Williamsville, NY:— We specialize in ceiling repair of both plaster and drywall. Depending on which substrate we are dealing with, will dictate how we approach the situation. Substantial plaster repairs can sometimes scare off other drywall repairmen and painters. The default response by those incapable of repairing plaster is to rip it all out (expensive) and replace it with drywall. While we can repair most ceilings, sometimes they are beyond repair and are actually a danger to the occupants of the home. This job was one such scenario.
What started out as an emergency ceiling repair, turned into an emergency ceiling removal.
Oddly enough, our last emergency ceiling repair was also in Williamsville. That time, someone fell through the ceiling, he was okay, thankfully.
Before and After video at the bottom
Part II: Emergency Ceiling Repair: Installing a New Ceiling.
Who to call for emergency ceiling repair?
Depending on the source of damage, will dictate who to call. Search for “24/7 emergency plumber,” “emergency roofer,” or “ceiling repair contractor” in your area using Google or Bing. Look for professionals with positive reviews and proof of their work. Examples include: Plumbers for leak repairs. Roofers for overhead leaks.
Drywall or Plaster Repair specialist: For post-leak repairs (e.g., patching or replacing sections), a drywall contractor can handle cosmetic and ceiling structure fixes once the source is addressed.
Who to call for a sagging ceiling?
A sagging ceiling in Western New York requires immediate attention due to potential safety risks and the need to prevent further damage to your property. The substrate, plaster or drywall, and the underlying cause (e.g., water damage, structural issues, or material failure) will determine the appropriate professional to contact. At Carrigan Painting we are the only local painting comapny that specializes in ceiling repairs. Call or Text: 716-697-3560
The Email That Changed Everything
The home was built in 1947, and the current homeowner emailed us saying their ceiling was sagging and needed someone to look at it to assess its condition. Upon seeing it in person, I immediately told the homeowners they were not allowed back into their living room or dining room. Both ceilings were on the verge of collapse. The black lines are cracks, which were becoming more numerous and growing in size. There was evidence that a previous contractor may have caulked the larger cracks in an attempt to hide them. When it comes to plaster bulges on ceilings, sagging, AND cracks, that is a quickly evolving dangerous situation that needs immediate attention to avoid property damage and serious injuries.
Due to the severity of this situation, we booked the job for the following Monday, just three days away. In the meantime, I set up a small scaffold in the living room as a precaution in case anything fell early. I instructed them to call/text me immediately and gave the homeowners instructions on what to do, and what they would likely be facing in the event of a collapse of the ceiling. (Evacuate the home, call 911, then call me – in that order.)
Controlled Ceiling Collapse
A previous contractor “attempted” to repair this crack.
1) The crack wasn’t opened to reinforce the crack it was just mudded over. At least they embedded the tape.
2) The ceiling was attached to nothing in this area. Futile attempt at a fix.
On Monday morning, we protected the home using:
- RamBoard on the floors
- Plastic over all air vents
- Plastic over the windows
- Heavy-duty drop cloths
- A final protective layer of 7/16″ OSB sheathing for debris impact
We began carefully opening the ceilings. As careful as you can be, anyway this was a controlled demolition of a failing plaster ceiling system. Because the ceilings were not attached to anything over such large areas, we couldn’t safely cut the ceiling into strips like originally planned.
Living Room Ceiling
To my surprise, the ceilings were RockLath, not the older wood lath I expected.
In the 1940’s Rocklath replaced woodlath and is the precursor to sheetrock. A plasterer would apply plaster basecoat to rocklath, and then plaster finish is applied to the basecoat to form the walls and ceilings.
– Plaster and Lath Repair by Carrigan Painting
There were two major failure zones:
- 12′ × 8′ section
- 12′ × 6′ section
A small section in the center had been patched before using drywall, then sprayed with popcorn texture to hide the repair. Not uncommon.
Most of this came off pretty easily. It is not supposed too.
Dining Room Ceiling – A Near Disaster
The dining room ceiling was worse. It turned out the only thing holding up the center 8′ × 8′ section was the light fixture’s electrical box, which had already broken off its bracket.
