DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

[Montana Jim]

DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

I have a room with that danged "Popcorn Ceiling" texture - probably applied to hid flaws and cracks 20 years ago.

I hate it and want to get rid of it but since it's been painted (who knows how many times) I think I'll have to scrap it off by hand or with a sander...

Are there any better ways to get rid of it?

 

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[savant365]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Looks like there are a ton of "how to remove" web sites out there and none of them sound like much fun. I think you are in for a dirty pain in the a$$ job no matter how you try to do it. Good luck,

Charlie

 

[warsawdaddy]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Don't know the size of the room,but you may want to just bite the bullet and remove the ceiling completely and put up new sheetrock.You would not have as much dust and debris that way.Or you can install suspended ceiling hangers and tiles after removing it.Goodluck.

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Thanks fellas...

Yea... that's what I keep reading, sand it down and cover it up. I'm not too sure I want another texture though and am really considering ceiling tiles (not a drop ceiling - just a textured tile).

The room is about 10' x 11' - so it could be a ton worse!

WD - It might end up I need to put up new sheetrock... I hope not!

 

[warsawdaddy]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

I haven't looked at ceiling materials lately but they probably have self-stick tiles that would go on right over the existing.If you have a Home Depot or Lowe's nearby,check what they have or you can check on the net.Don't forget to check the square and plum of the ceiling and if you use tiles,put the 'cut' tiles(if necessary) next to the walls first and then the whole tiles.

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

The room is empty.

There is no asbestos... that I know. Maybe it's not as old as I figured it was, it's just a light faomy texture. If there was no paint it would fall right off!

I like the idea of getting a huge tool to scrape or sand with.

 

[shaun7]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Easiest way would be to board straight over it. Find and mark where the joists are and just screw directly into them!
Then just re-plaster!

Maybe if the texture isn't too coarse you could just give it a light scrape to get off the higher points and just plaster over it!
Not forgetting to coat the ceiling with PVA first!!

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Easiest way would be to board straight over it. Find and mark where the joists are and just screw directly into them!
Then just re-plaster!

Maybe if the texture isn't too coarse you could just give it a light scrape to get off the higher points and just plaster over it!
Not forgetting to coat the ceiling with PVA first!!

Hmmmmm...... maybe, maybe. I like this idea.

What would be the pros/cons to this meathod? Seems faster, simpler, cleaner... but also seems like a corner-cutter.

 

[shaun7]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Easiest way would be to board straight over it. Find and mark where the joists are and just screw directly into them!
Then just re-plaster!

Maybe if the texture isn't too coarse you could just give it a light scrape to get off the higher points and just plaster over it!
Not forgetting to coat the ceiling with PVA first!!

Hmmmmm...... maybe, maybe. I like this idea.

What would be the pros/cons to this meathod? Seems faster, simpler, cleaner... but also seems like a corner-cutter.

The only thing with overboarding the ceiling is you will loose half an inch of head room, other than that both methods are perfectly good! I do it every day (when i'm working)

 

[PBK]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

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[Montana Jim]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/DRE1082.php

Nice view on that ceiling... but what if it rains?

 

[21stTNCav]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Hey Montana. My wife and I bought a older home several years ago with a ton of that popcorn. I scraped it off the ceiling all over the home. It is not that hard of a job. Just go by the home depot and get the largest widest scraper you can find, you can usually find them where they sell accessories used for floating dry wall, , along with a mask and spray bottle(or just use a old Windex bottle). Tonight remove all the stuff from the room, get a sturdy chair or a step ladder and go to town. You should have all of that stuff down in 45 min. After that just sweep up and dump. Not a hard job at all.

