Renovate Your Ceiling By Learning How To Remove Popcorn Ceiling Texture
Popcorn-textured ceilings are great for concealing flaws, and while they had their day, it’s time to update the look and move on to something safer, more appealing, and more practical.
But how do you get rid of a popcorn ceiling? It’s not an easy job, to be sure, but it’s becoming a common enough endeavor that we now have a precise, manageable system to carry it out.
Benson Drywall would like to share this process with you, step by step, as well as make the case against popcorn ceilings in modern homes.Table of Contents
What Is Popcorn Texture?
Popcorn texture is composed of a powdery drywall mud base with small styrofoam pieces. This mixture is sprayed onto the ceiling with a hopper gun or texture sprayer. Widely touted in the 80s for being very economical and effective at concealing ceiling flaws, its official name is “aggregated texture.” Because of its slight soundproofing capability, it is sometimes referred to as an “acoustical ceiling.”
Still, other methods are significantly more effective at reducing noise, and ceiling flaws can be hidden in other, more attractive ways. People are catching on to these alternatives and gladly phasing out their popcorn ceilings. Call Benson Drywall today to schedule popcorn ceiling removal by experienced professionals.
4 Reasons Popcorn Texture Should Be Removed From Ceilings
#1: It’s Outdated
#2: It Can Lower Your Home’s Resale Value
- They reflect light poorly, making the room appear smaller and darker.
- They strongly suggest that the home is not well-maintained.
- They may anticipate having to spend time, money, and effort removing the texture, opting instead for a home that doesn’t feature popcorn ceilings.
#3: It Cannot Be Cleaned
Popcorn texture absorbs dirt, dust, and debris easily, but it can’t be cleaned effectively without damage, especially if it is badly soiled. Many homeowners may decide to paint over a dirty popcorn ceiling to hide dirt that can’t be washed off, but this may prove frustrating. Popcorn ceilings are commonly not painted initially because it is unnecessary. A first painting can be more of a hassle than you’d expect. The bond between the styrofoam pieces and the surface is not very strong, and much of the texture gets pulled off the ceiling onto your roller.
Painting the walls under a popcorn ceiling is also difficult, as you have to cut in around the jagged bumps of the ceiling. It’s not a simple matter of applying painter’s tape because the ceiling isn’t a smooth surface.#4: It May Contain Asbestos
- Attempt removal yourself. This is not recommended, as asbestos presents serious health risks, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
- Hire an asbestos remediation specialist. Removing asbestos can cost $5,000–$10,000 for all the ceilings in a 1,000-square-foot home.
- Encapsulate it with a layer of sheetrock. This may also be rather expensive ($1,170–$3,120), but less so than complete removal. Because asbestos doesn’t pose much of a risk if left undisturbed, encapsulation is a valid way to control this harmful substance.
How To Remove Popcorn Ceilings in 5 Steps
Step 1: Gather Tools
- Plastic sheets: Use a thicker sheet for the floor to avoid tearing a hole and causing a leak, and thinner sheets for the walls.
- Painter’s tape: This is for making the plastic sheets adhere to the walls.
- Scraper(s): It’s best to have a few sizes, smaller ones (1–3”) for tight areas and larger ones (10”) for more open areas. These should be mounted on an extension pole to allow better reach and to obviate the need for going up and down your ladder repeatedly. A smaller scraper has less flex; the more flex a scraper has, the less likely it is to gouge the surface of the ceiling.
- Water sprayer: The more water that fits in your sprayer, the fewer times you’ll have to refill it to complete the first step of popcorn ceiling removal.
- Water with cleaner: Some chemicals effective at helping weaken the bond of the popcorn texture are Dawn dish soap and Krud Kutter.
- Protective clothing: Safety goggles and a breathing mask are essential. You don’t want to breathe in falling particles or get them in your eyes.
- Drywall sander: You might also use a pole sander or sand it by hand, but a drywall sander will make the sanding step significantly easier on you, and you can rent one without spending much money.
