peeling ceiling paint

[Cooler]

My house, built in 1953 has a precursor to sheetrock panels.  These panels have what seems like concrete and then plaster and wire mesh in between.  This substrate is very solid.

The ceiling in my bedroom has peeling paint.  For the last 22 years every 6 months or so I would scrape off the peeling paint.  I did not dare to paint over it because that would inevitably peel as a result.

At this point about 75% of the old paint is gone.  Is there any reasonable way to get off the balance.  I will use a good primer before repainting. 

How bad does the paint get?  It curls off the edges and flakes fall to the ground, some as large as a coin.

Also they did not tape the joints and that has resulted in a long linear split.  The previous paint job included filling that split, but I think only taping will properly resolve this issue.  Does anyone know if there is a special procedure for taping this substrate?

I would really want to paint the ceiling.  The walls look fine with recent paint.  But the ceiling looks a mess.  It looks OK for a few weeks immediately after scraping.

[MsNomer]

Have you considered installing new Sheetrock over the old ceiling?

[Cooler]

Have you considered installing new Sheetrock over the old ceiling?

That's more money than paint.  If the panels were in poor shape I would consider it.  There is nothing really wrong with the panels.  These same panels were used in the walls and they worked find.  And in the ceilings in other rooms.  So it was a paint issue.  I'd like to deal with it on a painting basis.

As a side note, this stuff is a total dog to demo.  Between the plaster, the concrete and the wire mesh it required a huge amount of work to remove.  And terminating a cut requires using an angle grinder for the plaster and the cement and the wire mesh.    All of which was nailed in multiple places.

It also is murder on WiFi, and fasteners are not happy with it either. 

Stud finders do not work on these panels.

I wish I had never seen them.

Note: I used a "strong" term (which I have now replaced with "dog"). The website "corrected" it to read "person". This is the only website I post at that would edit a mostly standard English word like that.

[crokett™]

Do you know why it is peeling? Was it poor application of the old paint or is there an underlying issue? Have you tried repainting some of it to see if the new paint sticks?

[jteneyck]

My house was built in 1961 with the same plaster and wire mesh over narrow plaster board system.  My bathroom ceiling had the same problem, though not as bad as yours.  There is a special paint for just that problem.  It might be Zinsser Perma-White, but I can't remember for sure.  I might still have some of it and can check if needed.  Anyway, it solved the problem; never had any more peeling paint.  I added an exhaust fan, too, but that was years later.  

John

[Roly]

My house was built in 1961 with the same plaster and wire mesh over narrow plaster board system.  My bathroom ceiling had the same problem, though not as bad as yours.  There is a special paint for just that problem.  It might be Zinsser Perma-White, but I can't remember for sure.  I might still have some of it and can check if needed.  Anyway, it solved the problem; never had any more peeling paint.  I added an exhaust fan, too, but that was years later.  

John

Was it this   LINK   Roly

[Cooler]

Do you know why it is peeling?  Was it poor application of the old paint or is there an underlying issue?  Have you tried repainting some of it to see if the new paint sticks?

I will make a test in an area where it has already peeled off.  A good idea.

[jteneyck]

Was it this   LINK   Roly

No, but that looks like it should work, too.

John

[Turner52]

Is there a whitish film showing where the paint is peeling? At that time salt peter was somtimes added to the plaster if done in cold weather. If so go over with new drywall. About the only sure cure.

[Cooler]

Is there a whitish film showing where the paint is peeling? At that time salt peter was somtimes added to the plaster if done in cold weather. If so go over with new drywall. About the only sure cure.

All the scraped areas look like fresh plaster.  I thought I would wait until all the old paint flaked off, but it looks like I might not live that long. 

When it is freshly scraped the ceiling looks OK.  The paint and plaster are almost the same color.  But a few months down the road it starts peeling again.  It is not hard work scraping.  Cleaning up afterwards is almost as much work.