Help! Popcorn ceiling and walls! Hate!!

Question

How remove popcorn ceiling/walls? Do I have to drywall over everything? It was done to hide cracks from an old home.

Sue Klinedinst · Answer

I have ceilings like this and I hate them. A coat of paint made them look a little better but I would a nice flat ceiling. I will be checking to see answers to this. Hopefully inexpensive answers.

Yaron · Answer

Here is a post that might help http://www.hometalk.com/diy/repair/how-to-popcorn-ceiling-removal-4287514

Lori T · Answer

..Get an empty spray bottle from hardware store , put hot water in it , keep a sink full of hot water to refill your bottle. get a putty knife from the hardware store. Start spraying the area , let sit and then scrape away. Oh by the way you might want to put plastic down first for easy cleanup

Elaine Simmons · Answer

What Lori T says...........but it might make it easier if you use a garden sprayer. I did my kitchen with a hand held sprayer and it got difficult squeezing the trigger all the time. And you definitely want to put plastic down before starting. It is VERY messy. Some of it contains asbestos too but keeping it wet, you should not have a problem with that. From what I understand trying to scrape it dry is where the asbestos could harm you.

Stacy | BlakeHillHouse · Answer

How old is your home? Does the texture cover plaster or drywall? I used a garden sprayer on our 1960's ranch. It worked great. Something to keep in mind is that it might contain Asbestos. Even after asbestos was banned, remaining product remained exempt for a few years. It was not banned until 1978 (I think!). So, do your safety research first. I still wouldn't hesitate to tackle the project, but I recommend some safety gear. Asbestos is most harmful when it is dry and can be breathed in. Keeping everything wet works great. Sanding also creates the dust which is harmful, and vacuuming can spread it around in the air. Lastly, the wet product sticks to everything! Shoe covers are helpful.

Stacy | BlakeHillHouse · Answer

The wall texture is another beast altogether. It is a different product (likely), and it is painted. The best bet is to skim coat the entire wall with a new layer of mud that will fill the texture to make it flat. That would be most cost-effective, I think. You could put new thin sheets of a wall product over them, but it would still require taping and mudding, and that would cost more money and time.

Gloria Duy · Answer

This doesn't look like popcorn to me. I have had them and you could scrape it right off with a putty knife. If you wipe a broom across it does a bunch fall down? That is popcorn and you can scrape it. This looks like textured, which is plaster. Even if you somehow scraped it all off, which I doubt you could, you would have a cracked ceiling. Your best bet would be to hire someone, or do it yourself, but skim coat everything. If you do it yourself you at least should buy professional drywall tools.

Gloria Duy · Answer

Another, easier option that I have used is to mix plaster of Paris in hot water and stir. Add to latex paint and roll on. You essentially are making chalk paint, or thicker paint and it will mask the bumps somewhat. You could experiment on a wall.

Jerry Toombs · Answer

Really and truly....the BEST way to remove it for us, go get a part time job...save a bundle of bucks, go visit some far off resort while the hired professionals do their thing. That really is what we are going to do!! I have done this, ONCE!! NEVER again!!

Laurie Rodriguez · Answer

Were going to put bead board over ours.

Debra Peters · Answer

I've used the hot water spray thing on walls and ceilings, painted and unpainted. Works on both. The spray just helps to loosen things up and it keeps the dust down. (I've done it with and without spray - definitely recommend spraying!) I also hauled our outside trashcan inside to catch the stuff falling - really helped in the after cleanup. :-)

Debbie Parker · Answer

We removed this in our home when we lived in Louisiana. It was a nightmare and took months to get it all off. We did the spray, getting soaking wet and scrap method. We tried a couple of products that were suppose to make it easier, they didn't. I would never do this again. It would actually keep me from buying another house if I saw popcorn ceilings. If you can afford to hire someone do so. If not be ready for a workout.

