I would love to know too. I have been quoted a price to scrape/sand my 4 bedroom pressed metal ceilings and painter has said that they should be repainted in a flat ceiling white in order to hide the imperfections. Currently 2 of them are glossy and look quite ok to me aside from some dull/dirty patches near the walls. I would think it would be nice to make them a feature and therefore use gloss paint.

I saw on a renovating forum about using an angle grinder with brush attachment to remove the flakey paint. Might be worth a go if tin is in ok condition. Do in small stints so don't burn out the grinder. And take care with dust from lead paint obviously!

If the paint is powdery, it could be kalsomine which was used a lot in older homes. You might actually be able to simply wash with soapy water instead, to remove loose paint. Good luck. I certainly don't envy you the task!!

Very helpful! Thank you! I've just finished removing the wallpaper and it was definitely kalsomine underneath that!

Are you finding the kalsomine paint peeling off right back to plaster?

You can get lead test kits at hardware stores or online, so you know what you're dealing with. If it is lead you don't want to disturb it if possible. This booklet is also a useful starting point.

http://www.environment.gov.au/protection/publications/lead-alert-six-step-guide-painting-your-home

Paint stripper and a decent respirator are a good way to go for pressed metal ceilings. My tip is a stiff nylon scrubbing brush and (strangely) cuticle sticks are good for getting into the detail. Also don't do it when it's too warm as the stripper dries too quickly. Get yourself a work platform as doing it off a ladder is a PITA, arms and feet, especially if you are short (like me) and the ceilings are high.

@dohraime - I'll have to check this and take some photos. It was while I was removing the wallpaper from the walls and it was very powdery and its a blue colour underneath, and as we were doing it the hard way and using water and scrapers to remove the paper, there was a chalky residue everywhere, so your comment about kalsomine struck my interest. Not sure where you are all located, but I'm in Sydney and it has rained for 4 days straight - no chance to head back to the house yet but will do so this weekend.

@fiona_ab - I need to do a Bunnings (hardware store) run this weekend too so I will pick up a kit then. My father in law is a typical Maltese man and likes to say "don't worry, don't worry" - but I'm not taking any chances!! I'm also a shorty so definitely need a platform - but hopefully I can get hubby to do this job!

I have pressed metal ceilings as well and the paint is starting to flake and peel. I'm wondering if a heat gun would work. if anyone has tried this method. The house was built in 1913 and I think it's probably got ten coats of paint on it, however it's now getting to that stage where it needs a complete scraping back all over. Any suggestions?

someone recommended Peel Away 8 to me, has anyone had any experience with this? We have a very old tin ceiling too, which we are planning on removing the layers of old paint.

I have a 1910 weatherboard cottage to renovate with pressed tin ceilings in every room - each room has a different pattern, and all of them are flaking. Scraping and wire brushing doesn't really work on the caked on paint and can damage the thin tin patterns. I saw one Youtube clip recommending Oven cleaner as a caustic stripper but apart from the sheer physical hazards involved I'd need truckloads, so it's not an option.

I am pretty sure this is not kalsomine. I've had experience with that before and it's easy to spot. This paint doesn't budge with water.

Is there such a thing as a GENTLE non-metal brush tool available to attach to a power drill?

Otherwise, I'm going to try rebinding the paint with PVA glue and a specialist primer and painting over it. :(

There is a technique that a painter did on my ceilings which was like a paper pasted on to the pressed metal left for 4 hours then peeled off.off.must admit it didn't work very well at all. He said three days ended up three weeks with the grinder and steel brush.brush.turned out great but a dam lott of hard work.work.be careful this guy didn't charge me any extra because I knew him. I wouldn't post his name because he doesn't want to do it ever again

You could try one of the plastic brush attachment made for cleaning tiles. How bad is the flaking? I’d just try a primer first without anything else, and see what the outcome is.

I haven't seen such an attachment but will have a look, thank you. The flaking is all over every inch of the ceiling, basically like cracks and small fingernail clippings.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-16-piece-drill-brush-set_p0375144?store=6037&gbraid=0AAAAADtbEB8F3KojhVCGLC6Tnpl1uhJp_&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1JLcpNWMggMVSriWCh3nlwLvEAQYAyABEgI43PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Attachment from Bunnings

Great work. Looks good.

I am currently going through the process of removing the coating from my pressed metal ceiling Dulux do a product 3 in fact red green and blue paint strippers. you do a test first to monitor the dwell time, and which product suits your material. it is better than any thing else i have reserched. Kind Regards Jeff from Keysell Builders.