Ceiling Complete

NYC Ceiling Water Damage Restoration

Imagine you are moving. Soon. You are excited. You have chosen your new Big Apple abode with care to meet your location preferences, lifestyle and budget. Your other lease is over, your stuff is packed in boxes, furniture and electronics are ready to relocate. Then you receive a phone call, not from Chicken Little telling you the sky is falling, but from another source telling you the ceiling has fallen. There was a flood in the residence above which ruined the entire ceiling in one large room, leaving ceiling pieces, insulation and all manner of debris on the floor of your new place. And no real ceiling above.

The best plan is to call us at Paintworks and go find an extra large latte, or a big martini, and give us the weekend to fix it all. We did it - for an early-next-week move-in! Our skilled tradesmen removed all the ceiling pieces which had not fallen on their own, then determined what was needed for new framing, insulation and drywall. Ceiling work is quite challenging and requires the same attention to measurements and installation procedures as walls and floors, but it will test one’s biceps strength and blood pressure to the max, working upside down much of the time. Then there’s cutting out precise spaces for recessed lights and ceiling speakers.

For a smooth finish [pun intended], we taped, plastered and primed the new drywall, covering the new insulation, connected to the new framework. Then, we painted it bright white for maximum natural daylight reflection and packed up our floor coverings, brushes, rollers, tools and equipment. We like to think the next call to the new tenant was the happy news that the ceiling was repaired over the weekend. It was again stable and secure, and the time to move in is now.

Starting the work

Installing the Mold Tough Fire Code Drywall

Priming after taping and plastering

Ceiling like brand new after being taken apart for HVAC work.

Tribeca Drywall Repair

An air handler, well, it handles air and is an important component of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system. It looks a bit like a furnace, and its main function is regulating and circulating air throughout a home or building’s duct system. Like much of the unseen HVAC equipment, the air handler is largely unnoticed until it ceases to function properly. While lots of air handlers are in basements or crawl spaces beneath houses, they are often found in multi-story buildings in New York City tucked in between floors and behind walls.

Here in Tribeca, we opened up a large enough part of a ceiling for the HVAC repair company to work. They removed the old unit and installed a new one, leaving the ceiling repair to us. This entailed challenging tasks like working upside down to put up new drywall, while making sure the rest of the ceiling was sufficiently supported during the whole project. Once positioned and fastened securely, we taped and plastered the drywall seams.

And then, when all was dry and smooth, our team once again climbed up the ladders or scaffolding which we had carted to the job site and primed and painted the new drywall. We worked around the embedded ceiling lights and also patched and painted a hallway column which had been opened up to install new HVAC lines. We work closely with lots of contractors, homeowners and property management companies. For us, it’s all in a day’s work, but for others, it can be overwhelming. We don’t hold their hands per se, but we do reassure them that everything will look nice and new when it’s done. And it does. Every time.

Ceiling open for HVAC work.

Column waiting final sanding and painting.

Column open for HVAC work.

The lovely, smooth, ceiling completely repaired

The unlovely, peeling ceiling upon arrival

Our plastic protection before any work commences

Our work at the halfway point professionally restoring this ceiling

Tudor City Plastering and Painting

 Ceiling space is the largest expanse in any room. It may be equal to the floor in square feet, but it is not interrupted with furniture and rugs. And while you may not gaze at the ceiling, peripheral vision takes it all in – the big space with possibly one central chandelier or fan or recessing lighting. When your ceiling is in disrepair, then the entire room takes on a dull, crummy appearance. This Tudor City apartment’s ceiling had been peeling for a couple years, and it was time to fix it.

 Our team rolled in with copious plastic sheets to protect furnishings, floor coverings and electronics from debris that was sure to come down in pieces, flakes and dust. Once scraped, we applied a bonding primer to attach firmly to the subsequent coats of plaster. After sanding it flat and smooth, up went a high quality primer ahead of the finish coats. Ceiling work is challenging for the overhead position and working with arms raised on ladders and scaffolding that we haul along with all the tools and supplies. This entire room can now be seen, peripheral vision included, as a warm, inviting, home space.