Do I need to pull the ceiling panels down ,completely?

I live in a double-wide mobile home. I bought it new and now,15 years later, the panels in the ceiling are beginning to come down. They actually look like they are bowing away from the rafters. I have been nailing, screwing, gluing for several years and want to permanently FIX them. Where do I need to start? Also, I put a new roof on last year and there were no leaks in the area that is the worst within the mobile home. The ceiling panels are 13 foot long and approx. 4 foot wide. Will I need to pull them down and replace the entire ceiling or can I brace the entire ceiling and only replace the REALLY bowed ones?

  2 answers
  • William William on Jul 15, 2018

    I would just puul one down and see what is going on and causing them to sag. Then see how they were originally attached to the ceiling.

  • Jewellmartin Jewellmartin on Jul 16, 2018

    You may have some building codes to deal with if you replace the ceiling. But you still need to remove one or more panels to find out how big a job you have. If the panels were merely fitted into aluminum frames, by now you need to put in at least two x fours to hold the panels, and these need to be attached to load-bearing supports so they won’t fall. If you have the roof fixed already, you may be able to flip the bad panels and paint the whole ceiling. Good luck, Wanda. It’s good to own your own home. ☺️

    • Wanda Manley Fitch Wanda Manley Fitch on Jul 17, 2018

      Thank you for the input about building codes. Didn't think of that since I own it and it's a mobile home.