Asked on Feb 09, 2018

House is so dusty, could it be from the popcorn ceilings?

Amazing Grace !
by Amazing Grace !
I have a lovely villa that I recently refurbished from stern to stem. Finally found colors that work with my taste and one of my accent colors is black... Well, I can dust in the morning and by evening I can see dust already formulating on the black furniture and T.V.'s... I even have a special hepa filter system with a ridiculously expensive infrared light in the attic that I have no clue how THAT works.. and the filter on my system has another expensive bifold filter that is changed 3 times a year. The only thing I can think of is that the Popcorn Ceiling is lending to the dust in my home. Having said all that, HOW does one remove a popcorn ceiling without screwing up all the work I have done on designing the Villa?
Day of closing, the official walk thru. This place went from plain jane to BAM IN one year.
SO NOW SHE (MEANING ME) WANTS TO TAKE THE POPCORN CEILING OFF.!!! HOW ONE EARTH do I do this without messing the whole place up? And do you think the excessive amount of DUST could be the responsibility of the Popcorn ceiling?
  15 answers
  • Caseyem11 Caseyem11 on Feb 09, 2018

    you can put a thin layer of Sheetrock over the popcorn ceiling, tape and paint. some popcorn contains asbestos so I do not recommend removing it. You did quite a bit of work in the house (beautifully), all of which created a tremendous amount of dust. Have you had your hvac vents cleaned? I had mine done recently and the amount of dust floating around was reduced considerably. I used to think that this was a scam but am now a believer. I change my hvac filter monthly.

    • Amazing Grace ! Amazing Grace ! on Feb 09, 2018

      Hmmmm, I forgot about those HVAC vents! Good Idea! Ya know while cutting in my colors on the ceiling I saw something I couldn't believe. The amount of Cob webb's that have accrued over the years on the popcorn ceiling were unbelievable. (House was built in 2002 so I don't fear asbestos) But, out of sheer frustration, I used my leaf blower to blow off the cob webb's - don't laugh, it worked! LOL :) I was told at closing that this particular filter needed only to be changed once a year. When I opened this thing, I could not believe my eyes. Now I change it every 3 months! HVAC HAS to be a MESS! Thank you for that advice!

  • Susan Susan on Feb 09, 2018

    Make sure your furnace filter gets changed regularly.

    • Amazing Grace ! Amazing Grace ! on Dec 13, 2021

      Hi Susan, I live in Florida so my furnace and ac unit filter is one. $65 ea. I cant believe I have all these questions pending I never knew they were even there.

  • Maureen McAteer Vasily Maureen McAteer Vasily on Feb 09, 2018

    using dryer sheets for dusting might help.

  • Hindsight is 20/20 as I would have removed the popcorn ceiling before completing your stunning renovations. At this point I would vacuum the ceiling regularly or sheetrock them over as that will be far easier and less messy. Change or clean your HVAC filter monthly and don't forget about the return air vents, everyone forgets to clean those too.


    https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/should-you-have-air-ducts-your-home-cleaned


    https://www.todayshomeowner.com/hvac-duct-cleaning-scam-or-worth-it/


    Think about wet dusting v. dry dusting.


    https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-dusting-1900367

  • Barb Barb on Feb 09, 2018

    I hate to say it but yes that causing all the dust but here’s a few picture ideas. You really made a beautiful home and it shows, love it and the paint choices 😍📌

    • See 1 previous
    • Barb Barb on Mar 22, 2020

      I just got your message now, they were purchased at Home Depot and Lowe’s being I needed more so I checked both stores and yes 12” would be better, every designer try’s to keep your eye moving around the room and adding to the ceilings your would make the room bigger. Enjoy and keep posting

  • 17335038 17335038 on Feb 11, 2018

    Agree with Susan that furnace filters should always be replaced after any remodelling work is done. Also,

    When was the last time that the A/C vents and bathroom exhaust ceiling fans were removed and thoroughly cleaned?

    When was the last time that the vacuum cleaner bag was replaced?


    Doing this maintenance will not eliminate all the dust of course, but it should help reduce it, hopefully enough to feel you do not have to rip everything apart again in removing the ceiling.

