Ceiling info

[vader1701]

My sons 1984 mobile home has the ceiling that every 8 or 10 inches there is a 3/4 inch strip that separates the textured pattern panels. Now can these be removed and how?

I think I need to remove one to put a screw in a panel to stop it from drooping. It shows when you sit in the living room and look up at the ceiling.

Thank You
Bob

[JD]

Hi Bob,

The strips are usually 16" o.c. They are originally plastic and cover 1" crown staples that hold up the ceiling panels. If these are old panels, the plastic strips are very difficult to remove without breaking them. They get very brittle with age. To remove them, you squeeze the edge towards the middle to pull them out of the little slit the edges are in.

To remove the panel, you would remove the plastic strips (splines) and the trim at the top of the wall and cut the ceiling panel along the wall. I will use a slight angle on the utility knife pointing to the outside edge of the home. Then remove the staples holding up the panel. I find cutting the staple in the middle with HD wire cutters and using the cutters to pull each side of the staple out the easiest and least destructive way to remove them. Generally, you would leave a staple or two at each end until you and a helper are ready to pull the panel down. They can be a bit fragile, so you don't want them bending too much.

The bulge in the panel could be a broken or damaged truss. You can make a splint of sorts with 3/8" plywood to sister next to the truss as you straighten it out.

Many times, the bulge is just where the panel has come loose from the truss. Usually a staple has pulled loose and damaged the edge of the panel. If this is the case, I don't remove the panel. I use a 1" crown roofing staple and aim the staple to shoot through that slight gap at the edge of the plastic strip. They will show, but will disappear sort of when the ceiling is painted.

The way you tell the difference between a broken truss or loose panel is to take a book, hammer or something to help you reach the ceiling, and give a sharp push on the low area. If it is stout and does not move much, it is probably the truss. If the panel goes up easy and stops abrupt and hard when flattened to the ceiling, then it is a loose panel.

Hope this helps

JD

[Dean2]

I've removed the strips and used drywall nails to tack it back up tight to the truss,not the best solution and takes care when driving the nails,but it works. I suppose any short nail with a big head would work too,the drywall nails have smaller shanks tho and do less damage to the pressed-paper panels IMO.

The staples JD mentioned are the correct way,but,not all DIYs have a staplegun,,most have a hammer.

Dean