Hello all, this is my first post on this wonderful forum.
I recently bought a house built in 1963. I don't live in it yet. We recently went to remove the popcorn ceiling and came to realize just how bad the ceiling in the living room was. When we started taking it down, we were shocked to find that the ceiling is plaster over drywall.
what we also found is that the chicken wire (and sometimes more closely spaced wire mesh!) runs more than 2" down into the walls. So when ripping the ceiling down, we also damaged the top of the walls in places. turns out the walls are built the same as the ceiling.
After long thought, I've decided to take the ceiling down everywhere. There are some compelling reasons to do so:
-) wiring is all non-grounded 12 gauge copper. cloth outer insulation (which is fragile) with plastic coated conductors. I'm sure it's not code, so opening the ceiling would allow a much easier access to pulling wire.
-) insulation above ceiling is 2 layers of owens-corning R11-13 fiberglass batting. the first layer has a backing. problem is that the 2nd layer also has the same backing and there is some areas where mold was growing. opening the ceiling will make replacing the insulation way easier.
-) did I mention that there is maybe 12" at the highest point between the joists and the roof sheathing? so crawling around on top is virtually impossible.
-) it would make putting new light fixtures, speakers, ceiling fans, and etc much faster and easier
-) it would be a perfect time to examine the duct work
My apology for the long preamble.
To do this and avoid wall damage, I need to make a flush cut where the wall meets the ceiling. I have 2554 sq feet to do. I want to avoid cutting into the joists. I'll be working above my head.
a circular saw with a masonry blade would zip right through it, but not give me the flush cut. a rotary type of tool sounds like it could do the job, but there's no depth limit on any I've seen.
I'm kind of stumped and hope that someone may know of the perfect tool for this job.
peace,
Tim Olson
Las Vegas
I recently bought a house built in 1963. I don't live in it yet. We recently went to remove the popcorn ceiling and came to realize just how bad the ceiling in the living room was. When we started taking it down, we were shocked to find that the ceiling is plaster over drywall.
what we also found is that the chicken wire (and sometimes more closely spaced wire mesh!) runs more than 2" down into the walls. So when ripping the ceiling down, we also damaged the top of the walls in places. turns out the walls are built the same as the ceiling.
After long thought, I've decided to take the ceiling down everywhere. There are some compelling reasons to do so:
-) wiring is all non-grounded 12 gauge copper. cloth outer insulation (which is fragile) with plastic coated conductors. I'm sure it's not code, so opening the ceiling would allow a much easier access to pulling wire.
-) insulation above ceiling is 2 layers of owens-corning R11-13 fiberglass batting. the first layer has a backing. problem is that the 2nd layer also has the same backing and there is some areas where mold was growing. opening the ceiling will make replacing the insulation way easier.
-) did I mention that there is maybe 12" at the highest point between the joists and the roof sheathing? so crawling around on top is virtually impossible.
-) it would make putting new light fixtures, speakers, ceiling fans, and etc much faster and easier
-) it would be a perfect time to examine the duct work
My apology for the long preamble.
To do this and avoid wall damage, I need to make a flush cut where the wall meets the ceiling. I have 2554 sq feet to do. I want to avoid cutting into the joists. I'll be working above my head.
a circular saw with a masonry blade would zip right through it, but not give me the flush cut. a rotary type of tool sounds like it could do the job, but there's no depth limit on any I've seen.
I'm kind of stumped and hope that someone may know of the perfect tool for this job.
peace,
Tim Olson
Las Vegas