Popcorn Ceiling Removal

[Dick Latshaw]

My wife says the popcorn ceilings have to go. Don't want to tackle this myself.:)

As I understand it, there are three parts to the job:

1) Remove the popcorn
2) Apply texture to the now bare ceiling
3) Paint

Anything I need to know/ look out for when getting bids on the job?

[Myk Rian]

Recover with another layer of sheetrock.

[Mel Miller]

Have the popcorn tested to see if it contains asbestos.

[Brian Elfert]

I helped my parents do the removal in 1997. To remove the textured ceilings we got a garden sprayer and sprayed a light layer of water on the ceiling. The texture came right off with a scraper. They had a pro respray the ceilings after taking a wall out and patching the hole. This probably won't work if the ceiling has been painted.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Am I the only one who thinks that popcorn isn't so bad???

[Mike Cozad]

You might have Compadre's in the not so bad camp, but just can't be any survivors of the "I really like popcorn ceilings" group....


Am I the only one who thinks that popcorn isn't so bad???

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Am I the only one who thinks that popcorn isn't so bad???

Yes. You stand alone. :-)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Lol, I guess I'll just enjoy my popcorn ceilings by myself... Good news is that there are plenty to pick from!

We looked at a house with the old stalactites still recently. I'm open minded, but that took it to far.

[glenn bradley]

Am I the only one who thinks that popcorn isn't so bad???


Yes. You stand alone. :-)

Yep, you're trapped in the past. It does go well with shag carpeting though ;-) Seriously, it wouldn't stop me from buying a place and I wouldn't go through altering it unless remodeling like the OP.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Popcorn is a shortcut, plain and simple. Hides any screw ups. Smooth walls and ceilings are classic and expensive.

[Mel Miller]

Many of the popcorn ceilings contain asbestos. When a house is listed for sale this needs to be disclosed and can lead to very expensive asbestos removal costs. There were some big writeups on this several years back.
I opted to remove the popcorn texture in my house myself. This is a messy, tedious job done a room or two at a time. After the popcorn is scraped off, you will have some minor patchwork to do. Then I resprayed the ceilings with a knockdown texture and applied 2 coats of paint.
Saved a lot of money doing it myself, and won't have to worry about asbestos disclosure questions when I sell the place.

[Brian Elfert]

I just went through the home selling/buying process and I'm not aware of any need to disclose asbestos if you don't know if there is asbestos. (This could differ by state or municipality.) If you know about asbestos you would need to disclose it. If all asbestos had to be removed from every home at time of sale nobody would be able to afford to sell any house built before the late 70s.

The house I bought last fall was built in 1980 so I just went by the assumption that builders should not have been using asbestos by then. I tore out a lot of drywall during the remodeling. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me.

[Lee Reep]

I helped my parents do the removal in 1997. To remove the textured ceilings we got a garden sprayer and sprayed a light layer of water on the ceiling. The texture came right off with a scraper. They had a pro respray the ceilings after taking a wall out and patching the hole. This probably won't work if the ceiling has been painted.

I used the same procedure as Brian. But ... definitely buy yourself a new garden sprayer and dedicate it to indoor work! They're only about $20, there is no sense possibly spraying even a small amount of any residual chemicals in the sprayer.

My neighbor loaned me a scraper that a bag hangs onto to catch the debris. Don't waste your money, they don't work very well. I just used 6" and 10" putty knives for scraping. Once you figure out just the right amount of water to spray on, and wait the appropriate time (usually a minute or so), the texture rolls off the ceiling very cleanly. I typically would spray 4-5 square feet at a time. Our ceiling had not been painted, so the texture was really easy to remove. I hired a drywall guy to re-texture, and then we painted.

[Jay Jolliffe]

Most of the modern day pop corn ceiling is per-lite & pigment. I use to spray that kind of ceiling for a few drywall contractors. Never liked the stuff. You can scrap it off with a wide coating knife. I never sprayed water on it but probably would be easier to remove if it was wet...It does make a mess.

[Lee Reep]

Jay,

Good point about the mess. I had what seemed to be zero dust when I sprayed. Just big globs of damp texture. And to help with cleanup, I bought a big plastic dropcloth at Home Depot that I used to cover the floors, and then masking tape to secure it so no mess made it past the plastic. Then I just rolled it up and tossed it.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Yep, you're trapped in the past. It does go well with shag carpeting though ;-) Seriously, it wouldn't stop me from buying a place and I wouldn't go through altering it unless remodeling like the OP.

Heck, why not put the shag on the ceiling!

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-RaRzEBTcjE4gf3o5L9phFTeXxt_LVoUnAN0MMmWtVYp9U6_m

[dennis thompson]

Am I the only one who thinks that popcorn isn't so bad???
I guess you missed the first 3 words in the op's question:"my wife says":)

[Lee Schierer]

I just remodeled our entry way and removed the popcorn ceiling. I knew it did not contain asbestos as I had put it up. If you hire it done, they will insist on testing for asbestos. Asbestos removal will be significantly more costly and more trouble. The procedure for removal of non-asbestos popcorn is spray with water, wait a minute or two and scrape off what you can before it dries. The hardest part is cleaning up the mess on everything after the ceiling is scrapped. Be sure to wear eye protection and a good dust mask, because you will end up with it on your face.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Lol, very true!