How do you replace canvas ceiling?

Answer 1

Below is a reply I cut an pasted from another site. The type of canas and glue were not specified, still thought it useful: Date: 7/15/2002 11:53:29 AM Subject: Re: Restoring a plaster ceiling covered in canvas Message: I recently worked on a brownstone restoration project in New York. It was a Victorian home that had similar problems, the plaster lath ceiling had deteriorated and started to fall away, due to water damage, and fell onto a stretched canvas that was over the ceiling. There were murals painted on the canvas so we wanted to restore the plaster, then reapply the canvas, then retouch and repaint the mural as needed. So the first thing to do is to repair the plaster ceiling. We first removed the canvas from the ceiling, some of which was reusable, some not, carefully marking each location so we could re-install it into its original place. The ceiling then had to be replastered. An actual restoration of original plaster can be complicated. You may want to secure sheets of drywall to your ceiling, basically making it new. To restore the plaster work, it was necessary to remove any loose areas, then by using epoxy resin injections, re-secure any loose or shifting plaster pieces. Using a syringe, we injected epoxy directly into loose plaster areas and into the wooden lath. Once this was done we applied layers of plaster, building up slowly until the surface was smooth and repaired to the specifications we desired. Then we carefully reapplied the canvas, not unlike applying specialty wallpapers. A good wallpaper professional, skilled in the application of antique wall coverings, or canvas backed papers, could do this. In our case, the canvas was applied directly to the ceiling. You mentioned that your canvas is suspended below the ceiling approx. 4 inches. This seems to be an unusual technique for that period, 1910 -1920. Be sure that the canvas just doesn't appear to be suspended (due to sagging or plaster fragments that dropped and stretched the canvas) and wasn't initially attached directly to the ceiling. If it truly is suspended then just pay careful attention to the method that the canvas was attached and try to duplicate it upon reinstallation. Try to re-hang as much of the original canvas in its original location