Popcorn ceiling removal

[f35phixer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownyourfuture Bought my first & only home on July 1, 1994. Popcorn ceilings throughout. Of course I didn't know they were called that until I found this thread yesterday...lol I made the decision not to allow smoking in the house from day 1. Thank God for that!

you're welcome

[mn54]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 I had this done in my living room last year. I hired a painting crew who just scraped the high peaks and then covered it with a thin layer of mud, then painted. Worked perfectly.

this is called a skim coat. sometimes it takes 2 coats. need to lightly sand it before painting.

[mboley]

Funny that a post about popcorn ceilings could generate 43 responses...so far.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mn54 this is called a skim coat. sometimes it takes 2 coats. need to lightly sand it before painting.

One guy using a heavy paint roller rolling on mud (I forget - maybe diluted slightly) followed by one or two guys with mud trowels spreading the stuff as best as possible. All followed a couple of days later with sanding to a fine finish - then coat of primer followed by coat of ceiling paint. Works great - but lots of hours. YMMV

[dadu007]

Yes, I removed the popcorn ceiling in one of our basement rooms. It was a royal PITA, but it was worth it. You have to be careful to not wet the popcorn too much before scraping, otherwise you will start taking some of the paper backing of the drywall (beneath the popcorn) when you scrape it off. I am very happy with the smooth texture of that particular room now, after painting it.

I used the tool in the link below. You attach a plastic grocery bag to it to collect the scrapings. However, it was still pretty messy. Make sure you thrown down a dropcloth!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-Ce...craper%7D%3Aqu

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by f35phixer Has anyone ever removed popcorn from the ceiling? What pros and cons did you observe?

While it was not a popcorn ceiling, we had a house we restored/remodeled that had ceilings with cracked plaster and peeling paint. We just covered them with 5/16" wood. It started off as knotty pine tongue-and-groove boards from Home Depot. They came in a package that was a little over $1 per square foot. (in 2014 prices) We primed and painted them white to get the look of vintage bead-board ceilings. I put them up with an air-powered brad nailer and added crown molding for a classic look.

Depending on the size of the 'popcorn' the wood might be able to cover it smoothly.

Just my 2¢ based on what we did in the past. Sorry about the third photo. I could not get it to rotate as I had the camera rotated when I snapped the photo.

[75Norton]

I have removed a lot of popcorn thru the years. I scraped most of it off dry but sometimes used a spray bottle of water. In several cases I was happy with the look after scraping and simply primed and painted the ceiling. In other cases I brought in a drywall guy to skim coat it. In my opinion it is easier to scrape it than to add a new layer of drywall. If the popcorn has been painted that can make the process more difficult so maybe then adding new drywall would be better.

[iRent2u]

I have been a Drywall contractor for over 40 years. The best way is to get a pump up sprayer and spray a 3’x3’ area and scrape it. If the popcorn has ever been painted it is much more difficult. I started my business removing popcorn textures and small repairs.
Most of the time when popcorn texture is used they only put 2 coats of joint compound on the ceiling. You will need to sand and then apply at least one more coat on all seams and sand your finish coat. Also, we use a power orbital sander with vacuum attachment (you may be able to rent one) to remove debris that was not totally scraped off. We always “bag off” the walls with plastic and cover the floors with plastic. Once completed pull plastic off walls and drop on to the floor plastic and them move all of the corners to the center of the floor. Little to no mess. (You are the one that will look like a ghost.)
Good luck. PM if I can be of help.

[NC 57]

The Festool Planex system is designed for removing popcorn ceilings quickly and dust free. The device "sands" off the popcorn and vacuums it up at the same time. Here's a link to a YouTube video of the system being used:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyx0TZ85_VI

Here's a link to a "House Beautiful" article about using the Planex for popcorn ceiling removal: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifes...iling-removal/

[pb4uski]

Looks like a very neat tool.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmchairMillionaire23 While it was not a popcorn ceiling, we had a house we restored/remodeled that had ceilings with cracked plaster and peeling paint. We just covered them with 5/16" wood. It started off as knotty pine tongue-and-groove boards from Home Depot. They came in a package that was a little over $1 per square foot. (in 2014 prices) We primed and painted them white to get the look of vintage bead-board ceilings. I put them up with an air-powered brad nailer and added crown molding for a classic look. Depending on the size of the 'popcorn' the wood might be able to cover it smoothly. Just my 2¢ based on what we did in the past. Sorry about the third photo. I could not get it to rotate as I had the camera rotated when I snapped the photo.

Great job on the ceiling, really fits in with the style (old) of the house.

[2177V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetireeRobert An alternative I remember from somewhere years ago was that an easier safer method is to just add a new layer of sheetrock on the ceiling. This seals in the old popcorn (and whatever asbestos may be in it), and lets one do a nice new ceiling finish on a good brandnew surface. When done, since the height is dropped only 1/2 inch, no one notices any difference.

Great idea! I know a contractor who can texture the ceiling at a reasonable price so all i have to do is nail sheet rock and putty the seams. Works well for 8 or 9 foot ceilings.

[Koogie]

Just wait 5 years. The cycle will turn and it will be in fashion again because it is "retro" and "vintage chic"

[4legsgood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koogie Just wait 5 years. The cycle will turn and it will be in fashion again because it is "retro" and "vintage chic"

I thought that for years, but finally gave in and had contractors remove the popcorn, and texture and paint. Every visitor to my house, when asked would they buy my place, thinking about selling, said can't stand the popcorn.

I thought I didn't mind it, but removing the popcorn really brightened up the place, popcorn ceilings have lots of shadows. And the place went from dated to modern looking.

[NancyH]

We complained about the texture ceilings when we bought our current home 3 yrs ago, but were not motivated enough to do anything about them having heard horror stories about the mess and effort required. Recently, a tree fell on our house so we had to replace ceilings in the great room and kitchen. We took this opportunity to have the ceilings scraped in the main living area. We were already living with the mess involved when rebuilding and it was the right time for us to get this done. So my advice is if you are considering a major remodel, then while you're at it, it makes sense to do the ceilings at the same time. I have a feeling THAT JUST DOING the ceilings would have led to other things (repainting walls, trim, etc).

[ncbill]

So how many have had to replace the Sheetrock underneath (too irregular just to tape/mud) once the popcorn finish was removed removed?