What'd you expect from a 1930s ceiling?

JustAnotherSaver

Before anyone responds to just the question in the thread title, please read on...

Some of you will know by now we had a fair wet patch on our master bedroom wall from a leaky roof which has apparently been sorted (had a roofer up there who said it's been fixed).

The ceiling has been papered & the wooden beam part that angles down, the paper around this has turned yellow as you can see from the photo:



I was wondering whether it'd be ok/best to leave it as it is & it'll just eventually dry out itself, or whether perhaps the paper is considerably slowing down the drying out rate.

So then the thought of whipping the papering off came to mind, but i wonder what'd be behind all that.

I've only ever lived in a house where the ceiling has been plasterboarded. I've never paid attention in other houses & now that i have they're also plasterboarded.

I've been warned that it could be asbestos sheeting behind that paper, hence my reluctance to take it off & why i'm asking those who'll have more know-how than me.

If we whip the paper off then we'd end up having to get someone in to paper it. Neither of us have ever papered before & while i don't mind having a bash at a flat wall, a ceiling & especially an angled one at that, i'd probably pay more in mistakes than it'd cost to get someone to do it.


Oh & for the record, i've tried painting that angled bit white, but it keeps returning yellow, although the patch on the wall seems to be drying out nicely now.

phill99

It keeps turning yellow because it needs stain blocking before applying emulsion. You can by a spray on stain block from Screwfix. Give it 2 coats and then re-emulsion.

jcb208

Or thinned down oil based undercoat is just as good but cheaper

JustAnotherSaver

I take from that then that you'd just leave the ceiling papered & it'll dry out on its own in its own time then?


Still, out of interest - is a 1930s house likely to be asbestos sheeted ceilings? Having had that put to me makes me reluctant to start messing with them. Still, i don't know whether the chap knew what he was talking about or not. Could be a load of twaddle for all i know.

AlexMac

Having had leaky 1900's houses including a top floor flat with a similar angled ceiling line, I'd deffo peel off the paper, let the surface dry, then stain-block with oli-based undercoat and repaper (with woodchip (yuk!) or anaglypta, assuming you want to replicate what looks like a rather textured paper finish?).

JustAnotherSaver

I've heard enough bad tales about that woodchip lark. It's not something i'd want to deal with.

The ceiling paper is patterned/textured, yes. I don't actually mind it to be honest. It feels just like some really thick patterned/textured wallpaper. I don't know if you actually get ceiling paper or whether this will really be just wallpaper put on the ceiling. I wonder if they'll have gone the thick paper approach to try hide any blemishes on the ceiling.

Would the other guys solution of just stain blocking the paper not work then?

Bluebell1000

Our 1930s house had lath and plaster ceilings, which were held together by multiple layers of wallpaper. Had to take them down and replace with plasterboard, but given how messy it was, leave it alone unless you absolutely have to!!!