Polystyrene ceiling/wall tiles
Hayden Dando
We've just bought a house and the whole of the 1st floor ceilings are
covered with polystyrene tiles.
Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
I've already been told that they will not come off whole and I guess a
blow torch is not the answer ;-)
Anybody been there, done that etc
Many thanks
--
Hayden Dando
Hay...@dando.demonNO_SPAM.co.uk
Please delete NO_SPAM from E-mail address on reply.
Stuart Grant
> covered with polystyrene tiles.
>
> Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
>
the other one??)is the easiest implement, you can work from the floor.
Most adhesives used for polystyrene will wash off, or the "five dabs
and press hard" stuff will soften with a hairdryer and scrape off.
Stuart Grant
Chris French
SPAMdando.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>We've just bought a house and the whole of the 1st floor ceilings are
>covered with polystyrene tiles.
>
>Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
>
down recently. They came off really easily in large bits with wide
scraper. They weren't suck with anything ferocious. In fact I think they
may have been stuck with wallpaper paste or somesuch, as they haven't
left any obvious blobs of glue or anything.
--
Chris French, Leeds
Dave
>
> We've just bought a house and the whole of the 1st floor ceilings are
> covered with polystyrene tiles.
>
> Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
I had one perfectly good ceiling covered in them 8-(
They were fixed by blobs of a rubbery glue which defied all attempts to
totally remove, and bled through emulsion. Had to do the ceiling with oil
paint.
--
Dave dave....@NOSPAMargonet.co.uk
(remove NOSPAM to reply)
Andrew Gabriel
Dave <dave....@NOSPAMargonet.co.uk> writes:
>In article <UdGxcIAa...@dando.demon.co.uk>, Hayden Dando
><Hay...@NOSPAMdando.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>> We've just bought a house and the whole of the 1st floor ceilings are
>> covered with polystyrene tiles.
>>
>> Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
>
> I had one perfectly good ceiling covered in them 8-(
> They were fixed by blobs of a rubbery glue which defied all attempts to
>totally remove, and bled through emulsion. Had to do the ceiling with oil
>paint.
I put them up in my bedroom in my parents' house in the early '70's.
Recently, they decided to have the room decorated and get rid of them.
The decorator tried taking a few off, but I had fully coated the backs
(with evostick polystyrene tile glue IIRC), and it wouldn't come off.
The cheapest (non-DIY) solution was a new ceiling, which is what was
done. The room is a single story flat roofed extension, and I had put
them up because it was always cold in there. The new ceiling gave the
opportunity for insulation to be put in, which wasn't done when it was
originally built in the '60's (other than foil-backed plasterboard).
--
Andrew Gabriel
Consultant Software Engineer
Hayden Dando
<dave....@NOSPAMargonet.co.uk> writes
>In article <UdGxcIAa...@dando.demon.co.uk>, Hayden Dando
><Hay...@NOSPAMdando.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>> We've just bought a house and the whole of the 1st floor ceilings are
>> covered with polystyrene tiles.
>>
>> Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
>
> I had one perfectly good ceiling covered in them 8-(
> They were fixed by blobs of a rubbery glue which defied all attempts to
>totally remove, and bled through emulsion. Had to do the ceiling with oil
>paint.
>
I guess I'll have to wait to see what they are stuck with.
Regards
Hayden Dando
<and...@cucumber.demon.co.uk> writes
>The cheapest (non-DIY) solution was a new ceiling, which is what was
>done. The room is a single story flat roofed extension, and I had put
>them up because it was always cold in there. The new ceiling gave the
>opportunity for insulation to be put in, which wasn't done when it was
>originally built in the '60's (other than foil-backed plasterboard).
>
The house has them all over the place. Covering the ceiling of about 6
rooms and one wall in the bedroom.
Here's hoping that they used wallpaper paste or such like.
piers_t...@my-dejanews.com
> We've just bought a house and the whole of the 1st floor ceilings are
> covered with polystyrene tiles.
>
> Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
>
They are probably there because the ceilings are shagged. We had
these in one room of our house. They were easy to remove with a
wallpaper scraper. You'll probably have to replaster or Artex afterwards.
Piers
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John Schmitt
Hayden Dando <Hay...@NOSPAMdando.demon.co.uk> writes:
[polystyrene ceiling tiles]
>Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
They are most likely fixed with five blobs of adhesive in a domino pattern. You
may find a good sharp scraper will ping them off nicely, but more likely you
will be looking at replastering the ceiling. It could be worse, it could have
been the dreaded Artex. Re your comments about blowtorches, The tiles, if they
are old ones are not flame retardant, and will burn fiercely, giving off dense
black and very toxic smoke.
John Schmitt
But still, Wittgensteinians dress like slobs, and it was a pleasure to see so
many well-dressed philosophers in one place. - D.M. Procida
Disclaimers apply.
Ken Redman
> ... The tiles, if they
> are old ones are not flame retardant, and will burn fiercely, giving off dense
> black and very toxic smoke.
