DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Patch Paster Ceiling Ribbed Lath

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  squarewav 
#1 ·
My bathroom is in a very old apt. building converted to condos. I demo'd everything but there's some warts that are small annoying fixes that the contractors aren't interested in. So I'm going to do it myself dammit!

First problem is this hole in the ceiling. Here is a pic:

[pic omitted temporarily because this is my first post]

Yes, that drain is actually the unit above and it's lead.

There are metal trusses spaced 24" apart and have ribbed lath wired to it and then a 3 coat plaster job.

The people who have looked at it have generally said to patch it the way it would have been patched 50 years ago. Unfortunately I have no such skills.

So my thought is to cut back to the metal trusses and make a square hold roughly 24" by however wide it needs to be to get away from the water damage. Then I was going to put 2-3 pieces of metal channel across the hole screwed into the trusses using self-tapping screws (the kind used for metal framing). Then I was going to test fit a piece of sheetrock using the kind of screws used to attach sheetrock / wallboard to metal framing. Then, I would add joint compound to the back so that when it's pressed up, it mushes into the remaining metal screen and also proves a spacer to line up the planes. After the joint compound dries, I can counter sink the screws better. Then it can be taped and such. I'll use some plaster weld along the way.

Does this sound sane?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Will need a photo. You can post them after 5 posts(I believe) or you can post them to one of those internet photo things and write out the link.
I don't think cutting back metal trusses is the way to go. You don't mess with support.
 
#3 ·
No, I am absolutely not going to cut into trusses. The plan is to remove just the loose plaster, browncoat and cut away any rusted screen until I reach the metal trusses so that I will have something very solid to attach things to.

I just tried to post pics but still no luck. It claims I need at least one post but apparently that's not entirely true. I tried to post a link to imgur and turned off "parse links in text" but still no dice.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Here is the original pic I was going to post:

http://i.imgur.com/4fv1AhM.jpg

But I have since cut away the parts that were really badly damaged and so now I have this:

http://i.imgur.com/GnZWB33.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/leHJDWr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LXPmAT6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lH8yww9.jpg

Currently I'm thinking I will use a utility knife to carefully create I nice edge right in the middle of the trusses on either side (but leave any good ribbed lath). With some care and a lot of blades I should have a nice rectangular hole exactly 24" wide by something.

However, now I'm noticing that the thickness of the lath and 3 coat system is just over 1" thick. So even a 5/8 piece of sheetrock is not nearly thick enough. I'm going to have to pad it out a little somehow. Perhaps instead of metal studs I'll rip some pieces 2x4 to the thickness necessary to make up the difference. I'll use self tapping drywall screws to fix the panel onto the trusses.

But I'm just brainstorming at this point. I'm willing to try just about anything. If it doesn't come out right I have no problem tearing it out and starting over. I want to it be a really nice patch. I'm not just trying to hack something.

So does this look like a sane plan? Or is it not a good idea to put sheetrock and 3 system plaster next to each other?
 
#6 ·
I think you've come up with a reasonable plan for a very difficult problem. You are certainly fortunate that the non-load bearing area so you don't have to worry about that. I am thinking that you might have to skim coat the entire area with a couple of coats of plaster to make everything even out and look consistent.

I'm still trying to figure out what all the layers of metal lathe are doing up there inside of the ceiling area. They aren't part of the ceiling itself nor the floor above.
 
#7 ·
In general, a three coat job in my area is about a 3/8" base coat, a 3/8" scratch coat, and a 1/8" finish coat for a total of 7/8". I say "about" because it is ABOUT the thickness. If you have JUST over an inch thickness all the way around, do your original with a piece of 5/8"', screw a piece of 1/2" over it, and you are about there. Ron
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top