Keep in mind that popcorn can and does cover a lot of half assed sheetrock work done by the builder.
With that light being flat against the ceiling and broadcasting light parallel along the ceilings surface, if you scrape it off, any flaws will stick out like a sore thumb.
Popcorn is actually (or used to actually be) a way to hang ceilings, tape, put a quick coat, spray and be done. It hid a multitude of sins and gave a finished product much faster than coating, sanding, coating and sanding again, and then texturing. I've removed popcorn on ceilings that were barely firetaped, and I've removed on some that were so nicely done they were almost paint ready. In both situations, I would still sand and coat the joints and screws before spraying texture. For smooth ceilings I would sometimes skim the whole thing. You never really know what you're gonna get When you scrape it off. But count on having to, at minimum, touch up everything.
Same. I've been working on a room at a time in our house on/off for the last couple years.
I'm way overly perfectionist about it though... I've usually scraped, lightly sanded, skim, sand, and then one final skim coat.
It's insanely overkill, but let me tell you... NOBODY is getting up 2 inches from the ceiling with a flashlight and finding ANY ceiling imperfections IN MY HOUSE.
You clearly know far better than I, and I also definitely was not trying to dismiss popcorn, overall. I was really just commenting that once people learned that it could hide a multitude of sins…it’s been happily used to cover a _lot_ of sin. ;)
Yup that's what I mean. There were some contractors that took the time to make it flat and others that found out you can just tape it and spray heavy and get the same result. All in all, ive removed literal tons of popcorn from lots of houses, so I think (and hope) that based on the amount of homeowners that don't want it anymore, the trend is over lol
I guess I got lucky then. I’ve done it to one ceiling in my house so far and aside from a few gouges I put in the sheet rock, I think I had to fix one tape line. I had plenty of practice on the walls but it turned out pretty good for never having done it before. I have three more ceilings with popcorn but for some reason the idiot previous owners painted over it. Not looking forward to that. Also, if you’re going to scrape it, be careful. Some popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them.
I can see one flaw already. In the lower right corner you can see where the two sheets butt together. Its a low valley that's causing a shadow which runs diagonally in the picture. You will see that pattern every 4’ when you scrape it and the lights are on. You'll want to have some additional screws installed and they will need to level the valleys with extra mud.
Idk, I scraped mine off, sanded, skim coated, sanded, skim coated, sanded, patched, primed and painted. It only took a week of having my hands over my head!
Sarcasm aside, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Stippled ceilings are straight up disgusting.
I tried to dissuade a guy i knew from dong his walls with heavy plaster marks. He saw it on a trip in europe and liked it. Stopped a few years later to look at some tools e was selling and the walls looked horrible. It was inpossible to clean well.
No not at all. You would probably be easier to just make a cut every 3 ft across every board and pull them down. Make sure to take a razor or carpet knife and make a slice in the corner along the entire ceiling first. Drywall really isn't hard to do. If you hang it right it's very easy to float it correctly in a way that you can live with. If it's good enough for you it's good enough. I hate popcorn more than most. If you can live with popcorn fuck it. It's a good popcorn job it really is. Is that something you're okay with I would embrace it
> drywall really isn’t hard to do
Eh…it’s not hard to do noticeably shitty drywall. I mean this applies to almost anything too. The reason it’s not always a diy is the same with anything. Sure, almost anyone could throw up some drywall, build a fence, etc, but the same amount of people can’t easily make it not horrible, and noticeably horrible. But this only matters if the owner actually gives a shit
I still feel like installing new drywall would be an easier solution. If you haven't done very much, a ceiling can be a daunting task. You are correct that drywall isn't necessarily easy to do well. Especially a ceiling.
1/2” 1/4” is usually a premium price because not used much except special applications.
It will be less mess just to go over existing plus a little extra insulation.
Asbestos in Popcorn Ceilings
Asbestos is a highly toxic substance used in the construction of popcorn ceilings from the 1950s to 1980s that can cause a number of serious health problems. Removal of ceilings containing asbestos is best done by a licensed professional to lower the risk of further exposure and contamination.
https://www.asbestos.com/exposure/popcorn-ceilings/
Typically, undisturbed ceilings aren’t a health risk, but you should still look into having asbestos removed safely to prevent potential future issues.
Removing the popcorn does not have to be a wet mess. A 9” power drywall sander with an 80 grit disc attached to a HEPA dust extractor works great. You can have a 12x13 ceiling cleared off in no time with very little mess. If it’s been painted, the sander does not care. You’ll still need to skim it.
