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ti_ahna_firth

Restoring pressed metal ceilings

Ti-Ahna Firth
8 years ago
Hello - does anyone know the best process of removing old, flaking paint (lead based) and repainting a pressed metal ceiling? It's original condition - house built in the 1920s and probably last painted in the 1950s. Thanks!
Featured Answer
  • torchreader
    5 months ago

    Wow, well, I didn't see that one, and since I tried bristle brushes anyway without success it may not have worked. What I did find, thanks to your suggestion, was this thing, which has fine grit embedded in the nylon bristles. So harder than a brush, softer than wire. The problem with my ceilings (all five of them) is that for the past 122 years, the thin pressed tin was the ONLY surface between the room and the corrugated iron roof. An oven in summer, an icebox in winter, and huge temperature fluctuations between night and day - so although the paint is only one or two coats thick, it has crazed as well as peeled or bubbled.

    Totally impractical financially speaking as well as impossible time-wise, to strip it back, so it's just remedial work for me. Getting rid of any hanging flakes, and filling in the tiny cracks.

    Togged up with eye protection, face mask, ear muffs when using the grinder, and a shower cap, I used a combination of the fan grinder below, a hand held small wire brush, the wooden handle of my paint brush, and the plastic end of a broom (when standing on the floor) to scrape flakes and crunch 'blisters'.


    After discussing the problem with a local specialist paint manufacturer I came away with a fantastic primer which primes ANY surface, even aluminium, bonds the paint, fills tiny cracks, and covers amazingly well. I used a soft brush. Much to my surprise it only took half a pot to do a ceiling of just under 13 sq metres. I found it was less exhausting to do first the scraping, then painting, whatever was in reach before moving the ladder. This saved a lot of double handling.. I hung my paint pot on the ladder, so just threw a cloth over it while doing the scraping.

    One more tip is that you can do touchups from the floor very nicely with a foam roller mini brush on a pole. The foam roller squidges into the hills and valleys of the tin patterns.


    I have now finished preparing this first room and only have the top coat to finish off. I don't think I'll need more than one coat, as the prep coat is so good already. I'm going to use a good quality flat white ceiling paint (they usually have a bit of black in them for better coverage).

    I don't pretend it will look as glorious as the original, but I'm not doing a full-on restoration, just a renovation/refreshing of a very humble cottage. I think it will still look attractive, flaws and all, and show the history of the house.

    Photo also below of work in progress, and the 'after' of the prep coat.

    If I remember, I'll post an after picture once I've finished the final coat.

    :)




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