  • Natalie Natalie on Feb 12, 2018

    it could be a few things. One being the duct work. I found this out the hard way in my new town house. It was built in 1982 and was a rental after the owners moved. The ducts seemed never to have been vacuumed/cleaned. If you had any kind of drywall work or any sanding, the fine debris/dust could have settled into ducts. Then every time the air clicks on it blows particles into the air. If your going to try this, make sure you turn the air off before you start. When I took the floor vent covers off, I actually scooped out handfuls of fine dust/dirt as far as I could reach. Then I got a shop vac and long hose with brush attachment and went side to side, in as far as I could. I did this with and without the brush/upholstery attachment. It was rather appalling. Toys, legos, old pieces of cut wiring, coins, a dog toy, chips of wood, rubber bands, Bobby pins, etc. I had so much dirt. The ceiling vents weren’t as bad. They were mostly just lint/dust. I also removed the filters on the returns and vacuumed the returns as far in as I could go. Then put the filters back on. Make sure you put the filters on properly as they are one way with airflow arrows. After doing this, it may be slightly dusty if you knocked loose any dust that didn’t get vacuumed up. So be vigilant or hire a professional, but still there will probably be slightly more dust for a few days. It’s worth a check. Because my place was clean from top to bottom and I still had dust and no popcorn. You can also get an upholstery brush/ hardwood floor brush attachment and vacuum the ceiling. It could have accumulated dust?

    • Amazing Grace ! Amazing Grace ! on Feb 12, 2018

      Thank you so much for your reply, and I have contacted a HVAC contractor to clean out the vents. I am certain that there within lies my problem... I change my AC filter 3X a year, its one of those expensive accordion type filters and I buy 3 in one shot for $90.00 to buy them individually they would cost around $40 - $55 each depending on where you go. I was told at closing that this filter needed changing only once a year. I quickly learned that is not the case. The vacuum is bagless and cleaned out all the time. When my current tenants leave on the 28th of this month I have a man coming in from Munns to do the HVAC system. $139 which I thought was reasonable. As soon as someone suggested it to me it became quite clear that is probably where the problem is. Thank you for the information.

      When I used my leaf blower (LOL) to get the cobwebs off the ceilings I noticed that I did not lose one ceiling ball in the process! But the webs went flying !

  • Barb Barb on Feb 15, 2018

    I think it would bring the look that much needed and check Home Depo, Lowe’s or any local hardware store in your area and buy a couple and two way tape them on the ceiling and this will determine thumbs up or down.

  • Barb Barb on Feb 23, 2018

    I got the idea from my brother who lives in NYC and he did his low ceiling being it’s a rental and he loved the loft but the ceiling was truly a mess and The landlord said be my guess being he sign a ten year lease and it came out stunning and the landlord ended up refunding my brother. Home-depot had all the supplies he needed.

  • Nicole Ralston Nicole Ralston on Mar 20, 2020

    Hello Amazing Grace!! I love the transition (beautiful). Would you mind telling me what floors you have? They are gorgeous!

    • See 1 previous
    • Amazing Grace ! Amazing Grace ! on Dec 13, 2021

      Hi Nicole, I am sorry I just noticed additional questions. Thank you for the comment on my floor. They are Pergo Laminate flooring. Rugged as all get out.

      They don't scratch, and if you do get a scratch, since there is no pattern or shine to deal with I have taken a sharpie, brown, black, and just fill in the scratch.

      The Pergo Flooring was purchased in Lowes. Wasn't cheap, but definitely worth it. I did the kitchen in Porcelain tile on the diagonal as well as the bathroom.

      While shopping for the tile, I saw on I liked but it was ceramic, it was quickly vetoed by my mother who said, "if you drop something on the floor, your tile will chip"... I thought (to myself) naaaa I won't drop anything! HA!!!! She's older and smarter so I went with the Porcelain tile. Thank goodness!


      One day, I actually dropped a cast iron pan it slipped out of my hand while washing it. I thought for sure it would have broken the tile. But NOPE, not even a scratch. So I suggest spend a little more, and get the good stuff.


      So I just realized I answered this question already. LOL Oh well.... But Thank you!

  • Nicole Ralston Nicole Ralston on Mar 20, 2020

    Hello Amazing Grace!! I love the transition (beautiful). Would you mind telling me what floors you have? They are gorgeous

    • See 2 previous
    • Lovoy Lovoy on Apr 13, 2020

      Did you figure out the dust stuff with the popcorn ceiling?


      I have the same problem in a new place I recently moved into.

  • Gitesh Malhotra Gitesh Malhotra on Jun 07, 2021

    You should keep the ducts clean always to keep your house clean. I just got my air ducts cleaned from Unique Providers. They provide good duct cleaning services at reasonable prices.

    You can contact them on 9054568940 or visit uniqueproviders.com

  • Holly Lengner - Lost Mom Holly Lengner - Lost Mom on Dec 01, 2021

    There are lots of posts here that can help you: Home and Garden DIY Ideas | Hometalk

  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Feb 02, 2023

    Here's are some dusting hacks that might help you https://chascrazycreations.com/dusting-hacks/

  • Mogie Mogie on Feb 12, 2023

    I have pets and they stir up a lot of dust. Vaccuming every day and dusting on a regular bais helps the most for me.