How to get popcorn off the ceiling
How to Remove Popcorn Ceilings in 5 Easy Steps
Is there anything more universally loathed than a popcorn ceiling? If you find yourself staring upward, wondering how to remove popcorn ceilings, you are not alone. Let’s face it: They’re eyesores. They’re also known as acoustic ceilings, stucco ceilings, or, worst of all, cottage cheese ceilings. They were big in the mid- to late 20th century. Builders installed the textured treatment to help absorb sound from above or cover up imperfections in the ceiling. (It also helped skip some steps and save money, since it eliminates the need to paint the finished surface.) But like many trends from the 1970s, the popcorn ceiling has fallen out of favor and many homeowners are removing or covering up the unsightly surface.
If you’re tired of looking up at lumps and bumps and are ready for a makeover, there’s good news. Removing a popcorn ceiling is a fairly easy and affordable DIY project that just requires some time and muscle. Should your ceiling need more TLC than just scraping and painting, there are also options for covering up popcorn ceilings, such as wood paneling, pressed tin tiles, or new drywall. Ready to tackle the home improvement job yourself and learn how to get rid of a popcorn ceiling? We asked contractor Justin Krzyston, president of Stonehurst, how to remove popcorn ceilings safely and easily.
Before you start, it’s important to make sure that your textured ceilings don’t have asbestos. “Prior to the early 1980s, asbestos was an ingredient that many used in textured popcorn ceilings,” Krzyston says. “The popcorn texture was used to help home builders deal with sound travel, and it was a great fire retardant.” He recommends having the surface tested by a professional, or at the very least purchasing a do-it-yourself test kit from the hardware store and sending the samples to a lab. If you go the DIY test route, make sure to use the appropriate safety gear, such as gloves, a ventilator or dusk mask, and eye protection.
“Do some research before diving into a weekend project,” he cautions.
If your ceiling tests positive, you should have a professional licensed in asbestos abatement remove the texture or cover the entire ceiling with paneling or drywall. “If you have asbestos, it is best to leave the ceiling intact, as there is no real danger if it is in good condition,” he says.
2. Gather Your ToolsIf your ceiling is asbestos-free, it’s time to get to work. Fortunately, the project doesn’t require any special tools, and you may already have everything you need on hand. The essential popcorn ceiling removal tools include:
- a garden sprayer
- a wide putty knife or drywall taping knife
- drop cloths or plastic sheeting
- painter’s tape
- ladder
- safety goggles
- dust mask
Cover floors and walls with plastic sheeting.
Photo: Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“Scraping the ceilings is very messy—so have plenty of drop cloths and tarps on hand,” Krzyston says.
Remove furniture from the room, and cover floors and walls with plastic sheeting. Attach sheeting to walls with painter’s tape. Taking down ceiling fans or hanging light fixtures will also make the job easier—just be sure to cover electrical boxes with painter’s tape to protect the wires from damage and water. “Turn off your HVAC system and close and cover all vents and electrical outlets with plastic,“ he says. Since this is a job involving water, make sure to turn off the electricity to the room you’re working in.
11 Tips on How to Remove Popcorn Ceiling Faster and Easier
Popcorn ceilings were all the rage back in the '60s and '70s. Applying the texture to drywall and plaster ceilings was a quick and easy way to hide imperfections and didn't require any painting afterward. But the rough texture catches lots of dust and cobwebs and it can be difficult to know how to remove popcorn ceiling. It can be a real pain to match if you have cracks or holes in need of patching.
Figuring out how to remove a popcorn ceiling texture from a ceiling is a messy chore but worth the effort if the substrate underneath is in good shape. Here are some tips to take some of the pain out of popcorn ceiling removal.Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links. Ratings and prices are accurate and items are in stock as of time of publication.
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Do a Scrape Test
Before you go to all the trouble of prepping the room, try scraping a small area while learning how to remove popcorn ceiling. Try it dry first, then dampen the texture with water and try again. Some texture comes off easily without water, but in most cases wetting is best. If the water doesn’t soak in and soften the texture, the ceiling has probably been painted or paint was added to the texture mix.
In that case, wetting the ceiling may not help, and you’ll have to decide whether you want to tackle a really tough scraping job or choose another way to hide your popcorn ceiling.
