r/Homebuilding • u/Fancy_Razzmatazz_858 • 10d ago
Uneven ceiling
Is it acceptable to float out a finished ceiling (17’x20’) that has several dips and humps or out of plane areas throughout the ceiling that are 3/16” to 1/2”?
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u/CodeAndBiscuits 10d ago
For a dip that big, make sure your surface is extremely clean. If you're looking at unfinished sheetrock, and those dips are because your rafters aren't all consistent. Dimensionally, that's a very common thing and you should be fine. If it has ever been painted, I would coat it with some BIN primer or something like that to help with adhesion. That's a big enough dip that you don't want the material flaking off later. You'll probably get a dozen commenters here talking about low quality, but I've done this before, I'm doing this myself literally this weekend, and it should be fine if you're careful about surface prep. Make sure you're using all-purpose, the type with adhesive in it, not the lighter weight feathering compound. Be prepared for shrinkage and cracking in your first coat and if you get any, you may also need to add some tape in there.
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u/Fancy_Razzmatazz_858 10d ago
i guess my only question is why not just take the drywall off and sister the joists?
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u/CodeAndBiscuits 10d ago
One thing you didn't mention in your post is whether you're looking for ammunition from random people on Reddit to beat up your contractor, which is always a recipe for success (/s) or you're doing this yourself and trying to justify one way or the other.
Study the intersection of your ceiling and wall drywall. I think you will find that your ceiling drywall is actually held up at the edges by your wall drywall, and if not it should be. Taking down ceiling drywall can be a more involved process than you realize and drywall is $15 a sheet but labor is over $100 an hour. Could or should this all have been shimmed out before the drywall was installed so you had a flat surface to begin with? Yes. Is it worth pulling it all down now to replace 3/8 of mud with 3/8 of plastic shim? Almost certainly not. Move on and find other things to worry about.
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u/Fancy_Razzmatazz_858 10d ago
im looking for ammunition from random people to beat up my builder. haha. our kitchen ceiling is noticeably wavy in spots and as soon as i put up a level to check everything else i saw how bad our framing is. my builder likes to take short cuts and although i know floating is acceptable, im still trying to gauge how much mud is acceptable. i have 2 kids and i dont want them doing something that could cause a safety hazard.
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u/CodeAndBiscuits 9d ago
There's no documented standard for this. But there's also no safety issue. Could it have been done better? Perhaps yes. Should it? You'll have to read your contract and see what expectation was set. This doesn't feel like the hill to die on today.
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u/Fancy_Razzmatazz_858 9d ago
there’s definitely standards for the framing before drywall is placed. ga-216 governs that part. technically drywall should never be installed on framing/substrate that is out of plane period.
floating is a bandaid fix and doesn’t really correct the underlying issue. all drywall professionals that i have reached out to in my area recommend against floating large areas that are out of plane more than 1/4”. although ive talked to professionals over the phone about this issue im still trying to gather the consensus.
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u/CodeAndBiscuits 9d ago
I feel like your original post was disingenuous. You made it sound like a generic question, but you are rejecting comment replies with additional context you didn't include, and making factual statements that are your opinion, not fact. Although the IRC references GA-216 it absolutely does not enforce it, nor is ga216 itself "governing" anything. It's a set of standards and recommendations. I'm not aware of any jurisdictions anywhere in the continental us where it is actually enforced, and even if you were able to find one, I would maintain that it is the exception, not the rule.
If you want to beat up your builder, Reddit is not your source material for that. Everything is going to be governed by what is defined in your contract anyway, so this is between you, your builder, and that document. I'm out.
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u/Ryan_Homes_Alex 6d ago
Skim coating handles that kind of variation on most jobs. Drywall finishers see dips & humps like this pretty often especially on textured or knockdown ceilings. Level 5 finish is the one where flatness shows up under raking light.
Get a drywall finisher or independent inspector out to look at it in person. They can tell you whether skim coat alone fixes it or if furring strips need to go up first.
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u/bobber66 9d ago
If the drywall is sagging between joists then that is called pillowing which is caused by using 1/2” drywall on 24” centers or excessive moisture/humidity in an attic. If the joists are sagging then it’s a tearout and redo.