Replacing Ceiling

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madmax64
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:31 pm

Need to replace cathedral ceiling due to a mold problem after losing part of roof in hurricane. Replaced the metal roof right away, but did not replace insulation. Home is a 1996 Southern Energy dw with the cathedral ceiling in living room. Also that room is the hottest in the house with hot air being trapped near the ceiling. I am thinking of dropping the ceiling so I can put more insulation between ceiling and roof. The living room has a corner fireplace with stone so I will need to work around this. I need some help in deciding how to best attack this problem of replacing the ceiling, making this room more energy efficient and not destroying the stone that goes all the way to the ceiling in one corner. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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JD
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What size and type rafters do you have?
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
madmax64
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:31 pm

The trusses are 2X2 and I'm not sure what kind as you asked . The room is 16 X 22. I could take a picture and send you so you can better determine what I should do. Would like to replace the sheetrock with something more lasting and maintenance free.
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JD
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I have never seen 2x2 trusses used in a cathedral ceiling before. Usually they are 2x6. Newer homes will have 2x10 engineered trusses that kind of look like ladder trusses. Regardless, if it were me, I would keep the cathedral ceiling and just insulate it better with high density fiberglass insulation. I would also research the foil radiant barrier stuff to see if that is an option to reducing the heat in that room. The part I would research would be if the radiant heat being reflected back away from the interior of the home would cause damage to the roof sealants and if so, to what degree. I recently install a bunch of plastic faux brick panels on a home. The only 7/16" osb panels I could get at the time were tech panels with the radiant barrier foil on one side. I faced the foil to the inside of the home so the reflected heat would not warp the plastic panels. I have not done enough research on the foil to feel safe using the panels as a radiant barrier.

Converting your ceiling to a flat ceiling is certainly doable. One area where you may have problems is where the roof meets the outside wall. I don't know how your home is set up, but the homes I have seen have very little room above the top plate of the wall and the roof. This would be the area that would hold up the ends of your flat ceiling trusses. The trusses would have to be lightweight and would test your engineering skills.

I don't know of panels for your ceiling that are more durable than sheetrock. Texture on sheetrock in a mobile home will usually end up with some cracks as the home shifts and settles. That is why the older homes had the ceiling panels with the plastic strips. Newer homes are built with better framing which helps the sheetrock ceilings, but they still get some cracks too.
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!

All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Groo
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 5:52 am

looks like you'd need 2x8 to span 16' for a cieling unsuported. kick em up to 2x12s for 22'

if you can tie into the rafters in a few spots, and make the whole thing a truss, 2x4s would be more than enough.

with just 1 vertical at the peak, 2x4s would be a hair light to span the 22' direction, but should be fine for the 16' direction.
madmax64
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:31 pm

Thanks for the info. I'll do more research and check out the foil radiant barrier before proceeding with project.
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