How do you repair nails that are working out of the ceiling?
by
Wanda Heflin
+9
Is it possible to do this and not tear up the finish on the ceiling? I believe it was called "orange peel" finish? I would like it to look like the rest of the ceiling.
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orange peel finish is done with drywall paste or mud - it's a technique of putting "mud" on and making peaks - then BARELY rubbing to smooth off the peaks... NOT EASY.
You might consider a different finish or covering with ceiling tiles (they make Styrofoam ones - cheaper and easy to handle) or even fabric !
Need photos. Close and a little distance away
If the nails have worked out of the ceiling far enough that the nails can be removed, then do that. Make sure if you’re removing the nails with a claw hammer that you have a piece of wood between the hammer and ceiling when you pry them out. Be gentle so the orange peel remains intact as best you can. Take several round toothpicks and a dab of clue and push them back into the nail holes - pushing them in as far as they can go. I normally use round toothpicks for this. Before you break off the excess toothpicks start your nail back into their original holes. Once the nail is started and just barely secure, then break off the excess toothpicks as close to hole as possible. Now drive your nails back into the hole, stopping when you’re close to the orange peel so that doesn’t get damaged. I finish off the nailing using something metal that’s smaller than the nail head (you could use a philips head screwdriver). Now making sure the tip of the screwdriver remains on the center of the nailhead, gently tap the the screwdriver with the hammer to sink the nail back in place. Hope this helps. Bob
Remove the nails and replace with wallboard screws.
Go to the hardware store and get a “nailset”. This looks like a punch and is used for driving a nail beneath the surface of the wood. There will be a tiny hole left. You can patch it with spackle. The smaller the nailset the smaller the hole. You might not need to spackle it.
https://www.thespruce.com/nail-set-definition-1822713
Best way to fix nails is to place larger screws into the place the nails formerly were. You only need to pull 1 nail: the largest. And you can take that 1 nail to any hardware store and an assistant will find you a screw that is larger than that nail. As we are talking a ceiling, you will likely need at least 90, and that happens by a package of 100 or 144.
Once you have driven the nail back in, Replace the surface with Spackle and then use a flat paint to cover the spots. Sample Pot??