Tin ceiling restoration -- stripping & re-painting

A. It may be easier to replace the tin ceiling [affil links] than try to strip and repaint (a messy process at best!) Stripping the paint may also remove the tin coating if not done properly. There are several companies that have been for several years remanufacturing the old tin ceilings. There are many design options and one that may match your current ceiling pattern. Some of the companies are actually using the old die sets from years ago.

A. I must first say that I am by no means an expert on tin ceilings. But I will tell you how I stripped & re-painted a tin ceiling. First off, the panels were removed from another building and brought home. I then removed a majority of the multiple layers of paint with a heat gun ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] . This was followed by a commercial stripper and 00 steel wool ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] . I then applied primer and a few coats of a metallic spray paint. The result is beautiful. Yes this was a lot of work. I must admit that my next ceiling for my kitchen will be bought new.

I hope this information will help someone. Again, I do not claim this to be "The Right Way" but rather the approach that I took.

P.S. A heat gun ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] does loosen the paint rather well.

A. I also have a tin ceiling that I am restoring. Do not take your ceiling down as others have suggested, this will bend and damage the tins. My ceiling has been painted with latex over oil base and lead base paint, which you should never paint latex over oil base or lead base paints this causes the latex to peel and also some of the under layers to peel. I found a new stripper that is environmentally safe, biodegradable, non caustic, and cleans up with water. This product is called Multi-Strip [affil links].

I suggest that you cut a piece of plywood that will fit the size of your tin panel, place a double layer of towels over it. Spread a thick layer of stripper on the towel, then use a 2 x 4 long enough to prop the plywood to the tin panel. If you should get any rust, this can be removed with a brass wire brush ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and rust removers. I have been told by tin ceiling manufacturers to repaint with acrylic or oil base paint, never use latex as this is water base and will cause your ceiling to rust.

Good Luck!

A. To restore the tin ceiling, simply get you a good sand/grinder. Sand the excess paint and crud off of it. Don't put too much work into this part. Get you a bottle of Jasco ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] (turns the rust black and takes away the rust). Get you an oil based semi gloss can of paint and paint them. They be like new again. Cheap and cost effective. I bought about 700 square foot of antique tins that were over a hundred years old. Really rusted and did the work on it. After you nail in the tin then take some builders caulking and fill in the holes and repaint it one more time. You will be amazed at the results. Hope this helps you. Enjoy

A. I have a 1890s home in NJ with seven tin ceilings in fairly good condition and painted white. A decision was made to scrape and prime as needed and repaint white. We used latex paint and it looks great. I must say scraping was messy. For me it was best to fix as needed in this manner so that there would not be too many layers of paint. Also living in an old house I have come to the realization that sometimes you need to live with things that were done by others and that adds to the history.

A. Hi Kathy. My understanding is that acrylic paints are available in both oil-base and latex. Latex is easier to clean up, more environmentally friendly, and more likely to be compatible with any underlying paint because if any of those layers were latex, topping them with oil will be problematic. So I'd say go with latex acrylic.

Unfortunately, some sanding is always advisable. So if you want best adhesion you should sand; but if that's an unrealistic amount of work, just cross your fingers :-) Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. We recently purchased a 2 story brick building on the town square that was built in 1864. The building is one of the bank buildings robbed by Jesse James. The tin ceiling was mostly intact and spanned 25 X 80 feet. We removed the panels that were irreparable and then sandblasted the rest. The tin is much stronger than you might think and the result was wonderful. We stripped off at least 4 layers of paint. We ordered about a dozen replacement panels online to repair the rest. We then primed it and painted an antique bronze. Very good results.

Gasoline-powered Air Compressors

on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. I am in the middle of restoring 5800 sq ft of an old tin ceiling. The best way to return tin to its original look is with a dry ice blaster [affil links]. I did some samples and was extremely pleased. The tiles were shiny and spectacular.

However, one 2' tile took 7 minutes to blast--the cost for me was prohibitive. A smaller project or larger budget would be better. Sand-blasting beats the tin up too much. Even soda blasting takes the shine off the tin. I have heard that blasting with walnut shell media ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] works well, too. In the end, I elected to leave most of the paint on, scrape the rest, and repaint. We took the loose paint off by air blasting it with a HVHP (325 CFM) air compressor [adv: air compressors on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and then spinning the rust off with a metal brush on a power drill.

Incidentally, the easiest and cheapest method if you've already got the tin down, is to bang it against wood. The tin is left almost perfect and most of the paint is on the floor.

A. Use a simple fiberglass repair kit to repair tin ceiling holes. It works great.

A. We bought an abandoned 1890 12 room farmhouse with a tin ceiling in the kitchen about 20'x12'. The heat pipes froze and leaked causing rust and peeling paint everywhere. After trying everything from strippers to a homeowners sandblaster the only thing that worked was hiring a guy to come over with a tow behind compressor and a professional sand blaster using play sand. The only damage was the previous water damage. We'll repair that with body filler. It's painted a dark grey and looks brand new. It was messy but we used lots of drop clothes and plastic to cover everything. It took about 4 hrs from start to clean up and around $400.00. It was well worth it considering all the time wasted trying to do it manually.

A. I have been a contractor for over 30 years and I have found that tin ceilings can be cleaned from paint with a small sand blaster.It takes time but it does a good job. If you want to keep the natural look a clear coat of paint or lacquer will bring back the original shine. Patience is the key.

A. Peelaway is my product of choice, I have a place built in the early 1800's and my tin ceilings were covered in lead paint which meant no heat. Sandblasting can damage the detail you're trying to retain so I used Peel Away [affil links] and left it on for 72 hrs, came back and all layers of paint literally came off on the paper you apply it with. Coat of Peel Away Neutralizer [affil links], rust converter ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , Self-etching primer ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and top coat and it looks beautiful.

A. I feel the need to add my experiences with "tin" ceilings. We have 2 buildings with much of the original ceilings. These are actually not tin but a mild steel. They are a silver-ish in color and were dipped in or sprayed with a chemical solution which turned them black. That is a rust proofing but not an actual anodizing. (This may or may not be 'exactly' right, but what I have learned from reading on the net. I forget the name of the solution.)
Sometimes the solution did not completely cover the piece and one can see the original untreated metal color.

We are refinishing one building which has been covered with a dropped ceiling for the last 3 decades. Sandblasting removed four layers of chipping paint and feathered what remained of the original layer, which is adhered very well. We will prime with an oil based metal primer.

Seams between tiles which are large and can't be reclosed for whatever reason are being covered with paintable aluminum automotive repair tape. So are rusted holes from many years of poor roof repairs.

The finish coats are still being researched. We hope for a metallic copper and verdigris wash. We're keeping our fingers crossed on that!

Tom

A I am restoring a tin ceiling that only covers part of the kitchen ceiling. It was in the barn and painted.

I used HEAVY DUTY OVEN AND GRILL CLEANER to strip it with joy! My first panel I used paint stripper and it took forever. The oven cleaner ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] I spray on and, depending on humidity, can use a wire brush and 1-3 steel wool ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] to easily remove the old paint. It takes 1-2 hours to let it sit and work. It comes off like black crust on your grill. It is sooo easy and does not discolor or damage the original tin. It is amazing! You can only do this with it lying flat. Then I hose it off; go over the surface with Naval Jelly(follow directions) and then seal the front with Rustoleum clear Spray Enamel. I spray the back with Rustoleum flat primer to ensure no rust. I have rehung 2 panels 2'x4' with 8 tiles so far. I just used the old nail holes My house is 1905.
As disclaimer, Home Depot has chosen me to answer questions for restorations on a "pro" or expert panel.