Plastering over old downlight holes

[Stephen H]

Hi, I'm about to replace my old style incandecent embedded downlights (10 of them) with embedded halogens. The halogens will need to be installed in different places on the ceilings so I'll need to plaster over 10 holes.

I've not had much experience with plastering, can anyone tell me if ceiling plastering is a DIY job for a reasonably competent home handyman? I'm not so much worried about pluging the hole, more that the patch will be visible. Any thoughts? Also, I'm not looking forward to the neck ache...

[craigb]

It shouldn't be a problem provided that you sand the filler well.

Also, ceiling paint is generally very flat so imperfections tend to be less noticible. How high are your ceilings?

[namtrak]

This is relatively easy job, just take your time.

The holes are going to be about 100mm diameter? And your ceiling plaster is 10mm gyprock? If this is the case, then try something like gluing two pieces of gyprock together (one bigger than the hole and one slightly smaller than the hole), set the pieces into the hole from in the ceiling, and then use topcote (or something similar) to fill the gaps. Topcote is very easy to sand, but cant hold its own weight while it drying so you may have to topcote the holes a few times to get it right. If you see a dent, scratch, hole in the topcote after it is sanded then it is likely you will see it after it is painted.

Make sure the two pieces of glued gyprock arent sitting proud of the hole, you may need to frig around a little to get that sorted.

[barnsey]

I've had to do some repairs on Gyprock/plasterboard. The 17 year old slipped down the stairs in her new high heels and one size 8 went straight through the plaster board :eek:

Like you I was a little unsure of how I should go about it but got on the net and hunted around and found sites with quite detailed explanations on how to and tricks to get the best job

Not sure I can remember the site at the moment - may have been gyprock themselves but if I do I'll let you know.

Namtrak is right but they're are some tricks to achieve the desired results that I found real useful coz I couldn't get to the other side without demolishing half the downstairs bedroom.

Good Luck

Jamie

She started wearing UGGGGHH Boots after that :eek:

[Markw]

This is really easy, but its not a 10 minute job.

As namtrak said, use a gyproc plug of the same or slightly small material to plug the hole. Depending on the age of the ceiling, you may find the gyproc is actually 1/2" and the closest you will be able to buy is 10mm or if your lucky 12mm.

When I did the same job at home, I used Polyfiller skimcoat. I tried the polyfiller for larger holes but found the product was difficult to spread (wanted to adhere to the plastic spreader and metal float) and didn't want to adhere to an overhead surface. Maybe is was defective??? - Dont know threw it out.

Major problem will be that the hole is deep (between plug and ceiling) and will require a fair amount of filler. This leads to extended drying times. I would normally leave it for a day or more to fully harden. Another issue is the amount of shrinkage and the subsequent craking on thick layers of filler. In the end, I would normally do 3 to 4 coats with sanding back between each coat to achieve a flat un-noticable finish.

Generally it took about a week to complete, of course you start all at the same time, otherwise you be filling into next year.

[Stephen H]

You've all convinced me - I'll give it a go and damn my neck!

For those who asked, its a mid-70s era brick veneer. The wall gyprock is 10mm, so I guess the ceiling is the same.

Thanks also for the plug tip - will do it that way.

Regards, S.

[DanP]

Stephen,

Use a quality fine filler, such as Skim Coat or Mirror finish. If you use cheap rubbish like Spak filler, you will never get it straight. Use a speed file to sand it and it will come up nice and flush. Roof imperfections are always easy to spot IMO because of the way that the light hits it. It's simple to do, if you do it right with the right materials.

Dan

[TassieKiwi]

No sweat:

• Fill hole as described. Can also be done by gluing a cross piece say 50mmx200mm spanning the hole (will fit through from below, if you don't have access). Screw the plug to this with drywall screws
• buy the readymade finishing compound, and a good stainless steel float. Make a hod (350x350 ply with handle in centre)
• 1 coat to fill annulus, let dry
• next thin coat to cover this plus 50mm all round, let dry
• last coat to cover another 50mm all round, dry, carefully sand.

Be wary of leaving the surface too glassy smooth, as the patch will stand out like dogs bollix. Also use an excellent quality flat cieling paint, which will help disguise the repairs

[seriph1]

also ..... if youre placing the new downlights in the same spot, it will help disguise any repairs..... looking directly into the light makes the retina shrink and all detail perception is lost

just don't run into the light, Carol Anne (for the movie buffs)

[Ben from Vic.]

The downlights will help hide little imperfections as the light is directed down.

If you had a naked bulb in the room you'd need to do the job perfectly.