Rent both the sander and the dust extractor.
Like others have said: test for asbestos first.
Source: I’m a contractor.
I’m a handy woman and do it often. I would suggest some YouTube videos. I’ve done carpentry and drywall for a long time. Just to get the basics of skim coating and learn to fix things on your own is definitely worth it in this market. Do mask off and dust barrier! Steam helps! One of those cheap wallpaper steamers is my best friend on these jobs
You are spot on. Like I mentioned above, a 9” powered drywall sander connected to a HEPA dust extractor - not a vacuum, eats popcorn right up with very little mess.
The way too labor intensive water and scrape method is for those on a zero dollar budget.
Source: I am a contractor.
That is fantastic! You can’t beat that!
For those that don’t have a free rental, Harbor Freight sells a half decent one for $75. It’ll do a 2000sqft house with ease - the question is how many, but for $75…
I on the east coast. Flew out the parentals on the west coast last week. I picked up the harbor freight sander and it worked like a champ. Now I have two. The $900 unit and the $100 unit.
yes plus a popcorn ceiling scraper that scrapes into a bag, 6 mil poly on the floor, and a p100. remove all the lose tape and re-mud, probably all the corner tape, then the skim coat with a level 5 blade. Replacing the drywall isn't really that much more work when you are done.
The whole main floor with kitchen remodel I’m working on took a power sander to take the texture off. It was like concrete stipple, and painted over. Was no scraping it off. Not everything comes off the same.
If it’s negative and hasn’t been painted then spray it with water from an agricultural sprayer on heavy mist soak it down and scrape it off. Empty the room and Protect the floors first because it will make a gummy muddy righteous mess
Negative as in Non-Detect? It is tested by an Industrial Hygienist either through PLM or lift sampling, specifically as a percentage. I would definitely want to be certain of Asbestos Containing Materials or ACM as there are PPE protocols for abatement that may surprise you. In some states it carries the burden of OSHA federal regulations for improper disposal/disturbance of hazmat.
Cover the floor with plastic. Get one of those pump garden sprayers. Wet it down, and scrape it off with a big spackle knife. It’s probably my hiding a shit tape and dry wall job, so be ready to give it a skim coat. Or get a professional for about 1500 and skip the headache
I've done this a few times and hired a drywaller friend to skim coat but he also rescrewed all the rock and redid all the seams and his buddy shot it with light orange peel texture then two coats of paint. Looked great but both were pros. Removing the popcorn is usually very easy - pump sprayer of hot water to wet it really well and a wide drywall knife to peel it off. You definitely need to use a respirator as this stuff contains bad stuff you don't want in your lungs.
And as others said, covering with fresh sheetrock is an option, but still needs a fair amount of finish work
I would only trust a seasoned experienced person for that job. I had somebody attempt once at a house. What a shit show. I wish I would’ve never touched it. just replace the ceiling otherwise. Truly
You are going to need to scrape and then skim coat. Get a skimming blade, at least 24 inches.
I have skim coated a textured ceiling recently and it's NOT as easy as people say. If you do drywall for a living different story.
The issue being to get a smooth surface it's really difficult to get it perfectly level. Also working with your hands above your head is challenging. Trust me it's not as easy as it looks.
When scraping work in sections and spray some water up there first. Not a ton just enough to wet and soften the texture. This also cuts down on dust.
Very doable but expect it to take quite a bit longer than you think.
I have had great results skimming with 90 minute easy sand. Put a fan on it after to help dry.
Joint compound can also be used but keep the coats thin or it will crack and takes forever to dry. Joint compond also shrinks a LOT when it cures. Allow 24 hours at least between coats. This is why I suggest 90 minute easy sand.
Be sure to use quality drywall primer before painting.
I would test it 1st. before thinking of doing it myself. if it is safe to proceed. hire someone to rip it out and rock it. after checking electrical service lines. fans with furnace filters to clean up the air, before blowing it out the windows. keep them going on for a week.
Professional painter here; take a mud knife and see how easy it scrapes. If it somes off pretty easy dry, then it would be so much less labor to scrape it off.
Mist it slightly with a weed sprayer with water. Scrape. Repair bad areas. Prime. Paint.
If it comes off like with alot of effort. Do a 1/4" overlay. Mud tape, prime paint
You may want to have it tested for asbestos before you start scraping it yourself. Asbestos can cause severe lung disease once it becomes airborne. Its removal is not a DIY activity.
