Vermiculite ceilings, do you like them?

At Mayfair Plumbing we not only specialise in gas fitting and plumbing but we also work on complete home reno's with everything from demolition to painting, home decorating and garden make overs, all the work is done in house using all of our own licensed tradesman and women.

In a recent project which is well on the way to completion in a leafy green suburb of Adelaide called Hyde Park the ground floor ceilings were all coated with vermiculite, this was a very popular choice for home owners back in the 1970's.  The vermiculite was sprayed on and then painted, but as time has gone on trends have changed and no longer is vermiculite peoples choice for ceilings.

When it then comes to deciding what is the right choice for making the old vermiculite ceiling look modern again there a couple of factors to consider, ceiling height and budget.  The vermiculite can be re sprayed with ceiling paint, this would be the cheapest option but still leaves you with the look of vermiculite on the ceilings.  Another option is to batten out the ceiling and then fix gyprock to the battens leaving you with a gyprock ceiling but this will drop the overall ceiling height by approximately 25 millimeters at a minimum and is probably the most expensive option.  The option which we have gone for on our recent project in Hyde Park, SA 5061 is to have the vermiculite hard plastered over, the middle range for budget.  Ceiling height was a concern in this town house so we have opted for the solid plaster option and the result is truly amazing as you will see in the pictures below.  The process only took 2 days and the cost was very reasonable for the result which was achieved.

​By plastering over the vermiculite ceiling its gives the house an overall feeling of spaciousness and a real modern touch.  The drying time before painting varies, in Australia during summer 4 to 5 days would be okay but in cooler climates around the world longer periods may be needed along with some additional heating of the room.

If you have any questions about renovating your house why not visit us online and let us help you along the way with your next project.

Lounge room ceiling after the vermiculite was plastered over, looks brilliant.

Hall way ceiling looks so much higher with the new solid plaster installed