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Test for Asbestos
Any popcorn ceiling installed before 1980 might contain asbestos—a known cause of lung cancer. Before trying to figure out how to remove any popcorn ceiling texture, contact your local health department and ask about getting a sample tested. So you’re wondering how to remove a popcorn ceiling with asbestos? If the test comes back positive, cover the popcorn with new drywall or tongue-and-groove planks, or hire an asbestos abatement contractor to help in removing popcorn ceiling.
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Prep for a Big Mess
Cover floors and walls with plastic drop cloths as you begin your how to remove popcorn ceiling project.
Don’t use canvas drop cloths because water can soak through. Cleanup is easier with plastic too, because you can just ball it all up when you’re done working and throw it in the trash. Leave the plastic in place after popcorn ceiling removal to catch the mess you’ll make repairing and sanding the ceiling later.
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Get the Furniture Out
If possible, remove all furniture from the room you’ll be working in. When learning how to remove popcorn ceiling, it is messy work, and you won’t want furniture in your way every time you move the ladder around. If moving everything out of the room isn’t possible, cluster it and cover it with drop cloths.
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Remove Ceiling Fixtures and Fans
You might think it’s easier to leave light fixtures and ceiling fans in place as you figure out how to remove popcorn ceiling, but they’ll just be in your way and get covered with wet popcorn.
Plus, you don’t want to accidentally spray water into an electrical fixture.
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Protect Can Lights From Water Spray
If you have recessed “can” lights, stuff newspaper or rosin paper inside them to keep them dry when completing a how to remove popcorn ceilings project. Also, make sure the power to those fixtures is turned off at the circuit breaker panel or fuse box.
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Wet it With a Pump Sprayer
For easier scraping and practically no dust during popcorn ceiling removal, use a garden pump sprayer to mist the ceiling and let it soak in for about 15 minutes before scraping. Only give it a light misting—too much water could damage the drywall or loosen the joint tape. If the texture hasn’t softened after 15 minutes or so, spray it again and wait another 10 to 15 minutes.
If the texture still hasn’t softened, it might be painted, or paint might have been mixed into the texture before application.
In either case, water won’t easily penetrate. If the texture is painted, you might be able to dry-scrape it first to expose some of the unpainted texture and follow up with wet scraping. If the texture has paint mixed in, you might have to dry-scrape the whole ceiling or cover it up with drywall or T&G boards.
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Cover Electrical Boxes
Shut off the power to any electrical junction boxes in the ceiling and cover them with painter’s tape to keep the wiring dry when spraying water on the popcorn as you complete a how to remove popcorn ceilings project. Overlap the sides of the junction box with the tape, and then trim around the perimeter with a utility knife, being careful not to nick the wires.
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Work in Small Sections
Only spray and scrape a small area at a time—about 4 x 4 ft. If you work too large of an area at once, the popcorn might dry before you have time to scrape it off.
If that happens, respray the area and wait another 10 to 15 minutes before scraping.
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Tame the Mess With a Mud Pan
Use a mud pan—the kind for holding joint compound—to catch the wet popcorn before it hits the floor. That way, you’re not tracking it all over the place when you walk and move the ladder around. Also, use the edge of the pan to clean off your scraper when it gets loaded up with wet popcorn.
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Prevent Gouging
Round off the corners of your popcorn scraper—whether it’s a wide putty knife or drywall taping knife—so it won’t gouge the ceiling and leave you with dozens of ceiling wounds to repair. Use a file, a sander or an electric grinder to do this.
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Smooth After Scraping
Scraping alone won’t leave you with a paint-ready ceiling.
You’ll probably have small dings and gouges to fix. At a minimum, you’ll have to sand the ceiling to get it perfectly smooth before painting.
Originally Published: October 17, 2019
HOW TO REMOVE A POPCORN CEILING
So you have a textured or popcorn ceiling in your room that just screams 1960s doctor's office and you want it to disappear - stat. But is it possible to take on this project? The pros say yes! Removing popcorn ceilings is a very inexpensive DIY project, says Justin Kshiston, a contractor in Los Angeles. And in fact, he adds, you probably already have all the tools you need.
