# Is it feasible to paper a mirrored ceiling?????



## hotwing7 (Mar 31, 2012)

Forgive the inane stupidity of the question.

My customer is doing a total (as in everything) renovation in her house (driving all the trades nuts due to no GC employed but thats an aside story).

Anyway, she asked me a question today and I had no idea - in her main floor bathroom, the ceiling is covered in very stuck on mirrored tiles (oh yes very 1970's) and she was looking for options as to what to do with it.

I said obviously I could coat it but it would ultimately now look like ceramic 12" tiles on the ceiling - not a good look. I advised ripping them down but would likely need a new ceiling (or a lot of repair) depending on what damage was caused by prying these off. (she didn't like that idea).

So the only other real option is to cover them with something. But what? Is it at all possible to use a heavy anaglypta (pardon the spelling)??? Would it adhere to glass???

I'm honestly stumped. Personally for the money she is spending on the place i'd rip em off but she doesn't want to?!

I did take a cell phone pic so I'll try and post that in a mo


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

there are adhesion enhancing coatings that are purported to stick to glass. Some say R-35, or maybe one of the new adhesion primers. 

I actually tested making a paste out of oatmeal - ground it real fine, cooked up some paste like the old times did with wheat, applied to some regular writing paper, and stuck it to a window. It stayed for years.

Not saying that I would guarantee success with a large ceiling surface, but I did find the adhesion to glass to be interesting.


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

I've been addicted to RX-35 for the past couple months.
That coating plus vinyl over vinyl adhesive for a liner paper and I'm sure it would stick.
Just caulk the corners and float the seams. Give it time to cure before painting.
Liner paper is also good for getting rid of spider cracks in plaster walls.

Disclaimer: This is not seeing the surface and how the tiles meet and such. I assume they are pretty smooth.



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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

It just occurred to me, people of the future aren't going to know there is a layer of glass underneath. 
Safety issue?
Just sayin'


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

underdog,

I think we've had the difference of Rx-35 and R-35 discussed before. 



> R-35® Heavy Duty Acrylic Primer, PRO-935
> Excellent surface preparation for pre-pasted wallcoverings. This is an adhesion-promoting primer/sizer for difficult surfaces , such as ceramic, tile ,vinyl, and paneling. Easy water clean-up.





> Rx-35 Sealer/Primer repairs torn drywall to create a wall surface that can be floated, spackled, painted or hung with wallpaper. It is also the perfect primer for skim coats, spackling, residual paste, popcorn ceilings, contractors flat paint or mud joints. It dries with a slight residual tack, enhancing adhesion of wallpaper or paint.


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## trevord (Nov 21, 2013)

*anything is feasible*

Anything is feasible if you prep it well enough

Clean surface. Clean it again. Make sure is as smooth as a babies butt. Then add adhesive + then R-35! Caulk the corners, and float the seams, giving it time to cure before painting.

Had a good laugh while read daArch's reply, "I actually tested making a paste out of oatmeal - ground it real fine, cooked up some paste like the old times did with wheat, applied to some regular writing paper, and stuck it to a window. It stayed for years."

Your call on oatmeal paste as I would question mold growth over time


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

trevord said:


> Your call on oatmeal paste as I would question mold growth over time


yah think ? 

and to think they put MOLASSES in wheat paste in days of old


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

daArch said:


> underdog,
> 
> I think we've had the difference of Rx-35 and R-35 discussed before.


 My bad... don't remember the discussion or R-35 but I sure defer to your experience.

I put RX-35 and Draw Tite on paneling and such all the time and haven't ever had a problem. Did you say there was a problem with those materials for non-porous surfaces like mirror, Formica and paneling?



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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Underdog said:


> I put RX-35 and Draw Tite on paneling and such all the time and haven't ever had a problem. Did you say there was a problem with those materials for non-porous surfaces like mirror, Formica and paneling?
> 
> 
> 
> .


A) I have never papered glass - just relating what I've heard from others who have

B) When I've applied Draw-tite or Gardz on a slick surface, it has "fish-eyed". In my experience, it doesn't seem to have the properties need to coat and adhere to glass evenly. 

C) Paneling I have used Calif acrylic Prep n Size, after sanding. I have used X-I-M solvent primer/sealer - took three days to dry. 

D) Formica (only once right here in my office) I sanded and applied Swing Wallpaper Prep Coat - it's holding up real well on a horizontal junk collector.


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## Ole34 (Jan 24, 2011)

Its just a bathroom.... bust the glass off an skim the ceiling if it needs it an be done with it. 

Might even look good with a faux paint finish on the tiles especially if there's a gap between the tiles. kinda like the lines on a checker board but with different colors ya know. very Mid Century Modern an thats whats in these days. could also go with tin ceiling tiles painted to spec ?.......just tossing out ideas


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## hotwing7 (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies she bought s whole load of the different 'tin' type things and when she put them at the ceiling decided she didn't like them 

I'll pass on the notes re sticking the paper (and the dangers for the future) it certainly won't be me putting it up!


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

Well I've done nonporous surfaces and I guess I don't know what happens if I never get called back to fix anything.
Sometimes I think I know something but might not.




Ole34 said:


> Its just a bathroom.... bust the glass off an skim the ceiling if it needs it an be done with it.


You cued a memory.
Ever try to break a mirror on purpose?
I beat that thing with a hammer on my garage floor and didn't make a dent. It was a big mirror so I got plenty skeered when I had to prop it up on something. It still was resistant to my hammer. I sure can break them on accident though.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

if it's seven years of bad luck for breaking a mirror, my great grandchildren shan't never play the ponies.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

mmmm....mirrors....


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## kallywall (Feb 1, 2009)

Depends on what wall covering needs to be installed. The glass will need sanding; wall covering will need a special "high bond " wall covering primer. If the wallcovering is not breathable, then a liner will need to be installed first. That being said, might be easier to remove the mirrors and prep the walls underneath. Good luck.


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