If you have old, non-flame-retardant tiles and are reluctant to remove
them (and subsequently re-plaster/artex the ceiling) try painting them
with flame-retardant paint (obtainable from Theatre-type shops): they do
a wide range of (rather strong) colours, black and white.
--
Ken Redman
'Semper in faecibus sumus: sole profundum variat'
To reply remove dot. from email address
Hayden Dando
<joh...@alpha1.mdx.ac.uk> writes
>In article <UdGxcIAa...@dando.demon.co.uk>,
>Hayden Dando <Hay...@NOSPAMdando.demon.co.uk> writes:
>
>[polystyrene ceiling tiles]
>
>>Any tips on how best to remove them with the least possible hassle.
>
>They are most likely fixed with five blobs of adhesive in a domino pattern. You
>may find a good sharp scraper will ping them off nicely, but more likely you
>will be looking at replastering the ceiling. It could be worse, it could have
>are old ones are not flame retardant, and will burn fiercely, giving off dense
>black and very toxic smoke.
>
the main reasons for wanting to shift them, apart from the fact they
look hideous.
Hayden Dando
<ken.r...@mround.bt.co.uk> writes
>John Schmitt wrote:
>> ... The tiles, if they
>> are old ones are not flame retardant, and will burn fiercely, giving off dense
>> black and very toxic smoke.
>
>them (and subsequently re-plaster/artex the ceiling) try painting them
>with flame-retardant paint (obtainable from Theatre-type shops): they do
>a wide range of (rather strong) colours, black and white.
That's a thought. As I mentioned in a previous post one of the reasons
for wanting them shifted is the risk they pose in a fire.
I'm not keen on replastering if I can avoid it.
Thanks for the tip.
John Neale Baraclough
from joh...@alpha1.mdx.ac.uk (John Schmitt) contains these words:
You
> may find a good sharp scraper will ping them off nicely, but more likely you
> will be looking at replastering the ceiling. It could be worse, it could have
> been the dreaded Artex. Re your comments about blowtorches, The tiles, if they
> are old ones are not flame retardant, and will burn fiercely, giving off dense
> black and very toxic smoke.
These insulation tiles were a very 60's thing, in the days when
central heating was still not very common and houses were much
colder.They don't necessarily indicate a rubbish ceiling concealed
(for that people used rolls of thinner polystyrene like wallpaper:-) )
We had a house then with the tiles stuck on the hall and landing
ceiling.The people who bought it from us had a fire in the landing
airing cupboard (where they kept an egg incubator!!)and those tiles
(right in the hottest place) dropped burning plastic down the
stairwell making the fire far worse.Obviously their position also
made any fire exit plan more hazardous.Well worth getting rid of
them.Even a fire retardant paint won't stop them melting in rising
heat and dripping to feed a fire.
Janet
Nigel Orr
<janet.a...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:
>stairwell making the fire far worse.Obviously their position also
>made any fire exit plan more hazardous.Well worth getting rid of
>them.Even a fire retardant paint won't stop them melting in rising
>heat and dripping to feed a fire.
I thought the fire retardant paint burnt up into a thermally
insulating barrier, so it wouldn't stop them dripping if they did
melt, but it should stop them melting, at least long enough for
occupants to escape. Various demos on Tomorrow's World come to
mind...
Nigel
Hayden Dando
<janet.a...@zetnet.co.uk> writes
>The message <7c0ihk$8uk$5...@aquila.mdx.ac.uk>
> from joh...@alpha1.mdx.ac.uk (John Schmitt) contains these words:
>
>You
>> may find a good sharp scraper will ping them off nicely, but more likely you
>> will be looking at replastering the ceiling. It could be worse, it could have
>> been the dreaded Artex. Re your comments about blowtorches, The tiles, if they
>> are old ones are not flame retardant, and will burn fiercely, giving off dense
>> black and very toxic smoke.
>
> These insulation tiles were a very 60's thing, in the days when
>central heating was still not very common and houses were much
>colder.They don't necessarily indicate a rubbish ceiling concealed
>(for that people used rolls of thinner polystyrene like wallpaper:-) )
>
1965, so the I think you're probably right to suggest they were as
insulation. Central heating went in around 10 years ago.
Regards
andy the pugh
>Just kidding. In fact the toxic fumes in the event of a fire are one of
>the main reasons for wanting to shift them, apart from the fact they
>look hideous.
You could try a garden hoe as a sort of improvised scraper-onna-stick.
It worked for me.
andy the pugh
<Hay...@NOSPAMdando.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>That's a thought. As I mentioned in a previous post one of the reasons
>for wanting them shifted is the risk they pose in a fire.
>
>I'm not keen on replastering if I can avoid it.
You could just screw a layer of plasterboard over the whole mess, it
isn't terribly elegant but it is quick and effective.
You end up with an insulated ceiling too.
Ken Redman
andy the pugh wrote:
> You could just screw a layer of plasterboard over the whole mess, it
> isn't terribly elegant but it is quick and effective.