Judith · Answer

Before you start on the popcorn ceiling, go to Home depot or Lowes and buy a test kit to see if your ceiling has any Asbestos in it. Popcorn Ceilings put on before 1980 might have Asbestos in them. I seen it on an HGTV program. The test kit is about $8. you take scraping of the popcorn and mail it to the lab for testing, that is about $40. It takes about 2 weeks and they will e-mail you the results. Or you can call someone to test it but that could cost a couple hundred dollars. This test is very important because Asbestos can cause lung cancer. Also Home Depot has a great tool for removing the popcorn, and it has a bag attached to it for the droppings. Also always wear a mask.

Jen · Answer

Did EXACTLY this on our 1923 Craftsman...Wear a mask and protection (just in case) like they say..spray with warm water (we used a garden pump sprayer to make life easier) put down a tarp for easy pick up! And a scraper with a long handle if doing the ceiling! Painted or not it WILL come off! You might have to really spray it down.,but the results are SO worth it! Hate that stuff in older homes!

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

Think the first thing you have to determine is whether the finishes are popcorn. The wall, especially, does not look like it - more like plaster. I'd drywall over the ceiling either way. I've seen people recreate the plaster look on the walls and do a Tuscan/Italian finish. It would save you a major step if you wanted to do the painting to get the look. Otherwise, I would drywall over it. Asbestos fibres are most dangerous if they get air borne and you then breathe them in. If they are absolutely sopping wet, they don't get air borne. Disposal is problem. I'd just drywall.

Jerri Watts · Answer

I just took down one of my popcorn ceiling, I have a spray bottle that you usually put pesticides in and put water in it, spray an Area about 2 ft don't spray too much, and use s scraper and gently scrape, because its wet it won't be any dust. Make sure you cover the floor, and clean up as you go before it dries and again no dust.

Joeast · Answer

In our last home, I knocked the loose stuff down. I mixed white latex paint into joint compound til it had a pudding like texture. Using a large, sturdy sponge, I scooped up some of the mixture and swirled it onto the ceiling, overlapping as I went along. Some places needed a light second coat, but overall it worked beautifully, and looked like a plasterer had done it. It still looked good almost 20 years later when we sold the house.

Ida Granny · Answer

I did it by my self. I put a sanding head that I ordered by mail (Sorry don't know where from) on a battery operated type drill and sanded it off. Then I painted it. Yes it took awhile. But I really liked it when it was done. No more 'snow'' on my bed.

Tina Staniszewski · Answer

I bought a pesticide sprayer filled it with hot water and, sprayed the popcorn. I let it soak in for 5-10 minutes and scraped it right off. If it's painted you might want to buy a cheap wallpaper scorer then spray with water as water won't perpetrate paint easily. I hope this helps, good luck!

Carol S. · Answer

Best way is to spray with water, let it soak in for a few minutes, then scrape. If you scrape the dry stuff, it will float everywhere (not pleasant if you don't have completely empty rooms as dust floats quickly through the house).

Jane · Answer

When my daughter bought a house someone had mixed sand and glitter into olive green paint and orange paint and painted the bathroom. It took 3 days for 3 of us using electric sanders to get the top half of the wall down to look like it was only slightly textured. Then we gave up and put wainscoting on the bottom. However, the popcorn ceiling in my sister's house was a much easier scrape job to get it to look like slightly textured ceiling. In one room we put up the fake tin ceiling tiles to hide the cracks. In another, hired a professional to put a 'skim coat' on the ceiling.

OhSally · Answer

Be sure and have it checked for asbestos before you try to remove it. My daughter's popcorn ceilings had asbestos and had to have a specially licensed person to remove it and they tented the entire house. You don't want asbestos flying around your home or your neighborhood...and could earn you a pretty big fine if you haven't had it checked prior to removal.

Rusta Rusta · Answer

Stretch ceilings is the best way to cover your popcorn ceiling, if you need help let me know. 7868999682

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVmrJ4cZy0w

Rusta Rusta · Answer

here is the video

Help! Popcorn ceiling and walls! Hate!!

How to Remove Popcorn Ceiling (and Then Fix the Damage You Caused)

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Help! Popcorn ceiling and walls! Hate!!

How to Remove Popcorn Ceiling (and Then Fix the Damage You Caused)

Suggested Project Book

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