Main bathroom ceiling opinions
I need to, hopefully some day finish my first floor half bath which is the one most people use.
Directly above it is the 2nd floor bathroom which has the tub etc. Both are the same dimensions. So all of the plumbing for the 2nd floor bathroom is in the ceiling of the first floor bathroom.
I've been working on this project for a little while. I think we're going on 4 or 6 years now…..
I've considered doing a suspended ceiling rather than drywall. The reason being so I can access all of the plumbing. Of course, anything in the walls will still be inaccessible. This would be 3 runs of Uponor pex and a 2" and 3" PVC drain.
Of course, suspended ceilings in my opinion always look like a coverup or a bandaid. So, there's that. Access panels in my opinion will look 10 times worse. The room is roughly 10'x8'.
Opinions?
Cosmetics vs serviceability?
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
Main bathroom ceiling opinions 13 votes
7 votes
1 vote
5 votes
Comments
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Other?
Exact same boat here. I put these in one bathroom and my kitchen/dining room which had previously had busted plaster, then stapled-up fiberboard panels, then finally suspended ceiling. I tore out the suspended ceiling and the fiberboard, then put these "tin" (really steel) panels up, they are nice. If I need to get up there, it won't be super fun, but it won't be a disaster like repaired plaster would have been. The holes are still in the plaster to access the plumbing.
My ceilings had furring strips installed to hold the 1 foot fiberboard panels. I left those in place to nail up the "tin" panels.
NJ Steam Homeowner.
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Drywall
Hopefully you won't need to access it anytime soon. Drywall. IMHO suspended ceilings/access panels are for things that need attention every year (or less). I don't see anything you mention needing that.
If you had a cleanout, I could see a panel, else just drywall it.
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.1 -
Drywall
^^this^^
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Drywall
I'm considering a tin ceiling for my kitchen re-do.
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.1 -
Suspended ceiling
I would go for the syspended ceiling option for easy access, however I would not use the normal Grid system. I would use some custom made wood struts and cross members. Perhaps with some decorative moldings to accent the wooden tile supports. then use decorative tiles to make the finish job look like a professional architectural masterpiece.
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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Other?
I love them. That same company does actually have ones you can use in suspended ceilings but I chose the "nail-up" ones, they went up super fast
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el1 -
Drywall
how often do you have to get in that ceiling? Once every 20 3040 years? Sheet rock is easy to patch.
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I'm in the process of a kitchen renovation. Ceiling was grid/tiles from a previous leak upstairs. Since we had the ceiling open, I decided to do the bathroom above also. Everything is sheetrock, going forward, although we did a lot of furring down to get flat in this 140 year-old house. There are some tin staple-up ceiling panels that look good. Depends on the look you're going for. Access not needed, unless you're using Sharkbites. ha! :-)
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Drywall
Suspended ceiling is also a poor barrier to fire, insects, rodents, and air infiltration. Just renew the plumbing and drywall it.
Run conduit to the outlets and run it to an accessible area so you can pull new wiring if needed.
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Other?
There isn't a choice for both, so I picked Other. Drywall ceiling tiles are a real think, they're used in commercial kitchens for washability. They're pretty tough, & I've seen 'em painted as well. Paint everything the same color & it'll be pretty invisible
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Other?
Nothing, paint everything in the ceiling black, make it industrial.
2 -
/unfriend.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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That's the issue.
I have no way of knowing when I'll need to get in it. It could be 30 years, it could be tomorrow.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Drywall
Why would it be tomorrow? Don't trust Pex or PVC?
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.0 -
I have 3 kids.
They really enjoy working with their hands. There's unfortunate side effects to that sometimes.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Drywall
"They like working with their hands" as in:
They put it in?
or
They like to send horrors down the drains?
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.0 -
Other?
Okay, Other. Put up removable twin-wall polycarbonate sheets with some LEDs behind them. The ceiling becomes a waterproof light fixture. 😺
Yours, Larry
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Drywall
Cool! Add a disco ball! 🤣
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.2 -
No no, I'm doing the work.
The thing is, I literally never know what's going to happen. I can't even imagine. 😉
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Should I replace the 3" pvc with 3" clear PVC? I could do it all the way down the wall too.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Drywall
I have 8 (4 are finally out of the house). Don't sweat it and get a Power Vee. Real lifesaver for me. 😉👍️
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.1 -
Drywall
For what those would cost you could cover it in a couple sheets of metal.
