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Restoration & Refurbishment

What is the best way to remove a suspended ceiling?

Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 2.52 PM

In our kitchen we have a suspended ceiling which leaves a void of around a foot between it and the original ceiling. The whole structure is a metal framework that appear to be attached with a combination of wires to the original ceiling and screws to the wall. The suspended ceiling basically resembles something like an office building with very dated tiles and we believe it has been in place for around 20 years. We would like to remove the suspended ceiling and revert to using the original ceiling as it would be much more aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the rest of the house which is an Edwardian terrace. After closer inspection it seems that the void between the original ceiling and suspended ceiling is filled with a maze of pipework and electrical wires. We assume that the suspended ceiling was fitted in order to allow for spotlights to be fitted. The original ceiling above also appears to be in quite poor condition with cracks and odd boards missing. In addition to this, in one corner of the room (within the void) there is a section from a chimney breast which was clearly never properly removed - in fact in the room above, the chimney breast is still in place therefore we're concerned that there is nothing supporting it below. Where would we even begin to tackle the problem? Would it be advisable to re-build the chimney breast? We have no idea of what it would cost to rectify the problem or how long it may take. UPDATE; Thank you for the responses below. Would anyone be able to give a rough estimate of the cost and time frame it would take to complete this? As an additional point, it would seem that the walls have been re-skimmed whilst the suspended ceiling has been in place so the walls above are likely to be a few mm wider above the current ceiling. Would this be easy to smooth over without having to re-skim the whole room? Ideally we would prefer not to have to remove the existing kitchen cabinets.

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2 Answers

Charlie Carpentry

Rating: 5 out of 5

Newport, Gwent

The first thing to do is get a structural engineer to evaluate and specify best route for support, removal or rebuild of chimney breast. This way you can be sure you are covered. Then get an electrician to inspect.and plumber for pipes. It is easy to remove suspended ceiling. The main cost would be to reroute cable and pipework. You could just get a builder to advise, but although he may well know what will work, he is probably not qualified to to give you structural calculations. Don't skimp if you are unsure about safety of chimney breast.

Answered20 May 2012

London Home Upgrades

Rating: 5 out of 5

Chessington

Hi, The suspended ceiling would have been fitted to hide the nest of pipes and cables. If there is a one foot void then it sounds as though the ceiling could be raised, a few inches at least, basically as tight up to the pipes/cables as possible. The new ceiling could be formed from 3x2 timber and boarded over and plastered. You could still incorporate spot lights in this type of ceiling. In regards to the chimney breast, you would need to get a builder to inspect this. Often this will not be a major job, and once the suspended ceiling is removed it will be far easier to make an assessment. So in terms of tackling this problem; Day 1, Remove Ceiling, inspect chimney breast, start new ceiling Day 2, Tackle Chimney problem (only a few hours if small problem), finish framing work on ceiling and cover with plasterboard. Day 3, Plaster ceiling. Thats basically the problem sorted, although an electrician would have to make a visit on day 2 to run his cables, if new lights were being fitted. All that remains is decorating, which would be to your discretion. Hope this has been helpfull. LHU

Answered9 April 2012