- Shop vac: While this is optional, it can make cleanup much easier.
Step 2: Prep the Area
To protect the rest of the room (walls, floor, and furniture), cover everything with plastic. This is called masking. Use shims to secure masking up near the ceiling, so the seal is tight and there’s no gap letting water and popcorn texture through.
Remove or loosen any fixtures, such as ceiling fans. If you’re not removing a fixture entirely, that will need to be masked as well, and the space you create by loosening it will allow you to scrape under the fixture without harming it.
Step 3: Spray the Ceiling
A painted ceiling is harder to scrape than an unpainted one. The glossier the paint, the more difficult the job will be. We recommend test-scraping in a small area before doing all the work of masking, because you may find that it’s too hard to scrape and that you can’t complete the job.
The ceiling must be sprayed at least twice, even if it hasn’t been painted. The goal is to thoroughly wet the ceiling without allowing it to drip much. You may have to give it 5–6 coats of water, waiting about 15 minutes between each soaking and testing it to see whether the texture will begin to easily scrape off.Step 4: Scrape the Ceiling
Holding your paint extension pole at roughly a 45-degree angle, place the scraper against the ceiling. Scraper knives usually have a slightly curved blade; make sure the edges that turn down are pointed away from the ceiling to avoid gouging the sheetrock. An unpainted ceiling will crumble off, while a painted ceiling will usually come off in sheets.
Push the blade forward with firm pressure, taking off as much of the popcorn and the carrier mud as possible. As your blade approaches the edge of the ceiling, ease up on the pressure to avoid damaging your tape.
After you’ve scraped off a few rows in this manner, turn the blade perpendicularly to those rows and scrape parallel to the wall to remove the bits that couldn’t be removed. Continue this series of steps until you’ve removed the entire ceiling.Step 5: Dry & Sand
Allow the ceiling to dry thoroughly by running fans in the room for at least a day or so. It’s a good idea to leave the debris lying on the dropcloths to dry as well. It is significantly heavier before it has dried, so waiting until the next day will make cleanup that much easier.
The sanding step will be a dustier job than scraping, so be sure to wear protective gear. Use a smaller scraper (preferably with a 90-degree angle) to knock off the debris left behind where the ceiling meets the wall. Then rub a sanding block along the angle to remove what’s left. This is necessary because most sanders can’t access the angles completely.
Next, draw your sander along the ceiling systematically to avoid missing patches. The ceiling will be covered in a dry, chalky dust. Any further treatment on the ceiling will not adhere properly unless this is removed. Continue sanding until the whole ceiling is smooth and like new.
At this point, examine your ceiling for damage that needs to be repaired, such as cracks, nail holes, etc. Once you’ve sanded the ceiling a second time (if repairs were necessary), it will be ready for a coat of paint or texture.FAQs About Popcorn Ceiling Removal
How Much Does It Cost To Remove a Popcorn Ceiling?
On average, removing a popcorn ceiling in a 500-square-foot room can cost between $500 and $3,000. For a whole house, removal plus a texture/paint job may cost between $2,000 and $9,000.
If your home was built before 1990, you’ll need to spend between $120 and $850 (depending on whether the test is accredited) to run an asbestos test on a sample of your ceiling. A positive result means you may not legally remove the popcorn yourself.How Long Does It Take To Remove Popcorn Ceiling?
- Whether it’s done by a professional or the homeowner
- The height and square footage of the ceiling
- How much damage there is
- Whether asbestos remediation needs to be done
Is It Safe To Remove Popcorn From the Ceiling Yourself?
This depends on your level of expertise. If a lab test reveals there is asbestos in the ceiling, attempting to remove the ceiling could be extremely hazardous to your health. In that case, you are legally required to hire a professional to handle the job.
Even if your ceiling doesn’t have asbestos, you still run the risk of respiratory issues or eye injury if you don’t wear the proper protective clothing and accessories.
Leave Your Popcorn Ceiling Texture Removal to the Pros at Benson Drywall