I assume when the luminous ceiling was popular acrylic and polycarbonate cost much less than it does now.
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I have no idea what the rest of the house is like, or the era or style you are going after. Thus rather than picking "other" I'd have to pick "any". In some styles, the tin (they aren't tin) ceilings are very much the right style. If the rest of the house is real plaster, you could replace the plaster adding a couple of access hatches. Or… you could try drywall, perhaps with a skim coat (quarter inch) of plaster to make it look a little less like… um… drywall. Or just give up and use drywall. If you do go for drywall, I'd use moisture resistant. And screws, not nails.
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England1 -
Drywall
Tin usually means tin plated steel or iron. Not sure if it is still tin plated in the modern tin ceiling versions or if it is just clearcoated to save money.
Properly finished drywall and plaster should look the same but most drywall is poorly finished. You need to feather the joints out very wide on a ceiling.
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Other?
You know my answer!
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el3 -
It's been my experience that plaster tends to look worse than drywall.
I have quite a bit of plaster left in my house, but not for long.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Hard pass on plaster and it's looks.
I like walls and ceilings that look flat. But that's my personal preference. I understand that quality of plaster can vary greatly, and some prefer the look but it's not for me. Not the look, nor the skill of doing it.
I can clean up plaster somewhat by skim coating it, but actually plastering a wall is beyond my ability. I would end up with something that looks like Lucy and Ethel's BBQ minus the bricks.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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My memory isn't great but I think you said something along the lines of it being an excellent idea, and that you were considering on doing it at your house.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Drywall
Plaster should be much flatter than drywall. Plaster that is not flat usually is the victim of poor repairs or failure from some sort of shock or moisture.
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Drywall.
If you must have something accessible, you can do something similar to this with some fancier wood nailed to the bottom of the joists as DIY I-joist flange. If the sheets are long enough, there won't be any seams to finish, just paint the whole thing.0 -
I've never seen that.
But I have seen a ton of very flat drywall.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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We remodeled a 2 story rental. Bathroom above the kitchen had DWV below the floor joists.
Previously had ceiling panels in grid…..tacky.
Wanted SR with access to bathroom plumbing above so we lowered the ceiling for rock but installed a 2 X 4 drop in light fixture for the kitchen. Worked out good.
Sold the house to our son and he closed up the ceiling and installed disc leds. But it is his plumbing now.😉
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Drywall
every time my wife breaks out the pant color book that’s the one I choose!
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Real plaster done right is as flat and uniform as you want it to be. Done really right, it doesn't have to be painted. Unless you want it painted. Ever. It is sound absorbent. It is a halfway decent insulator.
Unless it is seriously abused — like getting and staying wet — you can probably get a century of two out of it without thinking about it.
The only problem is finding someone with the skill to do it.
I have never yet seen a drywall job which didn't have to be painted, and even then unless it was skim coated you can find the joints with no effort at all. In a humid environment it will mould (plaster may mildew, but it's easy to clean). On the other hand, any kid with a day's training can pop up a drywall wall in a few hours, and it will look great long enough for the owner to sell up and move on…
Am I biased? Who me? Never…
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
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Drywall
Redid a tenant's bathroom, Tenant was buds with a plasterer that works for Chicago Public Schools so he replastered the bathroom at cost of materials. It's dead flat. Flatter than drywall. Drop dead gorgeous.
I'd hate to contemplate the cost if we actually had to pay for new plaster. 😲
Wetwall plaster is the one trade that's defeated me on every attempt. Highly Skilled Labor.- and I 'm preddy good at mudding drywall. Wetwall is a whole 'nother world.
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.0 -
Other?
I was at a new construction house with zero sheetrock. Walls and ceilings all removable panels. The larger ceiling panels would be connected to detachable cables.
Crude drawing, but this was the gist. Of course the panel will be about an inch off each wall side to side.
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Drywall
there are a couple lustron homes in ann arbor and metro detroit
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How about those staple up tiles made from recycled newsprint?
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Other?
IDK the material, but the house was 34 million just to build, so it's not cheap stuff.
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Drywall
My guess is that a new lustron house was under $10k.
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