Advice required for painting interior brick wall and...

[chi6se]

removing plaster from ceiling.
Hi Diyers,
I've just bought a house and have removed all the plaster from the walls. Please advise on process and choice of paint for interior brick wall. Also, what is the best way to remove the old plaster on the ceiling?
Ta muchly.

 

[dcdec]

Have you just removed from one wall to make a feature brick wall or do you mean you've stripped every wall in the house back to brick?

More info needed, how old is the house? Why do you want to strip the ceilings? is this work for remedial reasons or decorative? etc

 

[chi6se]

All the walls in the living room were stripped back to bricks as the bay roof was leaking; the lead roof was partly yanked out by vandals. It is a repossession, so the house was left vacant for over a year. Reason why I removed the plaster was because bits of plaster above the skirting board was crumbling, and more starting coming off when I picked at it. In the end, I removed all the plaster from the living room. There was a fear that the crumbling plaster was a sign of rising/penetrating damp due to the classical fan-shape as the plaster was removed. I read somewhere that if damp was suspected, all the plaster should be removed to allow the house to "breathe".
As for the ceiling, it was covered in polystrene tiles and they were a fire hazard, so the builders say. I removed them and found loads of cracks all over the ceiling. When I poked it, it looked as if it will come down! The house was built in the 60s. I'm rather hesistant about taking it down as it is a very filthy task, but more importantly, the fine black dust is a health hazard.

 

[dcdec]

So its remedial work then. I think you need advice from a builder rather than a painter as he will be familiar with building regs etc.
Be handy if the mods could move this post

 

[chi6se]

Thanks Dec!
A builder suggested that I bring the ceiling down as well. Said it would be cheaper if I did it myself and then get it boarded. Question: Why would you want to bring it down just to board it again? Why not just overboard it, reduce the mess and cost? Pure romanticism or something else?
Yes, I put this post up on buildings forum but got moved to the painting site. Heyho.

 

[Deccy]

You said in your previous post that you poked at the ceiling and you thought it was going to come down. You can't overboard an unsafe ceiling, you need to start from scratch.

 

[chi6se]

Thanks Deccy,
Question: would it be cheaper if I bring the ceiling down myself?

 

[chi6se]

One more question: Do I need to check for asbestos before bringing the ceiling down?

 

[Deccy]

Well I don't know what you do for a living so can't say if it would be cheaper for you to bring down the ceiling yourself? It could take 1-2 days for a builder and he might charge you £100 - £400 per day for the work. Based on that you would need to make your mind up that way really. If you earn more than that then your best letting him do the work, if not you could tackle it yourself. As for the asbestos, I am a decorator so couldn't possibly advise on it. Your best getting a builder in to take a look.

 

[chi6se]

Hi Deccy,
Just had a builder in yesterday and he said to overboard! to keep everything in! I've not decided if I should just repair the bit that is sagging and breaking or bring it down. Someone suggested that I paper the ceiling until I am sure and comfortable with my decision. Such a headache

 

[chi6se]

Just received news that there is no asbestos in ceiling; lab results. So, ceiling coming down when I get the time. Any advice greatly received.