How do I remove popcorn ceiling

[Steve S]

I have one room in my house with "popcorn ceiling." I need to paint that room so would like to remove the ceiling. How do I safely remove it?

[L-A]

It's very unlikely for such a topic, but you should have done a search

Popcorn ceilings

[Visirale]

Mmmmmmm asbestos!

[Stanley Design]

Just a good ol' fashioned putty knife should do the trick once you get a spot off big enough to fit the edge in. It just breaks off in chunks. Put a tarp down though to clean up the debris.

[bassbully]

I always used warm water in a spray bottle to wet it then scape it down. This keeps the dust down also.

[Stumbo]

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hm_hi_...023368,00.html

[jonathan_matos5]

Originally Posted by bassbully

I always used warm water in a spray bottle to wet it then scape it down. This keeps the dust down also.

correct.

spray with water use putty knife to remove popcorn ceiling.



note once you have removed the popcorn from the ceiling you will have to dress the ceiling to prepare it to paint.


this often requires putting a smooth coat of "mud" on the entire ceiling.

ironically that is why you see the popcorn ceilings in some houses it is easier than properly dressing a ceiling to paint.

if you can get everything out of the room and put drop cloths over the entire floor you could be lazy and rent a paint gun that will evenly coat the popcorn ceiling.

[Brim]

Be careful not to scrape the paper layer off the sheetrock. Then you'll have to patch before you re-texture. And definitely spray the ceiling with paint - rolling ceilings sucks!

[Mike Money]

We got some scaffolding, a water hose, a broom handle, and a scraper.


We put the spray nozzle on the hose to mist, moistened the popcorn, and scraped it off.


took a couple hours.

[roberthelpus]

I hate that textured stuff but on a ceiling I'd just paint it. How often do you really look at the ceiling? Thick nap roller cover, extension pole and go.

A buddy of mine lived in an apartment that looked like they let winos loose for a plaster fight. Then they painted it with cheap flat paint. Even the roaches in that dump complained.

[Mark Wilson]

Simple!

[L-A]

Is this why they made you a mod?

[Georynn]

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

Simple!

Now that's sound advice...

[Pilgrim]

I'm usually the first one to say "search", but I can't claim that I would have expected to find this topic discussed on TB!

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by roberthelpus

I hate that textured stuff but on a ceiling I'd just paint it. How often do you really look at the ceiling? Thick nap roller cover, extension pole and go.

A buddy of mine lived in an apartment that looked like they let winos loose for a plaster fight. Then they painted it with cheap flat paint. Even the roaches in that dump complained.

As someone that has done some extensive finishing work, it is very hard to just paint a ceiling and have it look right. Which is why most are textured. It is much faster and easier to texture an entire ceiling in a house than properly mud sand and paint. The entire ceiling can be done in a day with texturing, doing it to paint would take 3 or 4 days, at a minimum.

lowsound

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

If you're set on doing it yourself, first make sure the stuff is not asbestos.

[bassbully]

The popcorn ceiling are a thing of the past. Most textured ceilings today are done with rolled or sprayed on drywall mud which is then stompted,brushed, knocked down with a trowel etc. Popcorn was real popular in the 70s in alot of comercial buildings ,churches ,doctors offices etc. It ended up in homes latter. It was known as acoustical texture at one time. Wet it scape it off and skim and repair the ceiling then re-tex or paint. Have fun.

[Steve S]

Thanks folks! I'll do this chore during December when I have some vacation time...

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Mike Money

We got some scaffolding, a water hose, a broom handle, and a scraper.


We put the spray nozzle on the hose to mist, moistened the popcorn, and scraped it off.


took a couple hours.

+1. I would recommend doing it while holding an upside down trash can lid to catch your mess. Then it's quicker clean up.

[6jase5]

I just paid someone since I had 4 bedrooms and a 2.5 car garage and plenty of other things to do. Contractor's method was to buy a $30 swimming pool net skimmer, attach a 6 inch blade and just spray wet and then scrape it off to catch in the net, dump to wide mouth trash can (in the room) until finished. Saves on mess and your shoulders as you can hold it waist high. So quick.

I watched him do it, barely any floor mess although still covered in plastic to be sure. He also taped and sheeted the walls to project them. The final finishing on the ceiling for painting was the skilled part, not the scraping.

I paid $1000 and it was well worth it but since you have 1 room, I'd go for it assuming it's not asbestos.