However, if you don't have a solid collection of tools, expect to spend about $500 on supplies, says Christopher Totaro, contractor and agent for Warburg Realty. In contrast, a professional would probably charge anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 for a 20 foot by 20 foot ceiling. Keep in mind that you will also need tools to paint the ceiling when you are done.
While the tools and materials are usually not all that expensive, it's important to be aware that you're making a commitment. Depending on the size of the room, removing the popcorn ceiling can take a lot of time and effort, says Kevin Bush, vice president of operations for Mr. Neighborhood company.
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But before you get started, here's one very important caveat: Because asbestos was often used in popcorn ceilings before the early 1980s, according to Kshiston, you should have the surface checked by a professional before proceeding with any painting or removal.
Kshiston says that if the samples come back positive, it's for the health and safety of you and your family to call a licensed asbestos company. But they come back negative, you can safely continue your project.
Here's how to do it.
What you need to remove the popcorn ceiling
- Wide trowel or drywall knife.
- Lots of cloths and plastic wrap.
- Masking tape
- Water spray bottle
- Goggles, gloves and respirator.
- Ladder
How to Remove Popcorn from the Ceiling
Save Pin It View More ImagesCredit: SDI Productions / Getty Images.
1. Prepare area
Cover the room first. Although it's not difficult, it's very sloppy says Kshiston. Have enough rags and tarps on hand and remove as much furniture from the room as possible; cover everything else. It's also a good idea to take off the lighting fixtures, turn off the HVAC system, cover and cover all vents and electrical outlets with plastic. And since this job involves water, be sure to turn off the electricity in the room you're working in. Finally, open the windows to allow air to circulate and make breathing easier during scraping.
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2. Wet the ceiling.
To make cleaning easier, according to Kshiston, spray the ceiling with water before gently scraping away the texture of the popcorn. Use a water spray bottle to wet a four-by-four-foot ceiling, let sit for 15 minutes to absorb water, then scrape off. It is useful to work with such small areas, otherwise the areas will dry before you reach them.
3. Scrape off the coating.
To scrape, use a wide trowel or drywall knife and gently run it across the wet ceiling, being careful not to gouge the ceiling underneath. Move around the room until all texture is removed. When you're done, check your work - you may need a second pass in some areas. Remember that you can always refinish the ceiling to make it easier to work in a difficult spot, Kshiston says.
4. Add a fresh coat of paint.
“Since you already have the floor and walls, it's time to start finishing,” Kshiston says, which includes sanding, priming and painting the ceiling.
If the ceiling has any damage or visible imperfections, such as gouges or damaged drywall tape, repair it with sealant before sanding. After sanding, apply a primer and a fresh coat of paint.
Bridget Early
Author
11:11 angels
What I see, I write - LiveJournal
repair
| 17th-May-2022 09:23 pm
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But that only happens in videos. In reality, a small bathroom with a zigzag layout was not at all like that. First, I dryly scraped those areas where the "popcorn" had already fallen off by itself. There it was only necessary to bring a spatula and everything fell to the floor by itself, leaving behind a smooth drywall. Then I sprinkled the rest with water. But nothing happened. When I tried to scrape off the textured plaster, I only scratched the drywall. Then I thought that probably not enough water and sprinkled more until the water began to drip on my head and on the floor. She let it soak in and began to scrape further. "Popcorn" did not watch the video instructions and did not know what was expected of him, therefore, he scraped off small pieces and was very reluctant. Having crumbled a certain amount of plaster on my head and scratched the drywall many times, I found that actually pure drywall, as in the video instructions, we have about one square foot on the ceiling in the bathroom, maybe one and a half, everything else is wide strips of plaster around the perimeter and on the seam in the center, as well as plaster spots in all other places.
Having disfigured the ceiling in this way, I wiped it with a rag to make sure that everything that could peel off, peeled off, and left it to dry. Then I tried to putty all the bumps and damage to the paper surface of the drywall, but the putty refused to stick to the ceiling and fell on my head along with flakes of old paint and plaster. It turned out that the first time I managed to shoot far from everything. Okay, instead of puttying, I went over the ceiling with sandpaper and then with a damp cloth to remove everything that could be removed. After that, the putty lay down normally, as far as I can apply it while standing on a chair and holding a spatula with an ordinary short handle. Today I sanded all the bumps on the ceiling and became like a snowman sprinkled with flour. Ugh, be. 
