The Ceiling Fell In And The Bottom Fell Out I Went Into A Spin. . . . .

[autowasherfreak]

I'm not talking about Orange Colored Sky, even though I love the song. Yesterday afternoon I was cleaning my kitchen and I heard a little crack sound and the next thing I know I'm on the floor, covered in dust, and my head hurts like hell. A section of the old one inch thick (real plaster not sheet rock) ceiling came down on me. I had a huge goose egg bump, and felt dizzy and out of it for the rest of the day.

 

[panthera]

Gosh, Jim,

That's no fun.
Hope you feel better soon.
Wanna check the rest of the ceiling?

 

[iheartmaytag]

"No Henny Penny the sky is not falling. . .

This old house is just falling down."

What caused it to fall? Did you have a leak or something, or is it just old house syndrome?

My house is 74 years old and when the roofers and siding people were banging around outside you could really see the dust dropping. Now I have noticed a few new cracks in the kitchen and pantry walls that weren't there before.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I'm feel much better. My neck hurts a little. The rest of the ceiling will be torn down later. It actually looks kind of neat with the beams exposed, but it also darkened the room.

I'm so thankful that none of the cats or dogs were in there with me like the usually are.

 

[autowasherfreak]

The roof was replaced a couple years ago, it might have been from that, but I think it was old house syndrome. That plaster is much heavier than sheet rock. I tried screwing the sagging areas to the beams, but it was only a temporary fix. I think were are going to put in a drop ceiling or the square tiles that lock together and are stapled to the beams.

 

[panthera]

When plaster

lets go, there is no fix.
You just have to take it down or put in sheetrock which is well anchored enough to take the load.

I always figure, if something is going to fall on me, best it hits my head. The echo is a bit loud, but at least nothing important gets hurt that way.

 

[autowasherfreak]

As heavy as this stuff is if one of the pets would have been in there at the time, they would have injured or worse. It even put dents in the floor tile where it landed.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Here is a couple pictures of the ceiling. Not all of it came down I took some down later before it fell down. It almost took the range hood down.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Pic two.

 

[panthera]

Holy Shit!

Jim,
I am very very glad you weren't badly hurt.
Good lord!

 

[autowasherfreak]

I happend so fast, I thought the whole house was coming down on me or that car or truck ran off the road and hit the house. There was a loud noise shortly after the ceiling came down that came from the basement, but I couldn't see anything unusual or out of place down there.

 

[turquoisedude]

YIKES!

It was indeed incredibly fortunate that you or the pets weren't seriously hurt by the falling plaster! Hope you can get things put back in order by the holidays...
BTW - love the kitchen cabinets and hardware! Turquoise would complement the copper hardware VERY nicely! LOL

 

[toggleswitch2]

I thought you were in a rental. Wouldn't the landlord have to replace the ceiling?

What is above that ceiling? Does it pay to insulate even on your dime) for sound-deading or heat-transfer reasons?

Persoanlly IMHO nothing kills asethetics and home values more than a drop ceiling or tongue-and groove 12" x 12" ceiling tiles. Any way to avoid it?

Glad you are ok. If you are indeed in a rental, may I suggest you get yourself to a doctor for a check-up in case health issues appear later. I'd also say get the insurance adjsuter in to document the occurance, ASAP.

Best wishes

 

[autowasherfreak]

I need to find something to clean the copper. I tried Tarnex but it didn't work. I thought about painting the range hood white so it would match the rest of the kitchen, but I just couldn't do it. Everyone that sees the kitchen just loves the wood cabinets, which I also thought about painting to bright the kitchen up, but was told by a friend if I did I would be swimming with the fishes, LOL so I won't be doing that. It's kind of crowded in there now with two portable dishwashers, but I don't want to get rid of my Whirlpool just yet.

 

[swestoyz]

Wow Jim - what a painful experience!

I removed about 70 percent of the original plaster in my house about 3 years ago. It was backed by wood lath (tiny 1/4 x 1 strips). It is interesting that the plaster was not backed by lath board. I wonder if it was replaced sometime in the 50's/60's? They were doing little sheets of drywall with a 1/2 layer of plaster over it.

Ben

 

[danemodsandy]

Yikes!

I think Ben's right - that looks like it was drywall backing with a plaster surface, instead of traditional plaster over lath. No wonder it came down. I'm just glad you seem to be okay. Have you gone to a doctor to get checked, so that you can be sure there are no effects that don't show yet?

For your copper hood - Bar Keeper's Friend first, then Brasso. It would be an absolutely horrendous amount of work, though. Not sure I'd even tackle it.

Your house looks to be about the same age as mine here in Waterloo. Yours is way bigger, though.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I haven't gone to a doctor yet, my neck is feeling much better and I took some Tylenol and my headache is gone, the bump is a little tender, and I'm not dizzy anymore. I think I'm going to be fine.

 

[favorit]

We don't hide anymore wooden roofs. They are perceived as very decorative and add value, to the point someone makes a fake wooden roof on the ceiling in new buildings. Insulation is outside the wooden part. This is a remodeled vintage stone-made house

 

[iheartmaytag]

I moved into a home where the range hood hadn't been cleaned since 1987--No really. It was supposed to be Almond, and it was that crinkly textured finish as well.

I was afraid to use anything too harsh because I didn't want to remove the paint so I bypassed oven cleaner. What I did end up using was very hot water, rubber gloves, a toothbrush, and Cascade liquid.