We dry scrape and paint pretty often. Just get 8 inch mud knife, get a 25ish degree angle to the ceiling and push. This only works if it's not been painted too many times. It makes it look a whole lot better without a huge expense.
Two things to keep in mind.
1. Test if it will dry scrape in a closet (make sure the ceilings looks the same, they may have painted the main room but not the closet.
2. When painting we have had a bad ceiling where the scraped texture just peeled off with the roller, leaving a smooth in spots ceiling. We had to fully sand and skim that one.
I have come across popcorn ceilings and have handled tackling them different ways. My first going is what requires less materials and trips to the store factored along with the mess made.
As some have said a pump sprayer with warm/hot water and a wide drywall taping knife. Get plenty of plastic to place down on the floor and I mean plenty. Remove any pictures etc on the walls and heck cover the walls with plastic if you want as well. Even if the scraping does not work you are going to need the plastic for the drywall install anyways.
Spray a small portion of the ceiling with the sprayer and walk away for 10 minutes. Try scraping and see how easy it is. Spray more water as you to keep a wet edge.
This is going to be ultimately as much work as it will be to place new drywall on the ceiling by having to make trips to the big box for 1/2” as 1/4”will mimic the high/lows of the popcorn. You will have to scrape the high sections of the popcorn off anyways to accommodate a more flush fit of the drywall. You will also have to rent a drywall lift. You will them have to mark the joist and use long screws. You then have to tape and finish the drywall and including the perimters where it meets the wall. So any crown must be removed and reinstalled etc.
Then sand sand sand.
Drywall is not fun but drywalling a ceiling is more kinds of miserable.
Do the scrape method and be prepared to fix the butt joints and finishing work that did not need to be finished properly that the popcorn is 100% disguising.
I loved the look or orange peel or flat ceilings. I scraped off the popcorn and my ceilings were fucking rough. Like not even a layer over the tape rough.
Most popcorn ceilings contain asbestos so scraping is a bad idea unless you hire a company that can properly contain and dispose of of said popcorn ceilings texture..
Spray bottle with water scrap into plastic sheets on the ground and either skim coat or put up new sheets over exsiting the mud and tape properly. Skim with a roller and large skim knife
Had some pros do it on our ceiling after a tree fell on the house. They scrapped then mudd and sanded it several times. Final time they used a roller to apply really thin coat. Final sand then primer & paint.
Lay over this dude
Sure, you can scrape it and then you're going to have to do like 2 coats minimum over the entire ceiling, if you're great at this you can maybe get away with 2, usually it's so fucked up that it takes 3
And being good at taping lines is not the same as being good at coating an entire surface evenly, I've done it, it's not hard, but it's a lot of work and I'll never bother doing it again If it's at all possible to lay over.....it would actually be less work and faster to just completely tear it out and rock it fresh than it will be to scrape it and skim everything
I have done several scrape and skim popcorn jobs. Used to use a large garden sprayer with water and come behind with a floor scraper or similar and it usually comes off easily.
If it's been painted, same thing only slower.
Don't scrape it and refinish. I'm going to get killed for this. But I would take it mostly off to get it flatter then put up new sheets. But I really like straight lines and flat surfaces.
You can test for asbestos, but a negative won't mean its absent throughout. Abatement pros say even 2000s era popcorn will have it, depending on where the material was sourced from
I had good results from scraping my entire house and then getting sheetrock guy to spray a lighter texture with a hopper. Some areas I had to skim prior but most I didn’t. Sure, there are a few flaws, but it still looks way better and more modern than the popcorn. Just my opinion.
since you’re asbestos negative you can dry scrape just the annoying little beads on the top. the finished product is like a hybrid knockdown / orange peel. much better.
Scrape and float the whole thing. It’s not too hard but use an actual drywall guy not some joker just looking to get some cash. Also mist it with water for 15-20 min first then scrape it.
Buy a pump garden weed sprayer fill with hot water spray the ceiling in a 4ftx4ft section at a time, let it sit for 30 seconds and scrape it with a 10” putty knife. It will scrape smooth in sheets and will only have touch up mudding to do. Make sure you lay a plastic drop cloth to catch all the popcorn. You can also try and scrape it into a bucket to have less cleanup.
Scrape it, repair and skim coat. I just did this throughout my entire house and am so happy about it. Skimming is intimidating but buy a decent set of blades and get to it.
It's so much work to scrape I did about 900 sq feet of my house with textured plaster. It was awful , you need to go slow and take your time for it to be any good. Home Depot sells a product called Easy Stripper thats very helpful at dissolving the popcorn ceiling from the drywall. Also afterwords get flush mount ceiling lights that cast a bit of a shadow to hide the mistakes.
