Popcorn on drywall ceilings

Rob Keeble

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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
I just saw Jim O mention that he wiped popcorn off the ceiling.

This is right up my alley at the moment and could be one heck of a lifesaver for me.

SO the question is can this be done and how. If i do it will the surface be able to be smooth and painted to look like another non popcorn ceiling?

What if....popcorn was previously painted. And by painted i mean primer then eggshell paint. ??Will popcorn still remove.


So since i now have a popcorn post next question is how does one put popcorn on the ceiling. I have two relatively small areas to be done.

60"x36 and 76" x 38" . Have not started looking but i am hoping to find some simple way of doing this.

H...E.....L.....P.......please.:D;)
 
I have always just wet it with a squirt bottle and used a 6" drywall knife to scrape it off. Once it gets wet and you break through to the drywall it usually goes pretty easy.

As far as putting it back on.... They used to spray it with a hopper gun but you can get the paint and a special roller that will put apply it. you can find them both at big orange
 
I've never tried the wet way, just scrape and scrape and :doh: I think that's where the real reason for calling it 'popcorn' came into play...stuff pops right off and all over the place :doh::doh:. I have a cove ceiling and that's where I had to be extra careful not to cause damage. I ended up rounding off the corners of the putty knife. As far as the underlying surface, you'll know when you get there :thumb:...I found one not-so-nice crack, and it could of been one reason why it was covered to begin with or, may have happened due to foundation settling :dunno:. And like Rich, I found everything at HD.
 
Well, this worked for my sister, she just told her kids to leave the popcorn ceiling alone. Two smuggled brooms by the kids, various other toys, they had that baby as smooth as a newborn's bottom!!!!
So get a couple of kids and carefully instruct them to not remove the little hangy thingys on the ceiling!!! :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Rob, if it has been painted, it will be more trouble. Depends on how saturated they got it. If they got it real wet, the extra weight of the paint might have pulled it right off the ceiling by itself during the painting process. That obviously didn't happen. If the paint soaked through enough to bond with the drywall, then you will have a problem getting it to scrape off with the putty knife. If they just got enough on to coat the surface, you might be ok.
I don't put the popcorn stuff back on. I do use a hopper made for doing texture on drywall. I got mine from HD many years ago, but Harbour Freight has one a lot cheaper that should work just as well. Mine came with 3 tips of different sizes for how big a "splat" of mud gets thrown out. I usually use the medium tip, and let it dry for about 30 minutes, then use a 12" blade to lightly knock down the peaks. After it fully dries, I use my bare hand to knock the loose nubs off, then prime it. I use the same method for wall texture. I have used the small tip on one room at the other house and just left it be. It was ok, but not as good as the Knock Down technique.
Here are 2 pictures: popcorn still in the master bedroom dscn2955.jpg And Knock Down texture in the guest bedroom dscn2962.jpg Just for grins, 2 shots of where I am right now. Kitchen area dscn2963.jpg From the kitchen through the Family Room. dscn2964.jpg I have to get started on the next coat of mud, then the fun of sanding and priming hopefully by next weekend, and texturing, priming, and painting the finish coat on Labor Day weekend :rolleyes: Somewhere in there I will need to cut in 11 or 12 can lights and wire them up. :wave: Jim.
 
Seems like a lot of folks hate popcorn ceilings. I can't understand why. :dunno:
IMHO, they are just above sliced bread in the world of great inventions.
They hide irregularities in the ceiling, which always exist. They take away the bare look from plain painted.
And, the greatest feature, in my opinion......drum roll please......they act as a sound deadner in a house. I have always hated the echo effect in large rooms. Popcorn absorbs much of that. That is good.
In fact, if I could, I would outlaw plain hardwood floors. Thick wall to wall carpeting is a gift to those who wish to remain sane, especially when there are children in the house. :rolleyes:
 
Yes, but: 1) cob webs are a hassle to deal with on them. 2)Can't swat a fly or other bug on it cause you can't clean off the residue. :doh:3) Every time you bump it, it falls all over the floor. 4)It gets dusty and dirty, and can't be cleaned without knocking a good deal of it off. 5)When it's damaged, you can't repair it so that it blends in. (see 4) The knock down texture that I do hides imperfections very well. I can cut a piece out and repair it and you can't tell. Cleans up as easily as walls do. Just my opinion. :) Jim.
 
