# Forum Home Renovation Plastering  Plaster cornince removal without damaging ceiling.

## nww1969

As the title suggests I want to remove the cornice from a ceiling which is in
perfect condition unlike the walls which I want to replace. 
So what would be the best way to remove without any damage to the ceiling.
I have only one room I need to do this to which is approx 5x5 metres. 
Thanks team.
Neil.

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## murray44

Run a knife along the join between the ceiling and the cornice so you have a clean break line. 
Get a nice sharp paint scraper and bang it in flat along the ceiling above the cornice to break the cement. Whack your scraper into the corner joins too so that you break the joint. 
The cornice should pull away pretty easily, just make sure you don't rip the ceiling.

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## Naf

yep what he said

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## montiee

> The cornice should pull away pretty easily, just make sure you don't rip the ceiling.

  Chances are he will. It all depends on how much of a miser the plaster was. If he put in very little glue you'll get away with it otherwise you are screwed. 
To the OP: 
Quite frankly if you are pulling away the cornices I would just do the entire ceiling. It's pretty trivial if you are happy to replace walls and put in new cornices which you are. Chances are if your walls are crap your ceiling isn't far away regardless of how they look. Plasterboard is cheap. Finding your ceiling sagging in 5-10 years and retrofitting is a major pain in the @@@@. 
Really doing the ceiling is no different to doing a wall. Just hire one of those sheet lifters for a day if you can't find any mates to help you lift and it's easy going evenf or one guy. Hell even if my mates volunteered I'd still hire the lifter based on experience

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## murray44

That's a big call montiee. In my book it'd be much easier to do a bit of cornice patching rather than rip the whole ceiling down (which is in perfect condition).  
Each to their own though.

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## Haveago1

_In my book it'd be much easier to do a bit of cornice patching rather than rip the whole ceiling down_  
Same here...I don't mind walls so much but ceilings are a PITA.....

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## Eastwing

Buy a Fein Mulitmaster and the job will be easy.

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## montiee

> That's a big call montiee. In my book it'd be much easier to do a bit of cornice patching rather than rip the whole ceiling down (which is in perfect condition).  
> Each to their own though.

   

> _In my book it'd be much easier to do a bit of cornice patching rather than rip the whole ceiling down_  
> Same here...I don't mind walls so much but ceilings are a PITA.....

  Fella's I'm curious why do you not have a problem with walls but you do with ceilings. It's not like they are hard to do. Yes if you don't rent the lift for the day (~$80) it's a pita but seriously the job is trivial if you rent the lifter. A bit of glue, a couple of screws and job is done. I too feared ripping the ceiling down until I was forced to and having done it once I'm not sure what all the fuss was over if you rent the lifter. Screw lifting it into place with your hands and juggling it there. I guess that's what you all did :LOL. 
If anything the bloody cornices are more hassle especially for a long room and getting the mitre right at the ends and hoping the plaster cornice doesn't chip.. I put in some fancy ones to match the rest of the cornice work in the house.

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## murray44

NWW said that the ceilings are in perfect shape. Why bother pulling them down? 
A little bit of patching at the cornice will be WAY easier than replacing the whole ceiling (and you would still need to do the cornice anyway). 
Also why spend more than you need to: sheet lifter rental, gyprock, fixings, tape, top coat, paint etc etc. 
Not to mention the extra mess involved in ripping down a ceiling. Yuk.

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## montiee

> NWW said that the ceilings are in perfect shape. Why bother pulling them down?

  What it looks like and the reality of it above are two completely different things. In 10 years the walls may look perfect but the ceiling starts sagging and then you have to redo the who mess again. With cornices off and walls off screwing in a sheet or two in a small area is extremely small price to pay to future security. Been down that road before which is why I personally wouldn't risk it. I make it a rule that if I strip the room down to that level the ceiling is replaced. It's not like $150 is going to break the bank. If it is don't start renovating. 
His call of course but if he is doing all the work cost difference replacing a ceiling is trivial especially of that size. If you do damage it don't sweat it I say.

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## rrobor

For me Murray is on the money. I cut along the cornice then with a sharpened paint scraper I just cut between ceiling and cement. Sure in places you may lose the first layer of papar but thats under the cornice anyway. I took my entire kitchen and hallway cornice down and never damaged the ceiling. Stuff taking lights down and all that bother.

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## nww1969

Thanks everyone again for your advice. 
I believe the gyprock was installed about 6 years ago,
The property was a cheap rental to previous owners relative so has not been looked after,
So this is why the roof is fine but wall needs to be replaced.    
Thanks again Neil.

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## Haveago1

_It's not like $150 is going to break the bank. If it is don't start renovating_ 
Its not the money, its the time and the drama...removing lights (ie, getting an electrican in to do it), insulation, electrical wiring, years of accumulated dust and grit dropping on your head and billowing through the house. 
Using the 'bang in the paint scraper' method and knocking off the leftover gyprock cement dags took me an hour, after which I got started reinstalling new cornicing.  
If I removed the ceiling, replaced it, reset it and THEN put up the cornicing it would add a few days to the process and be extra work for no real benefit. 
If a ceiling needs redoing no arguement, replace it, but just wanting to replace cornicing should not be a big job...

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## Vernonv

I did just this job over the weekend. Like they others have said - a Stanley knife along the cornice/ceiling line to create a "break" line and then I just proceeded to rip the cornice out with the claw of the hammer (claw in behind the cornice and then pull). Most of it came away cleanly although there are some patches of cornice cement that will need cleaning up with a scraper.   

> What it looks like and the reality of it above are two completely different things.

  The reality is that it looks good now and I would assume that it has always been that way (these things normally don't get better with age). If the ceiling has been up for a while, it is unlikely to suddenly start having structural problems. Re-plastering a perfectly good ceiling is a messy waste of time, money and effort.

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## Rod Dyson

I have kept out of this thread as most inventive ways have been covered.   
I would just like to add that often when cornice is taken down the surface of the paper is lifted and needs to be peeled away before new cornice is attached. If you run a knife around and cut through the board this will prevent the peeling back of the paper extending into the painted area of the ceiling/wall. However if you are going to patch this up and not install a new cornice over it you would need to tape over the cut. 
How I remove the remaining cornice adhesive: 
I use a 100 mm scraper like a chisel,  I place the scraper at the front (thickest) part of the exess and just give it a tap with the hammer. it comes off very easily that way, (in most cases). Had to do a room of this 2 days ago.  
Cheers Rod

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