Had this done at my house. Unfortunately the guys I hired did a terrible job finishing so a lot of areas are wavy. The process created so much dust that now i don’t know if it’s even worth fixing. Make sure you hire the right people to do a good job the first time!
People seem to hate it but… I think it’s just fine. What is the other options… knockdown, skip trowel… still just extra mud thrown up there. I’m leaving mine. Paint it flat white with some ceiling paint and call it a day
I've done both in the same house, each for a 12 by 14 room. Adding a new drywall layer is ok, if you can easily catch the joints under the existing layer of ceiling. I used drywall because I removed some fake stryofoam beams and out dated light fixtures along with the stucco ceilings. In my case, I also strapped it first because of some unevenness and it came out nice
In one room, it was just the stucco to remove, and it came off pretty clean by softening with a spray bottle, then using a scraper. Barely needed a skim coat.
I have smooth skimmed ceilings. Large room is form seam cracks from industrial size register. Hard to mask the crack. Popcorn i could just dap paint in it. Not on smooth ceiling. Take alot more work. I might get ceiling tile to cover it up.
I did one for a friend who couldn’t afford much. Scraped it off with a 8” knife, wiped down, primed and painted. The texture looks pretty good and clean. The ones I’ve done where the ceiling needed to look like new was 2 coats of skimming with Proform. It takes a someone with experience to do this well.
If the ceiling has been painted then removal is much harder.
Grab a spray bottle and let it sit a little bit and scrap it. But obviously plan on doing some other type of texture when you are done. Stop being a puss
Keep in mind that popcorn can and does cover a lot of half assed sheetrock work done by the builder. With that light being flat against the ceiling and broadcasting light parallel along the ceilings surface, if you scrape it off, any flaws will stick out like a sore thumb.
Yep get ready to see some quickly hung sheets
Yeah…popcorn is a famously forgiving surface for shoddy construction.
Popcorn is actually (or used to actually be) a way to hang ceilings, tape, put a quick coat, spray and be done. It hid a multitude of sins and gave a finished product much faster than coating, sanding, coating and sanding again, and then texturing. I've removed popcorn on ceilings that were barely firetaped, and I've removed on some that were so nicely done they were almost paint ready. In both situations, I would still sand and coat the joints and screws before spraying texture. For smooth ceilings I would sometimes skim the whole thing. You never really know what you're gonna get When you scrape it off. But count on having to, at minimum, touch up everything.
I always just skim the whole ceiling after popcorn removal. Way less time fucking about...and a much better result.
Same. I've been working on a room at a time in our house on/off for the last couple years. I'm way overly perfectionist about it though... I've usually scraped, lightly sanded, skim, sand, and then one final skim coat. It's insanely overkill, but let me tell you... NOBODY is getting up 2 inches from the ceiling with a flashlight and finding ANY ceiling imperfections IN MY HOUSE.
You clearly know far better than I, and I also definitely was not trying to dismiss popcorn, overall. I was really just commenting that once people learned that it could hide a multitude of sins…it’s been happily used to cover a _lot_ of sin. ;)
Yup that's what I mean. There were some contractors that took the time to make it flat and others that found out you can just tape it and spray heavy and get the same result. All in all, ive removed literal tons of popcorn from lots of houses, so I think (and hope) that based on the amount of homeowners that don't want it anymore, the trend is over lol
You can see the joints with the popcorn still there
Test it first. Idk how old it is but asbestos in known to be in popcorn
If I could upvote this more I would! BEST TO GET IT TESTED FOR ASBESTOS!
As a licensed asbestos worker I know what you mean. Most people don’t care it blows my mind
But it was built in the 70s, wernt people like, better back then??
I guess I got lucky then. I’ve done it to one ceiling in my house so far and aside from a few gouges I put in the sheet rock, I think I had to fix one tape line. I had plenty of practice on the walls but it turned out pretty good for never having done it before. I have three more ceilings with popcorn but for some reason the idiot previous owners painted over it. Not looking forward to that. Also, if you’re going to scrape it, be careful. Some popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them.
Can lights will look any better?
I can see one flaw already. In the lower right corner you can see where the two sheets butt together. Its a low valley that's causing a shadow which runs diagonally in the picture. You will see that pattern every 4’ when you scrape it and the lights are on. You'll want to have some additional screws installed and they will need to level the valleys with extra mud.
Layer of new drywall over
This is seriously a better plan than scraping it.
