How do I repair popcorn ceiling where some of it has come off??

Hi! Small area like the one you pictured I would poke a little white glue under the loose edges to secure. Pick some larger "pebbles and crumbs" elsewhere off the ceiling and glue into the bare spot using a toothpick. Then paint the area to match!

You can buy spray popcorn ceiling that sprays up. Cut off the damaged part then spray. Let it dry then carefully paint to match rest of ceiling. I did this to an area that had water damage and when finished you could not tell the difference. Find it in the paint department in the spray can section. Ask if you can’ t find it. Good luck!

Make sure the paint you are using is CEILING paint.

Latex paint is not good for popcorn ceilings.

Don't let these people fool you there is no quick fix, that kind of ceiling is one of the worst idea's known to man kind. Get a tarp or plastic to lay on your floor and cover your furniture then get a spray bottle full of water wet it and then get a scraper and scrap it all off it's messy but you will be better off in the long run

Jack Weber is 100% RIGHT! This will happen EVERY TIME YOU PAINT, OR THE CEILING GETS WET! You can wet the ceiling with water and scrape it down with a 12" taping knife and it will come off quickly.

There is however an exception. IF THIS IS A PLASTER CEILING, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME SCRAPING IT DOWN. You will find the reason they applied the acoustic finish was to hide cracks in the plaster. The BEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL REPAIR: Buy 5/8" Type X Fire Rated drywall, and 2-58" drywall screws, and drywall over the entire ceiling, and then mud and tape, prime with 2 coats of KILZ - 2 tinted to the color you are going to paint the ceiling, and then 2 coats of paint. I have done this countless times on homes in Detroit and the metro area, and my friends house was done 22 years ago, and the ceiling looks brand new. Rent a drywall lift, and this is easy. There are also guys that do this for themselves, and they are done in 1 to 2 days. They are very reasonably priced, and you will love their work.

There are 2 reasons this happens.

1. There was oil base paint underneath and then this ceiling was sprayed with acoustic spray. The acoustic spray, (referred to as "popcorn ceiling") is a latex product. WATER OVER OIL BASED PAINT WILL ORANGE PEEL AND COME OFF. There is a special KILZ or Zinser sealer, made to convert from oil to latex, that should have been applied before spraying.

It was put over new drywall that was not sealed and primed. Unsealed drywall, then spraying, (usually because they don't know how to properly mud and tape to get a "smooth" ceiling), will always peel with humidity, steam from a kitchen, or the liquid in paint.

Thank all of you for your help I really appreciate learning how to take care of my problem.

Get it checked for asbestos- before you strip it off

It takes a few days and it is peace of mind.

Definitely try the popcorn spray in a can!! I had ceiling leak from ac and simple scrapped off let dry then sprayed the popcorn in a can till it matched the rest. Very simple very effective. Also scrapped other areas that were loose and it worked wonderfully. Can’t even tell the difference

Popcorn spray in a can.