As soon as we broke through, the ceiling dropped almost immediately. It was terrifying how easily and violently the whole section collapsed. If this had fallen during dinner, the results could have been tragic. A single 1′ × 1′ chunk of this ceiling weighs about 30 lbs. This ceiling was 1″ thick. The combined weight of both ceilings came to 3,800 pounds!
Look at the end of the 2×4 in the ceiling hole. That shadow under the dark vertical piece of wood (ceiling joist) is air space between the plaster ceiling and the ceiling joist its supposed to be attached too. Once I saw this, I knew it was too dangerous to be in the room so we used a spare 2×4 to gently pry the hanging plaster off the ceiling. It didn’t take much!
The wood separating the living room from the dining room turned out to be purely decorative. With the homeowner’s permission, we removed the wood separating the two rooms, creating one large monolithic ceiling. This was by far our biggest ceiling we have ever done. It came out really nice.
How We Handled It
- Protected floors
- Controlled demolition of failing ceilings
- Proper disposal of debris and popcorn texture (dumpster rental)
- Prep for full ceiling replacement with drywall
I originally considered using Luan underlayment for floor protection, but I’m glad we chose OSB — the added thickness made a real difference.
When removing the pieces off the ceiling, it became obvious that holding onto the pieces was difficult due to falling insulation, and the weight of each piece, plus each piece had nails sticking out of it. So we dropped a lot of pieces on to the OSB. And the areas that fell off the ceiling, landed with a loud thud. Underlayment, would have been insufficient.
Why Popcorn Ceilings Can be Dangerous
The previous homeowners had sprayed medium popcorn texture to cover the previously repaired damage and hide bulging. Unfortunately, this just concealed the problem and delayed repairs, making it far more dangerous as the ceiling began to lose its structural integrity due to gravity.
If you see popcorn or texture starting to bubble, crack, or flake, or cracks that seem to be multiplying or growing, it may be hiding structural failure underneath. This is not a common problem.
Cracks began showing up all over this ceiling. The pictures do not do this justice. The living room by the windows had a very obvious ridge – like a speed bump on the ceiling. And the dining room, looked weird. It was obvious there was a problem. It was only a matter of time before these ceilings were going to fall. It was no longer if, but when. Being able to control the “when” saved these homeowners thousands of dollars in property damage, and potentially serious life threatening injuries. This was a very serious situation.
Part II: Hanging a New Ceiling in Williamsville NY 14221
Serving Williamsville and Buffalo Suburbs
We handle emergency ceiling repair across the Buffalo region — including:
- Williamsville (14221)
- Amherst (14226, 14051, 14221, 14068)
- Clarence (14031, 14032)
- Cheektowaga (14225)
- Lancaster (14086)
- South Lockport (14094)
- And other nearby suburbs
⚠️ Think Your Ceiling Might Be Sagging?
Don’t wait.
Call us immediately if you see:
Cracking or bulging in plaster or drywall – especially on a ceiling!
A ceiling that sounds hollow when tapped – not pounded. A screw driver works – like tapping on a door.
Homeowners often call us after the ceiling has already destroyed all their furniture. I am happy that we were able to get to this ceiling before it could do any damage or hurt anyone. Most of the time, the ceiling can be repaired. In extreme cases, the ceiling has to be fully removed. This was an extreme case.
Some more photos:
3,800 pounds of plaster ceiling debris. WOW!
Part II: Emergency Ceiling Repair: Installing a New Ceiling.
As the author of The Carrigan Archives and President of Carrigan Painting, Dave shares expert insights on interior painting, ceiling restoration, and industry trends. He also personally manages Carrigan Painting’s website and YouTube channel, providing Western New York homeowners with valuable information and a firsthand look at the company’s craftsmanship.
With over 25 years of experience in residential construction, Dave specializes in high-end interior painting and ceiling repairs, often exceeding contractual obligations to ensure the highest level of craftsmanship. Our ability to maintain exceptional customer satisfaction in such a demanding field is a testament to our expertise, integrity, and dedication to quality.
For 15 consecutive years, Carrigan Painting has maintained an unprecedented 5-star reputation—an achievement nearly unmatched in the industry nationwide.
Almost all of the work we have completed since 2024 has been posted to this Archive.
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