Everyone has browsed through old photos and been appalled at their own lack of clothing judgment. How did we come to think that flared pants are cool ("always flannel" if you're the kid with flared pants)? Which brings us to the popcorn ceiling. They are like bell bottoms for ceiling finishes. We may still miss their popular days, but they just aren't "in" anymore. The thought of removing it is often chilling. Some businessmen even refuse to take the job. While some mechanical sanders and scrapers exist to do the job, the process is still pretty messy. Of course, this is very time consuming. We asked our professionals to weigh in on this issue, and they use an easy method for removing painted popcorn ceilings.
Table of contents
- The Problem With Painted Popcorn Ceilings
- Steps for Removing a Painted Popcorn Ceiling
- work preparation
- let's get wet
- Scratch off the painted popcorn ceiling
- what a pro might use
- clean up everything
The Problem With Painted Popcorn Ceilings
Scrape off unpainted popcorn ceilings quickly and easily with almost any tool. The only critical issues involve containment chaos and collecting dust. You'll have even more problems when removing a painted popcorn ceiling. The paint adheres better to the ceiling because it saturates the tiny foam beads used in the spray.
On top of that, this better adhesion leads to a tendency to remove some of the underlying drywall. Not only will this make a real mess, but it will damage it so badly that it will require replacing part of the ceiling. This means increased costs.
Hopefully we can avoid all this.
work preparation
Few good things happen without preparation. Remember that next time you're trying any project at work or home…or reading an important book. When working on an older home, you may want to invest in some asbestos and lead paint testing kits before you begin.
If a house is old enough to have a popcorn ceiling, it's probably old enough to be painted with lead. If you are unsure, you will need to test it before proceeding further. You can find asbestos and lead testing kits online and usually get results in about a week.
Assuming it's safe to proceed, grab some plastic sheeting. That might sound extreme, but it covers the entire room—walls and all. Consider using rags for the floors as they are more durable.
Old, soggy popcorn is a bit of a flash in the refurbishment world. It can be so ubiquitous that you'll be picking it up from the rug within months. Eliminate this particular frustration by overriding everything. Use painter's tape to hold it in place. You might also consider moving all furniture out of the room you're working in, if possible.
You will likely have some kind of ceiling fixture. Ceiling fans need to be removed. Electrical junction boxes should also be covered. Since water plays an important role in the next steps, and since electricity and water don't work well together, you'll want to wrap the circuit as much as possible to keep it dry. Obviously, you'll want to turn off the power to the room you're working in.
let's get wet
After covering the room with plastic wrap, wet the ceiling one 4' x 4' square at a time. Moisten the popcorn ceiling with a clean knapsack sprayer or a clean garden hose with a nozzle. Heck, you can even use a clean spray gun or even a spray bottle.
Be sure not to saturate the popcorn as it may seep into the ceiling. Adding some dish soap might improve the results. For a heavy popcorn coat, spray twice, leaving to dry in between.
Pro Tip: You may find the popcorn texture mixed with paint. If you find that the popcorn texture doesn't soften, it may be that the popcorn texture is mixed with the paint. In this case, you have a few options. You can dry scrape the entire ceiling, which will undoubtedly take more time and leave a lot of gouging marks. This may still be the preferable approach. Alternatively, you may choose to cover the whole thing with more drywall or other alternatives.
Scratch off the painted popcorn ceiling
Use a putty knife or some kind of thin-bladed scraper to scrape the popcorn off the ceiling. Be gentle with the process. You want to avoid getting any gouges in the ceiling. You'll no doubt have some dents and dings anyway, but you can mitigate some of the damage by using a metal scraper with rounded corners.
Pro Tip: Don't have a metal spatula with rounded corners? No big surprises. We made ours using a vise and a grinder. You can also use a bench sander.
By the way, it should now be easy to see why the walls and floors are covered in plastic. Removing a popcorn ceiling is a troublesome process. And, while plastic drop cloths help keep the mess under control, you might consider using something to catch popcorn poop while you work so you don't keep tracking it around.
After the ceiling is scraped clean, you may still need to fill in any dents and sand them down smooth before painting. You may want to let it dry for a day before attempting to patch any holes and sand.
what a pro might use
When dealing with removing a painted popcorn ceiling, a professional may use a different strategy than a scraper. Some might pull out a drywall sander like the Festool Planex or the Makita Cordless Drywall Sander.
Coupled with a great duster, these sanders can quickly tackle most popcorn ceilings.
clean up everything
While the process of removing a painted popcorn ceiling can be cumbersome and time-consuming, you'll at least enjoy the cleanup. Wrap up any dropped popcorn in plastic and throw it all in the trash.
Next, you need to pour yourself a drink, sit down, and try to put the whole ordeal behind you.
We hope we have helped you figure out the best course of action for removing a painted popcorn ceiling. What's the preferred method for removing a painted popcorn ceiling? Tell us in the comments below, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.