How To Remove Popcorn Ceilings The Easy Way
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How To Remove Popcorn Ceilings The Easy Way
Remove out dated popcorn ceilings the easy way without having to rent any special equipment
Popcorn should only be covered in extra butter & in my lap for Friday movie night…
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It should never be on a ceiling!
I understand why builders used to apply it to ceilings but it’s just one of those things I wish never ever existed.
Our farmhouse was chalk full of popcorn when we bought it & room by room we have been making things right!
We Successfully Removed It From:
- Master bedroom
- Walk-In Closet
- Eli’s Big Boy Room
- Upstairs Bunkroom
By now I would say we are basically professionals 😉
I know this process can seem intimidating but I promise it’s really not & can completely transform a room!
Plus it makes the ceilings look so much bigger & cleaner!
Before
Our master bedroom felt cramped, dingy, & dark
After
Now it feels big, bright, & clean!
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Here’s how you can remove your popcorn ceilings too, the easy way!
Supplies:
- Spray Bottle
- Scraper
- Sander
- Paint
Procedure:
Depending on if you are keeping your flooring or not you will also need a tarp. We were removing all the carpet anyways so we didn’t bother trying to protect it.
- Start by spraying a portion of your ceiling with water. It shouldn’t be soaked, just damp. We found this sprayer worked the best for us.
2. Next, working in small sections take your scraper & scrape away the damp section of the ceiling. Be careful not to scrape too hard because you want to keep ceiling damage to a minimum.
Scraping at about a 45 degree angle works best.
3. Keep your sections small & workable. You want to only be scraping the damp parts of the ceiling.
4. Make your way around the entire room working from the outside to the inside. After its all scraped off, it should look similar to this.
5. Once the ceilings is completely scraped go back with a hand sander & smooth any rough surfaces. Then, its finally time to paint!
Normally we go with white ceiling paint but for our walk-in closet we got fancy & used Gray Owl by Sherwin Williams
Before: First Walk-Thru
It really doesn’t take very long at all but it is messy! Messy but worth it!
If you are beginning a room renovation I definitely recommend starting with the popcorn ceiling removal because the walls & flooring do get pretty messy.
You can see Eli’s complete big boy room makeover here!
I hope if you were feeling nervous about taking on this project you now feel confident & empowered!
You can do it & it will be so worth it!
Want to see all our farmhouse renovations & projects?!
Search “ our farmhouse” or find them all here!
Ready to tackle another affordable DIY home update?
Comments
Join the conversation
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I can't believe you did this with out a full mask with filter.. wow
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I sure wish I would have known how to do this 20 + years ago!!! I would have been young enough to do the work myself.🥴 I have looked at our ceilings for years, thinking about the easiest way to get the smooth look I wanted. Thanks so much for this intensive removal of the horrid popcorn ceiling. No matter what, it will be a mess taking it down and cleaning up to even be able to paint it. I would like to know about how long it took to scrape it off and the size of your room. I can imagine after scraping, you were extremely sore in your arms & shoulders the next day. I hope one day to get this done. Thanks for the great idea and very good directions!!!❤️
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
What if the popcorn has asbestos? What's a safe way to get that down?
How do you removed painted-over popcorn ceiling?
What are room sizes.My bedroom is 10’x12’+2’ closet, not very big, queen size bed, , .where should curtain rod hang above window casting and how far above electric heater should curtain hang. Read 8”, for fire safety, seems too high.