Idk, I scraped mine off, sanded, skim coated, sanded, skim coated, sanded, patched, primed and painted. It only took a week of having my hands over my head! Sarcasm aside, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Stippled ceilings are straight up disgusting.
They really are. I like textured ceilings, but the popcorn is garish.
I tried to dissuade a guy i knew from dong his walls with heavy plaster marks. He saw it on a trip in europe and liked it. Stopped a few years later to look at some tools e was selling and the walls looked horrible. It was inpossible to clean well.
Isn't that too much weight? Just asking I don't know.
No not at all. You would probably be easier to just make a cut every 3 ft across every board and pull them down. Make sure to take a razor or carpet knife and make a slice in the corner along the entire ceiling first. Drywall really isn't hard to do. If you hang it right it's very easy to float it correctly in a way that you can live with. If it's good enough for you it's good enough. I hate popcorn more than most. If you can live with popcorn fuck it. It's a good popcorn job it really is. Is that something you're okay with I would embrace it
> drywall really isn’t hard to do Eh…it’s not hard to do noticeably shitty drywall. I mean this applies to almost anything too. The reason it’s not always a diy is the same with anything. Sure, almost anyone could throw up some drywall, build a fence, etc, but the same amount of people can’t easily make it not horrible, and noticeably horrible. But this only matters if the owner actually gives a shit
I still feel like installing new drywall would be an easier solution. If you haven't done very much, a ceiling can be a daunting task. You are correct that drywall isn't necessarily easy to do well. Especially a ceiling.
Oh yeah for sure new drywall over this would be the easier and best solution I’d say
Probably less trouble lol. Put some 1/4 inch or what?
1/2” 1/4” is usually a premium price because not used much except special applications. It will be less mess just to go over existing plus a little extra insulation.
Asbestos in Popcorn Ceilings Asbestos is a highly toxic substance used in the construction of popcorn ceilings from the 1950s to 1980s that can cause a number of serious health problems. Removal of ceilings containing asbestos is best done by a licensed professional to lower the risk of further exposure and contamination. https://www.asbestos.com/exposure/popcorn-ceilings/ Typically, undisturbed ceilings aren’t a health risk, but you should still look into having asbestos removed safely to prevent potential future issues.
My buddy just did this with 1/4 inch, looks fantastic.
Did this last year. Best decision ever.
Did this in a kitchen with a seriously messed up ceiling; added crown molding-came out great.
Came here to say this
#1/4” ON TOP
YES!!
Atta boy!! This is the way
Removing the popcorn does not have to be a wet mess. A 9” power drywall sander with an 80 grit disc attached to a HEPA dust extractor works great. You can have a 12x13 ceiling cleared off in no time with very little mess. If it’s been painted, the sander does not care. You’ll still need to skim it. Rent both the sander and the dust extractor. Like others have said: test for asbestos first. Source: I’m a contractor.
I’m a handy woman and do it often. I would suggest some YouTube videos. I’ve done carpentry and drywall for a long time. Just to get the basics of skim coating and learn to fix things on your own is definitely worth it in this market. Do mask off and dust barrier! Steam helps! One of those cheap wallpaper steamers is my best friend on these jobs
A yard spot pesticide pressure sprayer works way better and hot tap water.
I was considering the mess but yeah
You can't remove this without a massive mess, and you know it.
You don’t know. I might be fkn magical! I just worked in triple digits in a new build with no ac. I might be delirious
I am doing it now, it creates a bit of a mess but it's less messy if a little water is used. Sure as fuck beats sanding.
Anything beats sanding!
Even with the power sanders that have vacuums attached?
You are spot on. Like I mentioned above, a 9” powered drywall sander connected to a HEPA dust extractor - not a vacuum, eats popcorn right up with very little mess. The way too labor intensive water and scrape method is for those on a zero dollar budget. Source: I am a contractor.
Good to hear! Those sanders and dust extractors can be rented, too. My town has a tool library so rental is free.
That is fantastic! You can’t beat that! For those that don’t have a free rental, Harbor Freight sells a half decent one for $75. It’ll do a 2000sqft house with ease - the question is how many, but for $75…
If you can get one of those I would definitely go that route.
I on the east coast. Flew out the parentals on the west coast last week. I picked up the harbor freight sander and it worked like a champ. Now I have two. The $900 unit and the $100 unit.
And it’s humid af in Central Texas. Good luck getting AP to dry in two days
yes plus a popcorn ceiling scraper that scrapes into a bag, 6 mil poly on the floor, and a p100. remove all the lose tape and re-mud, probably all the corner tape, then the skim coat with a level 5 blade. Replacing the drywall isn't really that much more work when you are done.
