip I have to ask, how hard is the surface, ie- can you dent it with your finger.

If so it could be vinyl covered insulation panels with another coating over top.

Have you been in the roof to look at the back side. If possible give us a photo.

Rat52 It can't be vinyl coated insulation as they need support at max 1200mm centers. But normally 1200x600 panels. I have only once seen them used in a 1200x1200 panel.

Stramit ceilings like this one have been around for a while. There are not many "lay in pannel" type products that can span the entire room supported along the length only, such as this. Ripple foil is another that comes to mind.

I would say its a 90% chance you are looking at strammit. In any event the only real option to have a flat seamless ceiling is to install plasterboard over it fixed to furring channels. You would not want to rip it out. Stamit provides excellent noise control and insulation properties. Just go over the top.

Cheers