It did a very good job.

 

[toggleswitch2]

I have found it much easier to replace cheap range-hoods (usually unvented) than wash them. And by cheap, I mean it in the proper sense of the word ==> poor quality/flimsy.

If there is a stainless-steel sink I tend to go with SS, in that it is fully washable and I don't have to worry about damaging the paint. So what if it's more money; It's peace of mind and ease of cleaning.

I happened to have a microwave / range-hood combination in storage (Only $149), so I used it over my stove in my latest/current apt. The requisite 30 inches from the bottom of the nuker to the stove-top was available/existant.

No one can de-grease and clean someone else's mess better than I can. But at some point you say "WHY?" and just shell out a few drachmas to avoid having your hands torn to shreds by chemicals, brillo pads, and bleaches or ammonias, and the sharp edges they will most-likey meet up with.

 

[volvoguy87]

Historic Preservationist to the rescue!

Give some Revere copper polish a try (the kind Revere sells for their copper-bottom cookware). It will tackle stuff Tarnex and Brasso won't even go near. Bar Keeper's Friend is great for the really nasty stuff, but it can scratch a little.

As for your ceiling, plaster over Sheetrock is a disaster waiting to happen. I'm glad neither you nor any pets were killed. Plaster should always be installed over wood or metal lath. It smushes between the wood strips or metal webbing and the smushes (called keys) hold it in place. My house was built in 1892 and has original plaster quite intact throughout most of it.

I would recommend using 1/2 inch drywall for your new ceiling. It isn't too expensive, it will look good, and it's pretty quick to install. I would also take advantage of the big hole in your ceiling to insulate for energy efficiency and sound. Also, if you want to run any new electrical lines, install more light fixtures, or move any utilities, now would be the ideal time to do it. If there are any water pipes that are now exposed, inspect them and insulate them. Copper pipes especially need insulating because they radiate heat so well.

Glad you're alright,
Dave

 

[danemodsandy]

Jim:

"I haven't gone to a doctor yet, my neck is feeling much better and I took some Tylenol and my headache is gone, the bump is a little tender, and I'm not dizzy anymore. I think I'm going to be fine."

Sounds good; watchful waiting should do the trick. However - if there is any return of the dizziness or headache, or if your vision blurs, or if the bump increases in size, God is trying to tell you something, and what He's trying to tell you is: "Doctor. NOW."

I do think you'll be okay, though. We're made hard-headed for a reason! ;-)

 

[danemodsandy]

Dave:

"Give some Revere copper polish a try (the kind Revere sells for their copper-bottom cookware)."

And where, pray tell, are you finding that? I agree that it's wonderful stuff, but it seems to have gone the way of Morton's tuna pot pies and the Bullwinkle Soaky. I thought that the new owners of Revere just didn't care any more; Lord knows they're clueless enough about everything else to do with the brand.

 

[volvoguy87]

Revere polish.

I have purchased it at Corning / Revere stores at Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, VA and at the same store in Jeffersonville, OH. I hope they still make it. The new Revere pots and pans are thin junk, but the polish works well.
Dave

 

[volvoguy87]

Found it online!

Here's the stuff! Get it in the paste form in the canister. Don't be fooled by liquid imitators.
Dave

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/index.asp?pageID=231&upc=50035004627

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Jim

Just do a "squeeze" of lemon over the hardware and sprinkle table salt on it, use the squeeze like a little brillo pad; copper restored!!!!

 

[frigilux]

OMG! That would have freaked the hell out of me. You sure you don't have a concussion? That all-day dizziness is sometimes a sign. If you have any return of symptoms, SEE THE DOC!

 

[circlew]

Hard hat zone!

Wow Jim, sorry to hear the ceiling attacked you! Maybe you should invest in a hard hat if any of the other ceilings are bad. As for the plaster over rocklath, the house I'm renovating - built in 1952 - had it (and still does in one room and some closets). It was in very good condition with only a few hairline cracks and no loosening anywhere, even in areas that had got wet. In fact, when I tore it out, most of the plaster stayed adhered to the panels, which are 16"X48". Talk about something heavy! I'm surprised it didn't knock you out. I estimated each piece to weigh at least 40 lbs. Did the whole panels come down off the joists above, or just the plaster coating? Wonder what caused it to break loose? Think I remember you saying something about big trucks on the road out front. Maybe too much vibration. Maybe it wasn't a good job in the first place. Rocklath is different than regular sheetrock, in that it has a special paper for the plaster to bond to. Plaster applied over regular sheetrock would be a problem. Today, veneer plaster is more commonly used. Again, a special plaster base - either blueboard, Durock, or fiberglass faced sheetrock - is used, with a plaster coating less than 1/8" thick. I'm planning to use that system for the new walls and ceilings, as it has a much nicer finish that taped sheetrock. Well, I hope you won't have any further problems with your head or neck.

 

[danemodsandy]

Dave:

Thanks! I'm adding that link to my "Silly" list - so-called because it feels silly to have to order something and have UPS bring it to me, when it used to be in every grocery store worthy of the name.

 

[westingman123]

Wright's Copper Cream

I've found this to be better than Revere polish, although similar. It's in all the groceries around here, but you can also order it, so Sandy you may add it to your "silly" list. 1-800-837-8140 or www.jawright.com.