ᐅ New construction ceiling: painting over fiberglass mesh or spray plaster

Hello,

In our new build, we have precast concrete ceilings and are now considering how to finish them.

Our options are paintable fleece wallpaper or a very fine textured spray plaster.

My husband thinks the spray plaster is too rough and feels it would look odd if the ceiling and the walls are almost the same. That’s why we are leaning towards using the paintable fleece wallpaper, which would result in a fairly smooth surface.

What do you think?

Are there any pros and cons to these two methods, and what would you choose?

Which option is more high-end?

Regards,
Ivonne

neutri80 schrieb:

My husband finds the spray plaster too coarse and thinks it looks odd when the ceiling and walls are almost the same.

However, it is quite common for walls and ceilings to be plastered and have a similar appearance. A lot can still be done with paint to create contrast.

There are no significant advantages or disadvantages, nor is one option generally considered "higher quality." Many plastered ceilings are also wallpapered. These are simply two different approaches depending on the preferences of the homeowners.

Hello,

In my opinion, there are definitely differences when it comes to proper plastering.

1. Ceilings will settle over time, which causes cracks. The plaster cannot accommodate these and will also show cracks.
2. Painter’s fleece (sometimes called scrim or fiberglass mesh) can easily bridge minor cracks.
3. My choice: Properly fill ceiling joints, patch existing cracks and pores carefully, smooth everything out, then apply fleece and paint.

Best regards,
Jann

Jann St schrieb:

Hello,

In my opinion, there are some differences when it comes to properly applying plaster.
1. Ceilings will settle over time, causing cracks to appear. The plaster cannot accommodate these and will also crack.
2. Painter’s fleece can easily bridge minor cracks.
3. My choice: properly fill ceiling joints, fill in existing cracks and pores thoroughly, smooth everything out, then apply fleece before painting.

Best regards, Jann

This is exactly what our painter suggested as well. We’re also not using very thin or smooth fleece. Especially on the upper floor where the wooden ceiling is, we’re using a somewhat textured fleece. He said that if we’re lucky, this will reduce the severity of settlement cracks.

Jann St schrieb:

Hello,

In my opinion, there are definitely differences if the option is to properly plaster.

1. Ceilings tend to settle over time, which causes cracks. The plaster cannot accommodate these and will also show cracks.
2. Painter’s fleece can easily bridge minor cracks.
3. My choice: properly fill ceiling joints, fill existing cracks and pores thoroughly, smooth the surface well, then apply fleece and paint.

Best regards, Jann

Thank you very much for your reply. This is exactly how we will proceed now.

One option would be to paint the ceiling with so-called textured plaster. I quite like this and have used it both with 2mm (0.08 inch) quartz sand and with 1mm (0.04 inch). Therefore, I would always choose 1mm (0.04 inch) because it is easier to spread. If you apply it in a kind of crosshatch pattern or whatever it’s called, it has a nice grain even without a glaze and looks modern. It also forgives mistakes or visible edges more easily. We always used the 1mm (0.04 inch) version from Haering, which I find great and easy to apply.
Painting fleece is just as good in my opinion and doesn’t make a real difference, except maybe in cost, which would then be my deciding factor.