I removed the vermiculite ceiling in my bedroom in this 1980’s apartment. Wow what a job… probably 500kgs of plasterboard, wire and cement removed. In hindsight a dropped ceiling would have been the way to go but you live and you learn during DIY renovations.
During original construction, builders have rendered the ceiling into the walls with a “chicken wire” prior to applying the vermiculite; as a result the walls were damaged/tops lowered while removing the ceiling and therefore needed to be filled up to prevent adding a cornice and allowing a square set ceiling. I did that using “Australian Builders - Mortar mix with sand cement and line”.
FYI my intention is to do a “square set ceiling with gyprock sheets butting up to the cement rendered wall, hence why I opted to remove the ceiling originally.
I now need to add a blending/leveling top coat to level the mortar and square/flush the wall with my fill. I attempted to do this with a thinner coat of the same mortar mix but as it was so thin it just crumbled away and with what remained it’s not sturdy and can be wiped away easily.
I'm thinking of using Gyprock CSR 20kg Hardwall Plaster and Australian Builders 20kg Hydrated Lime. What’s your thoughts on this?
And if yes, how long do I need to let the mortar mix already applied cure? Also if you think this is a good option, how would you prime prior to adding the hardwall plaster?
What do you recommend for getting the texture as close as possible to the original wall prior to paint? Any help is appreciated… What I thought would be a relatively simple job has become a bit painful.