Yes, but: 1) cob webs are a hassle to deal with on them. 2)Can't swat a fly or other bug on it cause you can't clean off the residue. :doh:3) Every time you bump it, it falls all over the floor. 4)It gets dusty and dirty, and can't be cleaned without knocking a good deal of it off. 5)When it's damaged, you can't repair it so that it blends in. (see 4) The knock down texture that I do hides imperfections very well. I can cut a piece out and repair it and you can't tell. Cleans up as easily as walls do. Just my opinion. :) Jim.


Good points Jim. We have some and I'd really like to get rid of it. Will start on some of the smaller rooms first.

Funny note, we had a handy man out to help do some things around here lately. While he continuously made fun of my inability to do a decent caulking job, he actually complemented me on my ability to match the knock down texture on some of the walls. The key I've found is to make sure the mixture isn't too thin, and let it dry just the right amount of time before knocking it down. I think it looks better than the popcorn and does a decent job of hiding imperfections in the dry wall job.
 
We have our family room, front hall, and back room covered in popcorn. My wife called a painter friend and he said he won't touch it until he sees an Asbestos test showing negative. Apparently the stuff can be made of pure asbestos if it's original to our 60's house.

I have yet to get it tested, but with two small children it's got me a little worried. He said if it is Asbestos then he usually encases it with another layer of Drywall.
 
Yes, but: 1) cob webs are a hassle to deal with on them. 2)Can't swat a fly or other bug on it cause you can't clean off the residue. :doh:3) Every time you bump it, it falls all over the floor. 4)It gets dusty and dirty, and can't be cleaned without knocking a good deal of it off. 5)When it's damaged, you can't repair it so that it blends in. (see 4) The knock down texture that I do hides imperfections very well. I can cut a piece out and repair it and you can't tell. Cleans up as easily as walls do. Just my opinion. :) Jim.

Sorry, Jim. I can't hear you with all the background noise. :rofl:
 
We have our family room, front hall, and back room covered in popcorn. My wife called a painter friend and he said he won't touch it until he sees an Asbestos test showing negative. Apparently the stuff can be made of pure asbestos if it's original to our 60's house.

I have yet to get it tested, but with two small children it's got me a little worried. He said if it is Asbestos then he usually encases it with another layer of Drywall.

Sounds more like a California situation than New York.
Painint over it will just encase and stabilize whatever it is. Call another painter.
 
Thanks Jim for the pictures. I think i am going to try taking off the piece that is in conflict with my repair and then if it works thats me done. I just dont see me matching the existing stuff and i think i have a good point at which to cut off from the existing.

My home is full of it and its a relatively new home. The builder left a 4 inch wide blank patch all around the edges. I guess for moulding to be put up.

Anyhow when i painted the home a while back, being one of the perfectionist nuts i sought advice on what to put over the popcorn and the mix i have over it pretty much seals it in. So this is my hesitation on taking the piece i have in conflict down. Worst case i will re drywall this small patch. It will be easier and cheaper and less frustration in the long run than matching what they have up there.

I do tend to agree with Frank. I like the look and it does dampen the sound somewhat.

With drywall i find in the area where the ceiling is smooth i am forever looking at the waves and bumps that are able to be seen with light bouncing off them. :rofl: But i aint looking for trouble.:)

Thanks guys for all the tips.


Who said it, drywall and painting have got to be the two worst jobs around the house calking comes in a pretty close third.
 
Thanks Jim for the pictures. I think i am going to try taking off the piece that is in conflict with my repair and then if it works thats me done. I just dont see me matching the existing stuff and i think i have a good point at which to cut off from the existing.

My home is full of it and its a relatively new home. The builder left a 4 inch wide blank patch all around the edges. I guess for moulding to be put up.

Anyhow when i painted the home a while back, being one of the perfectionist nuts i sought advice on what to put over the popcorn and the mix i have over it pretty much seals it in. So this is my hesitation on taking the piece i have in conflict down. Worst case i will re drywall this small patch. It will be easier and cheaper and less frustration in the long run than matching what they have up there.

I do tend to agree with Frank. I like the look and it does dampen the sound somewhat.

With drywall i find in the area where the ceiling is smooth i am forever looking at the waves and bumps that are able to be seen with light bouncing off them. :rofl: But i aint looking for trouble.:)

Thanks guys for all the tips.


Who said it, drywall and painting have got to be the two worst jobs around the house calking comes in a pretty close third.

(rich inserts tongue in cheek)
Rob, May I remind you that you are a woodworker first and a plasterer somewhere down the list. The contractor left you an out. you should be running molding around the room to fill in that space. And we could be seeing a complete photo journal of what you came up with!! :D:rofl::rofl::D
 
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