Replacing the ceiling in a home is a challenging job. Newer manufactured homes are built using conventional building techniques that include wood joists, studs and sheetrock with an applied texture finish. Manufactured homes often have vaulted ceilings, which means heights of up to 10 feet or more, and in flat ceiling areas, it means loose insulation. A careful and handy homeowner can replace a ceiling with the right tools and some help.
Instructions
1. Cut and fit 1/2-inch sheetrock starting in one corner of the ceiling. Cut around any fixture boxes or ceiling vents. Your sheetrock should begin and end so that the ends of the sheetrock can be screwed into a ceiling joist.
2. Fir out existing joists at corner areas, if necessary, to create a rigid corner that won't crack. Fir by adding 2-by-4-inch blocking from the closest joist to provide wood for the drywall to be screwed into at the corners of the ceiling. When you are abutting two sheets together in the middle of a ceiling, each sheet begins halfway across the width of the joist board so that two sheets can use the same joist to screw into.
3. Screw sheetrock to ceiling joists. Recess each screw, but do not break the sheetrock paper. Use a power screwdriver and sheetrock screws.
4. Apply self-sticking mesh tape directly to the sheetrock. You cannot use mesh tape for inside ceiling corners.
5. Place joint compound (mud) on a mud tray, using a 4-inch mud knife. Close the lid on your joint compound bucket to keep it moist. Scoop mud onto your knife and apply mud to the sheetrock over each screw dimple and seam. Scrape your knife over the mud to remove excess mud.
6. Apply joint compound on each side of ceiling corners. Embed paper drywall tape into the mud. Apply a second coat of mud over the tape using a corner knife. Scrape the knife evenly and firmly along the corner to remove excess mud. Allow 8 to 24 hours for the mud to dry (drying time depends on temperature and humidity levels as well as the thickness of the mud coat).
7. Sand the mud areas of the ceiling, using a sanding block on a long handle. Use 80-grit sandpaper.
8. Apply a second coat of mud using a 6-inch mud knife. Thin the joint compound by adding water so that the mud goes on thinner than the first coat. Allow the mud to dry 8 to 24 hours and resand.
9. Apply a third coat of mud using a 10-inch mud knife. Thin the joint compound by adding more water so that the mud is a very thin coat. If you are texturing the ceiling you would spray or apply your texture instead of the third coat. Allow the mud to dry 8 to 24 hours.
10. Sand the ceiling a final time and wipe the ceiling free of grit with a slightly damp sponge. Use a roller, paint tray and drywall primer/sealer to seal the ceiling before painting.
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