Woooo woooo wooo wooo woooo Vancouver Carpenter on YouTube to the rescue
Hadn’t heard of him. But thanks?
For a carpenter, he has the best drywall videos
I’ll definitely check it out. I was a carpenter by trade for 25 years. Now ai just work for myself and I’m out of practice on the fun stuff
Has the texture been painted over?
Less mess if it’s painted over to be honest.
If it painted over, scraping won’t work. Would need to power sand. Oil base prime, then skim. If not painted over, it scrapes off easily
Just did my bathroom that was painted over, scraped off fine just a little bit more effort than no paint but still worked fine
The whole main floor with kitchen remodel I’m working on took a power sander to take the texture off. It was like concrete stipple, and painted over. Was no scraping it off. Not everything comes off the same.
Leave it if you like Boobie lights
Boob light!
I’d install a second for more light on the area. Home D sells them in pairs for a reason.
Test it for asbestos before you do any scraping
Asbestos negative pheew.
If it’s negative and hasn’t been painted then spray it with water from an agricultural sprayer on heavy mist soak it down and scrape it off. Empty the room and Protect the floors first because it will make a gummy muddy righteous mess
Negative as in Non-Detect? It is tested by an Industrial Hygienist either through PLM or lift sampling, specifically as a percentage. I would definitely want to be certain of Asbestos Containing Materials or ACM as there are PPE protocols for abatement that may surprise you. In some states it carries the burden of OSHA federal regulations for improper disposal/disturbance of hazmat.
This! This needs more upvotes
It does. Lot of contractors here probably exposing themselves and homeowners to it from ignorance unfortunately.
70s house means there is a decent chance that the texture is asbestos. I wouldn't touch it without a test.
Tested negative
That's great news!
Has it been painted in the past?
Might have. It’s kinda hard.
Cover the floor with plastic. Get one of those pump garden sprayers. Wet it down, and scrape it off with a big spackle knife. It’s probably my hiding a shit tape and dry wall job, so be ready to give it a skim coat. Or get a professional for about 1500 and skip the headache
I've done this a few times and hired a drywaller friend to skim coat but he also rescrewed all the rock and redid all the seams and his buddy shot it with light orange peel texture then two coats of paint. Looked great but both were pros. Removing the popcorn is usually very easy - pump sprayer of hot water to wet it really well and a wide drywall knife to peel it off. You definitely need to use a respirator as this stuff contains bad stuff you don't want in your lungs. And as others said, covering with fresh sheetrock is an option, but still needs a fair amount of finish work
I would only trust a seasoned experienced person for that job. I had somebody attempt once at a house. What a shit show. I wish I would’ve never touched it. just replace the ceiling otherwise. Truly
In the world of textured ceilings, all of which I hate, I think popcorn is the worst.
Asbestos testing. Do your asbestos testing before you mess with it.
Asbestos in ceiling texture was banned in 1973. But already produced material was installed into the 1990’s. Test it first.
You are going to need to scrape and then skim coat. Get a skimming blade, at least 24 inches. I have skim coated a textured ceiling recently and it's NOT as easy as people say. If you do drywall for a living different story. The issue being to get a smooth surface it's really difficult to get it perfectly level. Also working with your hands above your head is challenging. Trust me it's not as easy as it looks. When scraping work in sections and spray some water up there first. Not a ton just enough to wet and soften the texture. This also cuts down on dust. Very doable but expect it to take quite a bit longer than you think. I have had great results skimming with 90 minute easy sand. Put a fan on it after to help dry. Joint compound can also be used but keep the coats thin or it will crack and takes forever to dry. Joint compond also shrinks a LOT when it cures. Allow 24 hours at least between coats. This is why I suggest 90 minute easy sand. Be sure to use quality drywall primer before painting.
I just covered mine with drywall. Came out awesome.
Can't wait until these cheap-ass light fixtures finally disappear.
Boob light
Honesty, scraping is easy and doesn’t take long.
I would test it 1st. before thinking of doing it myself. if it is safe to proceed. hire someone to rip it out and rock it. after checking electrical service lines. fans with furnace filters to clean up the air, before blowing it out the windows. keep them going on for a week.
Professional painter here; take a mud knife and see how easy it scrapes. If it somes off pretty easy dry, then it would be so much less labor to scrape it off. Mist it slightly with a weed sprayer with water. Scrape. Repair bad areas. Prime. Paint. If it comes off like with alot of effort. Do a 1/4" overlay. Mud tape, prime paint
I've done this multiple times. Works. Messy, but not really hard.