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Hey Montana. My wife and I bought a older home several years ago with a ton of that popcorn. I scraped it off the ceiling all over the home. It is not that hard of a job. Just go by the home depot and get the largest widest scraper you can find, you can usually find them where they sell accessories used for floating dry wall, , along with a mask and spray bottle(or just use a old Windex bottle). Tonight remove all the stuff from the room, get a sturdy chair or a step ladder and go to town. You should have all of that stuff down in 45 min. After that just sweep up and dump. Not a hard job at all.

That's what I want to hear! Easy-Squeezy!

 

[nyiangelo]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Yeah but painting over it is the worst thing you can do. I makes it super hard to scrape off compared to just no paint. I was in you boat. A mudwork man told me just to hang sheet rock over it and then texture it. I still haven't done it but that's what the expert told me. just my opinion,

 

[shaun7]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

In the UK we call that textured effect Artex. Ceilings are usually artexed for a reason ie: to hide a bad ceiling!

Just my opinion, but you could do all that scraping and still need to re-plaster

 

[nova treasure]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Jim, back in the 80's early 90's Spray was very popular. what they would do lot's of times was put paint in the spray mix or just paint it after applied to help keep it from falling off later in time . We also used to spray in different colors of glitter while the spray was setting up.

The easiest way to fix this is remove the existing ceiling and rehang and finish.

I have leveled over the acoustical spray with regular drywall compound to smooth it out and than added a design ceiling finish or slicked for paint, but that adds extra weight and can be a bear to finish.

If you try to laminate over the existing sprayed ceiling than your going to have a problem with an unlevel ceiling trying to line up the 3 boards it will take, plus there will be alot of air in between the finish and new board and when you try to screw or nail the ceiling off you will start popping screws and again alot of extra weight.

If you decide to remove the existing drywall make sure that if you have blown insulation that you pull it back off the boards in the attic before tearing it down or it can be a major mess. I would also recommend taking a utility knife and cutting along the angles of the ceiling to cut through the drywall tape to free ceiling boards from the wall boards for easier removal.

You can pm anytime if you need any assistance through this. I have been in the Drywall Business for over 25 yrs.
I Hope this helps,
Nova Treasure

 

[spartacus53]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Don't know the size of the room,but you may want to just bite the bullet and remove the ceiling completely and put up new sheetrock.You would not have as much dust and debris that way.Or you can install suspended ceiling hangers and tiles after removing it.Goodluck.

A drop ceiling sounds like your best option, unless you want to move

 

[nova treasure]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

Don't know the size of the room,but you may want to just bite the bullet and remove the ceiling completely and put up new sheetrock.You would not have as much dust and debris that way.Or you can install suspended ceiling hangers and tiles after removing it.Goodluck.

A drop ceiling sounds like your best option, unless you want to move

Drop ceiling will work too as long as you don't mind losing some height,changing the ceiling style from the rest and hiring an electrician to wire the ceiling light for the dropped ceiling, plus the materials of the tile and track.
Nova Treasure

 

[Montana Jim]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

No... No drop ceiling - ick.

I'm going to investigate the new ceiling deal... I'm prepared to completely refinish the room, so it's a good time to take stock and consider the smartest option and not the most expedient. I keep comming back to tearing it down and starting over. I have that weird feeling that it's all going to be more work than I am ready to get into.

I already know the texture was applied to cover an uneven ceiling in that room.

I really appreciate everyone's input.

 

[AU24K]

Re: DIY Question - I hate my "popcorn textured ceiling"

First, I would try spraying it down thouroughly and let the warm water do its work say for about a half an hour. Then Scrape it off with a stiff putty knife. This can get messy, so be sure the room is empty and you cover the floor/carpet, etc. with a drop cloth. With the squirt and scrape method, be sure to try not to gouge the surface too much as this will cause more prep work for the finished job. Also be sure that the surface is Completely dry before doing any further work on it.
If that doesn't work, you can get 3/8 inch rock and just go over the top of the existing ceiling. Be sure to mark the joists and use a little longer screws.
I've employed both methods and depending on your situation you'll find one method to be satisfactory.
Good luck.
Scott