Fixing gaps in the ceiling?

[Viking]

2 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

We been looking at new houses (just browsing) and some have some really nice "wood" accents on the ceilings.  Not sure if it fits your decor but I love the wood look.  This is an example of the material, not how you would use them.  I think they are PVC.

That's looking great, but right now I just try to keep it simple.

[Viking]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

It's very, very difficult to cover cracks well enough to make them go away without leaving an unsightly seam.  And, it's almost certain they will come back if they are a result of natural movement rather than a specific incident.

Our developer used Hardiflex and then scored rectangles into it which should mean cracks only appear on the seams and thus are easily disguised.  For some reason, they didn't do it on our ceilings but I'm glad they didn't as it looks very old fashioned IMO.

I think OMW's suggestion is the best as long as you can get a textured paint with enough texture.  I don't know but I wonder if you could simply add fine sand to normal paint and give it a good mix to add additional texture?

 

 

I know it's very hard to avoid cracks in the ceiling but I wanna do my best to keep them away as long as possible.

I agree with you that the solution covering the cracks with strips look a bit old fashioned, but sometimes the old methods can actually be the best.

Getting paint with structure in it, is probably the easiest way to hide imperfections in the ceiling but I have some consern. Will it will not make the ceiling very difficult to clean from dirt and grease in the future?

[hk blues]

30 minutes ago, Viking said:

I agree with you that the solution covering the cracks with strips look a bit old fashioned, but sometimes the old methods can actually be the best.

 

Just to clarify, I think covering with wooden strips is fine, as long as the spacing can be made to work.  The old fashioned comment related to scribing joints in the Hardiflex to create false panels.  

[hk blues]

33 minutes ago, Viking said:

Getting paint with structure in it, is probably the easiest way to hide imperfections in the ceiling but I have some consern. Will it will not make the ceiling very difficult to clean from dirt and grease in the future?

Yes is the answer to that.  At least, if you get enough texture to make a difference that same amount of texture will not allow for easy cleaning.  Even for painting you'd then need to use a roller with a deeper pile.

Honestly speaking, for me the amount of effort involved in cleaning a ceiling I'd rather just repaint it with a quick couple of coats.  I'll probably do that in our upstairs terrace rather than waste a few hours and end up with something only half-assed.  We've been in our place for 7.5 years and haven't needed to clean the ceilings yet, not even the area above the stove (though I haven't taken a close look at that patch recently).

[Viking]

4 hours ago, hk blues said:

Yes is the answer to that.  At least, if you get enough texture to make a difference that same amount of texture will not allow for easy cleaning.  Even for painting you'd then need to use a roller with a deeper pile.

Honestly speaking, for me the amount of effort involved in cleaning a ceiling I'd rather just repaint it with a quick couple of coats.  I'll probably do that in our upstairs terrace rather than waste a few hours and end up with something only half-assed.  We've been in our place for 7.5 years and haven't needed to clean the ceilings yet, not even the area above the stove (though I haven't taken a close look at that patch recently).

I am not afraid to do a couple of extra coats to make it look good, what is worrying me is that the paint will not stick to the ceiling because of the grease. If that's happening there will be a lot more work making it look good, than clean it properly from the start.

[hk blues]

2 minutes ago, Viking said:

I am not afraid to do a couple of extra coats to make it look good, what is worrying me is that the paint will not stick to the ceiling because of the grease. If that's happening there will be a lot more work making it look good, than clean it properly from the start.

If the ceiling is bad with grease then it will affect the finish.  That said, I've never washed a ceiling before painting (mainly because I'm lazy) and haven't had any particular issues. Again, it depends how bad it is. 

You could always do a spot test and see how it goes.

[Mike J]

19 hours ago, Viking said:

Curious to know why you choose plywood instead of drywall when you replaced your ceilings? What is the benefits of it?

Drywall is seldom used in the Philippines, at least in our area.  I have been to quite a few building supply stores/outlets in Cebu and have never seen it for sale.  I would not use it even if available because of the high humidity and frequency of leaking roofs.  The old ceiling was 1/4 inch plywood and probably not marine as water damage from they typhoon caused a lot of delamination.   So the primary benefit, in my opinion, is the resistant to moisture, both humidity and leaks.   Marine plywood also had anti-termite treatment during manufacture.  When we had a house built for the wife's parents I had them use hardiflex for the ceilings, after a few years all the seams show cracks.  Hardiflex is a good choice but takes a bit of care to install as the holes have to be pre drilled on the edges to prevent cracking.  The advantage of hardiflex termite free and basically fire proof.  A disadvantage to hardiflex is that it does not block sound nearly as much as plywood.   If plywood is used it should definitely be marine.   I also use 3/4 marine plywood plus solid mahogany when building cabinets.   I always treat wood with clear solignum prior to a final finish.  Picture below are the doors for a CR vanity.

 

[Possum]

Apparently building materials vary from province to province as most houses in our area have drywall ceilings. Builders like it because its cheap.

Builders also love glass for exterior walls because it's cheaper and quicker than CBC evenh though it makes zero practical sense in a typhoon prone tropical climate. One guy wanted me to calculate what size AC he would need for the second floor of his house which was mostly glass with minimal canopy shading. it was over 36000 BTUs  and the house was not very big.

 

 

[OnMyWay]

I bought a 4 X 8 gypsum board today.  p480.  It is available everywhere here.

Repairing the ceiling where we had a leak.  I think I prefer hardiflex now but I need 1/2 inch thickness to match the rest of the ceiling, and hardiflex would not match.

[fototek1]

We have the strips of wood Like Mike J posted in the section of our place that was completed 3 years ago. Those got wrecked last year when workers decided to walk on the ceiling while completing some newer construction. We used Gypsum in the new section that was completed about 1 year ago and it looked good in June when we were there. I am curious to see what the gypsum looks like when we get back in February. My guess is it is moldy and no one there notices