When it comes to home renovations, there are many that you can do yourself. Redoing your ceiling is a renovation project that any DIYer can be successful with. Here are some necessary things that you should understand before you jump right in.
Decide on Texture
Ceilings are an area of the home where there can be texture added to the blank wall. Some examples include swirl, popcorn, tree bark, and slap brush. If your existing ceiling doesn’t have a texture on it, then you simply just need to give it a thorough cleaning. Wipe down all the dust and sweep away the cobwebs in the corner. When it comes to a ceiling that already has texture on it, you can utilize a putty knife to chip away the added texture from the sheetrock underneath it.
Know Where Your Wires Are
When you redo the ceiling of a room, you’ll likely be changing the lighting. That’s just a natural part of making a room more modern. It’s important to understand where you want your lighting to go so that you can have wires run to that location. You’ll want to have all your lightboxes installed prior to installing the sheetrock. If you’re installing multiple lightboxes, you should consider safe way scaffolding over a ladder. This will make it easier to walk around without fear of falling.
Look for Damaged Sheetrock
While you may not want to redo all the sheetrock on your ceiling, there may be parts that need it. It’s best to assess the ceiling to get an idea of areas that may have undergone water damage. This will be discolored and rotted. You’ll want to remove the drywall back to the joists. Then, simply install new drywall that is the same width as your existing ceiling drywall.
Pay Attention to Your Insulation
If you plan on replacing parts or all of the sheetrock on your ceiling, then you need to know what insulation is above it. There are various types of insulation that can be used. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll break it down into two categories. These are loose insulation and sheeted insulation. You can simply roll up the sheets and reapply them. The loose insulation will need to be shoveled up and put in storage bins while you apply the new drywall. Be careful to identify the materials your insulation is made out of as some older loose insulation can have asbestos in it.
Redoing your ceiling requires proper planning alongside great execution. It’s best to take your time and assess the four factors above when redoing your ceiling. You’ll find that you get amazing results that you’ll be proud to show off to all your visitors.
