My ceiling is coming down. It is sheet rock and parts of it is bowing. Is there a way to fix this?

Question

It has popcorn texture and one room has already feel in. I just want to know if there is a way to put it back up there before it lets go totally. Thanks

There is not a leak in the ceiling. It has popcorn texture and it got heavy when we painted it. That is what I think is causing the bowing

Answer 1

Properly nailed or screwed sheetrock shouldn't bow or come down unless it gets wet. The moisture in attics not properly vented can cause this, as well as water leaks from roof or pipes. Popcorn ceilings are many times not sealed, nor is the sheetrock primed before texturing. Both are very susceptible to moisture. If the ceiling is in a bathroom you may need to install a bath vent fan since moisture will easily go through unsealed ceilings. You must find out why the sheetrock is bowing before you can salvage whats left of the sheetrock. See if you can push the bow out of a spot. I've saved many ceilings that had still damp sheetrock by putting beams of 2 2x4's nailed together and placed on edge across the ceiling while wedging support boards from the floor. Cut the support boards (again 2-2x4 nailed together) a little longer than you can stand straight up, allowing for the thickness of the ceiling support 2x's. Place a small piece of 1x6 on the floor under the support so you can push the support to perpendicular thereby raising the ceiling. Don't put the boards across the ceiling directly on a bowed spot but place across the ceiling joist to make the ceiling level. You need the joist to stop pushing the sheetrock beyond being level. You will need several upright supports for each 8' 2x4's against the ceiling. As the sheetrock dries it will stay straight when you pull down the supports. Add nails or screws as necessary. Popcorn ceilings are a horrible mess as the home builders usually leave it unpainted. They will sometimes mix paint in with the texture when spraying but this is not sufficient. The popcorn should be removed, or primed with a thin PVA primer. Do not apply very thickly as the water will in the primer will bring down the texture. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Answer 2

It's actually very simple. If it's a small hole (less than 6 inches in diameter), you can find patching kits at a home improvement store. Or, you can use the following method for large holes: Get a box-cutter kind of knife and cut the hole into a basically square shape. Measure the hole and cut a piece of drywall to almost the same dimension as the hole (just a fuzz smaller). Get a couple of slats of wood (like 1 x 4) that are about 8 inches longer than the hole is wide. Using drywall screws, screw the slats across the hole, such that they are in position to allow you to screw the patch you cut into the ceiling. Screw the patch onto the wood slats. Use spackling compound and a spackling knife to fill in the cracks around the hole. When the spackling compound is dry, you might need to put another coat on for large gaps that have shrinkage. When the spackling is completely dry, sand it smooth (you can get a mesh-type of sanding material that is made specifically for sanding drywall mud). Wipe off the dust with a damp cloth. Apply a coat of primer (like Kilz). Then paint it.

Answer 3

It sounds like your roof is leaking onto the ceiling boards,causing them to warp. I would suggest first having the roof checked for leaks and repaired before doing the ceiling. The bad news is...you will probably need to replace all the damaged ceiling boards,as they cannot be repaired.

Answer 4

It sounds like they didn't bother to glue the sheetrock when installing it. Liquid Nails makes a product especially for this.
Compeltely remove the old sheetrock and install new correctly to solve the problem. Lots of work, but worth it in the end.

Answer 5

no, it has to be replaced