--
andy the pugh
<ken.r...@mround.bt.co.uk> wrote:
>Then you have to plaster skim/Artex (yuk) it!
I achieved a decent finish on my bathroom and landing ceilings by just
filling the screw heads and joints and applying a layer of thick
lining paper.
In my case the reason was to repair collapsing lath and plaster
ceilings, having pulled down one I have vowed never to do it again.
Chris French
<a.c....@shef.ac.uk> writes
>In my case the reason was to repair collapsing lath and plaster
>ceilings, having pulled down one I have vowed never to do it again.
>
I can imagine - making a hole is ours for a new loft hatch was bad
enough.
--
Chris French, Leeds
John Laird
Wimps. (Although I'll forgive andy if it was a 12' high 30'x40' ballroom
ceiling.)
Sometimes, there's nothing more satisfying than a good dose of destruction.
--
John Laird (jo...@yrl.co.uk) "I have discovered a truly elegant sig,
Yezerski Roper Ltd sadly there is no room here to show it."
http://www.yrl.co.uk
andy the pugh
>Wimps. (Although I'll forgive andy if it was a 12' high 30'x40' ballroom
>ceiling.)
No, it was a mere attic bedroom ceiling, about 15' square.
Unfortunately, being an attic bedroom it was hloding up 100years of
loft-spooge, including lots of slate dust, industrial grime (this is
Sheffield after all) etc.
The worst bit was that when I finished I found that I had filled up
the stairwell out of the room to a level somewhere above the
doorhandle, and had no tools other than my bare hands (and the hooked
stick I had dragged the ceiling down with) with which to excavate my
way out of the room.
When I eventually escaped and went to have a shower I didn't recognize
the person in the mirror, and it took over a year for the dark stains
in the enamel to come out of the bath.
Hence my advice to just clag a layer of plasterboard over the whole
lot and forget about it.
Ken Redman
Be grateful the door was shut!
andy the pugh wrote:
> No, it was a mere attic bedroom ceiling, about 15' square.
> Unfortunately, being an attic bedroom it was hloding up 100years of
> loft-spooge, including lots of slate dust, industrial grime (this is
> Sheffield after all) etc.
> The worst bit was that when I finished I found that I had filled up
> the stairwell out of the room to a level somewhere above the
> doorhandle, and had no tools other than my bare hands (and the hooked
> stick I had dragged the ceiling down with) with which to excavate my
> way out of the room.
> When I eventually escaped and went to have a shower I didn't recognize
> the person in the mirror, and it took over a year for the dark stains
> in the enamel to come out of the bath.
--
John Laird
> On 12 Mar 99 11:41:12 GMT, jo...@yrl.co.uk (John Laird) wrote:
>
>>Wimps. (Although I'll forgive andy if it was a 12' high 30'x40' ballroom
>>ceiling.)
>
> Unfortunately, being an attic bedroom it was hloding up 100years of
> loft-spooge, including lots of slate dust, industrial grime (this is
> Sheffield after all) etc.
> The worst bit was that when I finished I found that I had filled up
> the stairwell out of the room to a level somewhere above the
> doorhandle, and had no tools other than my bare hands (and the hooked
> stick I had dragged the ceiling down with) with which to excavate my
> way out of the room.
ROFL !
> When I eventually escaped and went to have a shower I didn't recognize
> the person in the mirror, and it took over a year for the dark stains
> in the enamel to come out of the bath.
My father helped me pull down our kitchen ceiling. There was a couple of
pounds of soot in one corner that we hadn't bargained on, obviously from
an upstairs fireplace that hadn't been completely sealed. Two pandas
emerged from that mess at about 1:30 am. (I'd already despatched the rest
of the family elsewhere. Some things womenfolk just shouldn't see.)
> Hence my advice to just clag a layer of plasterboard over the whole
> lot and forget about it.
You've got a problem where areas of the plaster have come almost completely
loose - chipping away at the edges just seems to enlarge the loose area.
And we had to fit some recessed spots which would only grip on 1/2" at most,
which would have necessitated digging holes in the L&P around each light
fitting. Then there was the small matter of running in 4 lighting cables...
Hayden Dando
<a.c....@shef.ac.uk> writes
>On 12 Mar 99 11:41:12 GMT, jo...@yrl.co.uk (John Laird) wrote:
>
>>Wimps. (Although I'll forgive andy if it was a 12' high 30'x40' ballroom
>>ceiling.)
>
>No, it was a mere attic bedroom ceiling, about 15' square.
>Unfortunately, being an attic bedroom it was hloding up 100years of
>loft-spooge, including lots of slate dust, industrial grime (this is
>Sheffield after all) etc.
>The worst bit was that when I finished I found that I had filled up
>the stairwell out of the room to a level somewhere above the
>doorhandle, and had no tools other than my bare hands (and the hooked
>stick I had dragged the ceiling down with) with which to excavate my
>way out of the room.
>the person in the mirror, and it took over a year for the dark stains
>in the enamel to come out of the bath.
>
>lot and forget about it.
>
>