To replace ceilings or paint?

[lharmer]

Hello, I'm Leah, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's projects, getting some advice, as I've little to no experience when it comes to renovating, and if I can do it myself, I'm willing to give it a go. So far I've been taking the tiles and carpet up in my house, as I haven't decided on flooring as yet. And a friend suggested to paint while I had no flooring. So my first question to this site is some of the rooms in my house have paint peeling of the ceilings, some of them have a light mould as well. Would it be better/easier to replace or repaint them, any advice is greatly appreciated. 

 this one is in the laundry

 this one is one of my bedrooms

[redracer01 · Accepted solution]

Seems like condensation problems. Is rain water entering the roof and settling in that corner of your ceiling? It is something you will have to investigate. If it seems that the ceiling is not soft or spongy ( you may tap it with a broom stick ) then yes you can re-paint it. If the ceiling caves in then you have no choice but to repair your ceiling, but while your at it trace the leak. If all is well, I suggest a 3 in one paint product ( primer, sealer, binder, mold inhibitor ) usually says for bathrooms or kitchens. Follow the instructions at the back of the can. Prep the ceiling very well, make sure to use drop sheets and proper protective equipment. Isolate the room by placing a drop sheet at the entrance of the room so that the dust does not travel to the rest of the house. Hope this helps and if you have more questions just drop a line here at workshop.

[Jason]

Hi @lharmer,

Great to see you receive expert advice from one of most experienced members. I would also reiterate that you need to do some thorough investigation work to discover the cause of the damage to your ceilings and paintwork. It would be terrible to spend a lot of time, effort and expense repainting then to have to problems reappear soon after. 

Let me extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We are really pleased to have you join us and encourage you to post anytime you need a hand with anything during your renovation work. We're looking forward to seeing a dramatic transformation of your home!

Jason

[MartyH]

Looks like it's not only the paint peeling, but that the plasterboard has been damaged in the laundry shot. So yeah, you'd really want to know what has caused that. 

[lharmer]

Hi redracer01, thanks very much for your advice. I had my roof replaced about a year ago, as it had a few leaks, the mould was there before replacement, it's now, that Ive a little extra to start painting finally. Another question, with the prep work, would I have to remove all the old paint back to the plaster board and start again, or can I scrap the loose paint off and fill the gaps with something to make the ceiling smooth and then paint over the whole thing. Cheers, thanks again 

[lharmer]

Hi Jason, thanks for the advice, I had my roof replaced about a year ago as it had a few leaks, the mould was there before replacement. It's only know that I have a little extra to start painting. I wasn't sure, with mould being on the paint, whether or not it would be in the plaster board as well and have to replace the lot or if I was able to prep and rid mould on ceiling and paint. I'm looking forward to the advice and seeing everyone else's projects aswell. 

Cheers Thanks again Leah

[redracer01]

In order to do it right all the old paint must come off. You will need a medium tub of all purpose plaster to fix damages and imperfections on ceiling.