ᐅ Smooth concrete ceiling with lime plaster

Hello,

I removed the textured wallpaper from my concrete ceiling and now want to achieve a smooth ceiling surface. Basically, I would like to use a lime plaster for this. It was suggested that if I use the products from Hessler, I should first apply the HP 14 at a thickness of 5mm (0.2 inches) and then use the HP 90 for smoothing.

How well does the HP 14 adhere to a concrete ceiling? Unfortunately, I have no experience plastering ceilings yet (only walls). What should I keep in mind here?

In my opinion, the concrete ceiling is already fairly smooth and free of major holes (see pictures, better ones to follow). Is applying a 5mm (0.2 inches) layer really necessary?

Best regards

erwind2 schrieb:
Unfortunately, I have no experience with plastering a ceiling (only plastering walls).

To be honest? Then don’t do it. It’s a job for someone with a lot of experience. At least for an amateur working by hand, it will almost certainly end in disaster. Working neatly overhead...

Applying filler, yes; plastering, no.

Either textured plaster, paint directly, or apply painter’s fleece and then paint.
I would also only leave full-surface plastering to professionals whose previous work I have seen (if I could afford it).

Oh, I’m following along here—we have the same issue with our new build right now.

We were recommended "AlpenKalk ready-to-use filler." However, it is quite expensive.

Thank you for this assessment. Removing the wallpaper from the ceiling beforehand was definitely a tough job. Attached are the photos of the ceiling. In my opinion, the concrete ceiling already has relatively good quality.

Would applying a filler layer with a gypsum/cement-based filler be a suitable alternative? What is the purpose of the plaster layer in the first place?

If removing wallpaper already pushed you to your limit 😀

I applied 2-3mm (about 1/8 inch) of Knauf Rotband plaster onto my precast concrete ceiling with a friend who’s a painter and then sanded it. The result was (and still is), even after two additional rounds of filling and sanding, rather disappointing. I probably would have been better off just painting the concrete ceiling directly and living with some shading around the joints...

Applying textured plaster is also a skill—you won’t master it to perfection after just 2 or 3 square meters. The easiest option might actually be to glue a painter’s fleece (paintable wall lining) over it and hope it looks reasonably smooth once painted.

If you want a really good finish, have a professional do it. Anything else will be acceptable, but definitely won’t be 100% perfect.

On the other hand… who looks at their ceiling all day long? I know mine doesn’t look great under grazing light… but then I just avoid using grazing light or looking straight up. You can invest your money more sensibly than on a Q4 ceiling finish.