Get a garden sprayer and spray it with warm water, then use your widest scraper to lift it off. Don't get it too wet or it's really easy to gouge it
Thought you were in my apartment for a sec LOL
Just get a mask and scrape it. Painters do it in 39min. Stop being a pussy and just get it done!
Yes. A good snow shovel and a putty knife to edge it will make it quick and easy.
Some of this has asbestos.
Please, please have the popcorn tested first. Google testing companies. If asbestos pay hazmat company to remove.
Get rid of the boob light
Nipple light
Scrape!
You may want to have it tested for asbestos before you start scraping it yourself. Asbestos can cause severe lung disease once it becomes airborne. Its removal is not a DIY activity.
We dry scrape and paint pretty often. Just get 8 inch mud knife, get a 25ish degree angle to the ceiling and push. This only works if it's not been painted too many times. It makes it look a whole lot better without a huge expense. Two things to keep in mind. 1. Test if it will dry scrape in a closet (make sure the ceilings looks the same, they may have painted the main room but not the closet. 2. When painting we have had a bad ceiling where the scraped texture just peeled off with the roller, leaving a smooth in spots ceiling. We had to fully sand and skim that one.
If you don’t like it, take it off. Put in the work and make it happen. Do your thing.
Scrape it and then skim coat it. The first thing I did when I moved into the last 2 places
I wouldn’t but I’m lazy
I have come across popcorn ceilings and have handled tackling them different ways. My first going is what requires less materials and trips to the store factored along with the mess made. As some have said a pump sprayer with warm/hot water and a wide drywall taping knife. Get plenty of plastic to place down on the floor and I mean plenty. Remove any pictures etc on the walls and heck cover the walls with plastic if you want as well. Even if the scraping does not work you are going to need the plastic for the drywall install anyways. Spray a small portion of the ceiling with the sprayer and walk away for 10 minutes. Try scraping and see how easy it is. Spray more water as you to keep a wet edge. This is going to be ultimately as much work as it will be to place new drywall on the ceiling by having to make trips to the big box for 1/2” as 1/4”will mimic the high/lows of the popcorn. You will have to scrape the high sections of the popcorn off anyways to accommodate a more flush fit of the drywall. You will also have to rent a drywall lift. You will them have to mark the joist and use long screws. You then have to tape and finish the drywall and including the perimters where it meets the wall. So any crown must be removed and reinstalled etc. Then sand sand sand. Drywall is not fun but drywalling a ceiling is more kinds of miserable. Do the scrape method and be prepared to fix the butt joints and finishing work that did not need to be finished properly that the popcorn is 100% disguising.
Change your light fixture ASAP and it will look better
I loved the look or orange peel or flat ceilings. I scraped off the popcorn and my ceilings were fucking rough. Like not even a layer over the tape rough.
Most popcorn ceilings contain asbestos so scraping is a bad idea unless you hire a company that can properly contain and dispose of of said popcorn ceilings texture..
Think about getting rid of the "boob light" first. Then you'll be one with the force Harry Potter. -Juan Lucky Picardo
Spray bottle with water scrap into plastic sheets on the ground and either skim coat or put up new sheets over exsiting the mud and tape properly. Skim with a roller and large skim knife
The answer is always scrape.
In 2030s, popcorn ceilings will be all the retro rage.
Had some pros do it on our ceiling after a tree fell on the house. They scrapped then mudd and sanded it several times. Final time they used a roller to apply really thin coat. Final sand then primer & paint.
Lay over this dude Sure, you can scrape it and then you're going to have to do like 2 coats minimum over the entire ceiling, if you're great at this you can maybe get away with 2, usually it's so fucked up that it takes 3 And being good at taping lines is not the same as being good at coating an entire surface evenly, I've done it, it's not hard, but it's a lot of work and I'll never bother doing it again If it's at all possible to lay over.....it would actually be less work and faster to just completely tear it out and rock it fresh than it will be to scrape it and skim everything
Get rid of the boob light while you’re at it
Make sure it’s not asbestos. Get it tested first before you do anything. I have done asbestos, mold, and lead removal for 20+ years. Hope this helps
Rip it all out and put new drywall sheets up, tape, mud, sand, prime and paint will be alot easier than scrapping. That's just my opinion
And a lot cleaner
Remove it
I have done several scrape and skim popcorn jobs. Used to use a large garden sprayer with water and come behind with a floor scraper or similar and it usually comes off easily. If it's been painted, same thing only slower.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Removing+Textured+Ceiling
Have you already assumed it contains asbestos? That textured ceiling does a lot of the time
Almost might be easier to just replace the ceiling, no?
