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Sunday, October 3, 2010

"POPCORN" Ceiling Removal

           Popcorn ceiling are nasty ugly stuff. There are even websites dedicated to there demise:


*****  How to remove Popcorn Ceilings ******

I'm going to warn you upfront that it is not easy to get rid of the popcorn. It takes strength, stamina, tireless arms and neck and a few days to recuperate afterwards. There are no shortcuts, nor is there any magic solution to make the popcorn fall off the ceiling on its own accord.

Supplies you'll needA sturdy ladder
Trowel or scraper (the wider the better, we use 12" taping knives)
A big bottle of hot water (you can add vinegar if you like we didn't)
A ventilator and Jumpsuit
Sandpaper
A couple of rolls of plastic sheeting to cover the floors and lower walls
1 Industrial sized vacuum cleaner (just kidding, but not really)

Once you have all this together you will look like this and are ready to begin.


Before you get started roll out enough plastic sheeting to cover up any doors and windows. Staple it, tape it or glue it, whatever works for you. Over the doors and windows so the room is sealed off. Make sure the plastic is longer than the doors so you can weigh it down at the bottom with bricks (or something else that's heavy). Regardless you will still have dust all over the rest of your house anyway, but it does help reduce it some.

After you seal off your room, mix up a spray bottle of vinegar water and put your mask on. Standing on the ladder (or not) spray a large section of your popcorn ceiling. You don't want it to be wet enough to rain on or drip on you but you do want it good and wet.

If you have at any point painted the popcorn on your ceiling then using water will not work for you. That's what you get for sealing it to the ceiling with paint.

You'll need to get moving fast. Use your trowel to scrape away the popcorn ceiling. When it dries it gets harder to scrape. If you are one of the lucky ones and don't have very much joint compound beneath the popcorn, the water mixture should cause it to begin to bubble and fall from the ceiling in small chunks. 
Once you have all the popcorn removed you'll need to go over any places that aren't smooth with sandpaper. Sand down any joint compound that is noticeably thick. Use putty to fill in any gouges or dents in wallboard. Primer and Paint.



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