Before and After

Not much new stuff to report, other than we have finished putting up the plasterboard. We are in the process of organising a plasterer to complete the finishing. It has been highly recommended by many people that we should leave this job up to the professionals. DIY almost certainly will result in a bumpy, seam showing, uneven, ugly finish (which naturally we don't want).



The cords are for our new light and pulley switch that will be installed after plastering and painting.

Goodnight Vermiculite

On Saturday we tackled the ceiling in the bedroom. The hoist worked a treat. We wouldn't have been able to do the job without it. The plasterboard is HEAVY and big and really awkward to maneuver but the hoist, though seeming to be a cheep, rusty hunk of metal worked perfectly, even without the spring that fell off and went missing half way through the job...

Pete drilling up the first plasterboard sheet with our faithful hoist. The (temporary) pendant light behind him has a wooden block to give strength to the light fitting yet to be installed (drilling into the wood will be stronger than just drilling into vermiculite).



It was so nice to wake up on Sunday morning to the sight of a smooth ceiling. It was quite a dramatic effect from one days work.









We have opted for a shadow-line rather than a cornice. Much more modern and clean. This nifty metal edging form Greyking makes the job easy and neat. We ordered them in 3 meter strips and have enough to finish the rest of the ceiling.

Rondo Covers Vermiculite (Popcorn ceiling) - Part 1

OK. So this is the first major job that we have been tackling in the unit. (When I say we, I mean Pete mainly, he's been working on this stuff while I am at work on the weekends.)
When first inspecting the unit the thing that screamed YUK was the popcorn ceiling. We all know what this stuff is right? Its called vermiculite, and it was really popular in the 60's/ 70's. Popular because it was used as a fire retardant, insulator and ceiling leveler. I guess it was the cheapest, easiest way of covering a ceiling.
When researching how to get rid of it from online forums, it was apparent that this stuff had to stay. Removing it was not an option and Strata probably wouldn't want it removed anyway because of the fire safety and noise issues. There were two options. The inferior and cheaper way was to just paint it white, as often they are left as concrete grey, or faded to off yellow. Painting it requires a spray gun and heaps of paint. It soaks it up. I think the previous owner may have done this in the past because the ceiling is actually fairly white, so you can see from the before pictures, it wouldn't improve much by painting it. The only option then really was to cover it.
We discovered two ways. There is a company out there in Sydney that covers it with a thin film of stretchy material, attaching to the sides with cornices. Kind of like clingfilm. Its a cheaper option and quick but not as durable as plasterboard and with a slight sag in the middle of the room. Possibilities of it being punctured too.

Insert Rondo. I discovered this from an online forum as it seemed many people had the same problem and didn't know how to DIY. Its a big expense getting someone else to do this job, and I must admit, it IS a big job and understandable why they would charge so much.
Rondo products are like Meccano for adults. They are used in a lot of commercial buildings to add a lower suspension ceiling.

Main factors:

1. You will lose about 100mm height on your ceiling. Luckily ours were 2600, (as are a lot of ceilings built in the 60's).
2. You need a pretty powerful drill to drill the hooks into the ceiling. Pete had to buy a second one as the first one he bought wasn't powerful enough, you need one that has a "jackhammer" movement.
3. There are many components and it seems confusing but that's only because the parts are used for many applications and there is something suitable for every job. In our case, we only needed 4 parts.
4. If you live in Sydney, Grayking is where you can purchase Rondo products. Talk to Phil, he was really helpful and explained everything to us.

We had to bring in the furring channels though the balcony, they were so long we couldn't fit them up the stairs! (That's the metal rods you can see in the picture below)

The wood isn't part of Rondo, but was purchased from Bunnings to frame the built-in wardrobe. Pete has been working on this at the same time, as the frame will be really sturdy because its attached to the concrete ceiling and not the plasterboard.