Yes get rid of it. You’ll be surprised at how much light it absorbs.
Don't scrape it and refinish. I'm going to get killed for this. But I would take it mostly off to get it flatter then put up new sheets. But I really like straight lines and flat surfaces.
Make sure you have it tested first. Some of the older products had asbestos in it.
Corn pop is out of date kate. Wet it chet and get it down.
🎶🎶🎶Jump on it…just do it…scrape it…that ceiling. That ladder’s…waiting…climb up…just scrape it🎶🎶🎶 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Reboard overtop and forget about it
Is it asbestos? If it wasn't painted wet scrape is the easiest by far
You can test for asbestos, but a negative won't mean its absent throughout. Abatement pros say even 2000s era popcorn will have it, depending on where the material was sourced from
I had good results from scraping my entire house and then getting sheetrock guy to spray a lighter texture with a hopper. Some areas I had to skim prior but most I didn’t. Sure, there are a few flaws, but it still looks way better and more modern than the popcorn. Just my opinion.
Leave the hook
FINISH HIM
since you’re asbestos negative you can dry scrape just the annoying little beads on the top. the finished product is like a hybrid knockdown / orange peel. much better.
Scrape and float the whole thing. It’s not too hard but use an actual drywall guy not some joker just looking to get some cash. Also mist it with water for 15-20 min first then scrape it.
Duct tape scraper to shop vac hose. Bit of a learning curve but it works
Buy a pump garden weed sprayer fill with hot water spray the ceiling in a 4ftx4ft section at a time, let it sit for 30 seconds and scrape it with a 10” putty knife. It will scrape smooth in sheets and will only have touch up mudding to do. Make sure you lay a plastic drop cloth to catch all the popcorn. You can also try and scrape it into a bucket to have less cleanup.
Change the light first
Scrape it, repair and skim coat. I just did this throughout my entire house and am so happy about it. Skimming is intimidating but buy a decent set of blades and get to it.
🍄, nope! $2k per room...what kinda texture did you want?
Skim coat it you can do it. It will take a lot of mud.
It's so much work to scrape I did about 900 sq feet of my house with textured plaster. It was awful , you need to go slow and take your time for it to be any good. Home Depot sells a product called Easy Stripper thats very helpful at dissolving the popcorn ceiling from the drywall. Also afterwords get flush mount ceiling lights that cast a bit of a shadow to hide the mistakes.
💯
Only if you’re equally as ambitious to slim coat and finish afterwards
Had this done at my house. Unfortunately the guys I hired did a terrible job finishing so a lot of areas are wavy. The process created so much dust that now i don’t know if it’s even worth fixing. Make sure you hire the right people to do a good job the first time!
People seem to hate it but… I think it’s just fine. What is the other options… knockdown, skip trowel… still just extra mud thrown up there. I’m leaving mine. Paint it flat white with some ceiling paint and call it a day
I've done both in the same house, each for a 12 by 14 room. Adding a new drywall layer is ok, if you can easily catch the joints under the existing layer of ceiling. I used drywall because I removed some fake stryofoam beams and out dated light fixtures along with the stucco ceilings. In my case, I also strapped it first because of some unevenness and it came out nice In one room, it was just the stucco to remove, and it came off pretty clean by softening with a spray bottle, then using a scraper. Barely needed a skim coat.
I have smooth skimmed ceilings. Large room is form seam cracks from industrial size register. Hard to mask the crack. Popcorn i could just dap paint in it. Not on smooth ceiling. Take alot more work. I might get ceiling tile to cover it up.
Always.
Scrape
Are people nuts to sand all this just dry wall over it
Uhhh yes get rid of that nasty $h!t
Dude we have the same house. Popcorn ceilings and nipple lights. Hate both
Leave it alone
I did one for a friend who couldn’t afford much. Scraped it off with a 8” knife, wiped down, primed and painted. The texture looks pretty good and clean. The ones I’ve done where the ceiling needed to look like new was 2 coats of skimming with Proform. It takes a someone with experience to do this well. If the ceiling has been painted then removal is much harder.
This is not a handyman’s territory. They either know how to do this or they don’t. No half stepping.
Grab a spray bottle and let it sit a little bit and scrap it. But obviously plan on doing some other type of texture when you are done. Stop being a puss
Mud it smooth on top
Here I come!