i prolly should have asked this *before* I started attacking my ceiling

[minkydog]

What a mess! I'm trying to remove the popcorn from my kitchen ceiling. it's coming off easily, but leaving a kind of muddy residue. We'll need to paint the ceiling when I'm done and i want to be sure the paint will stick. Do I need to get that fine layer of residue off and how do i do it?

PSA: Do NOT even consider putting up a popcorn ceiling. i thought getting 4 layers of wallpaper off was a PITA. That was NOTHING compared to getting popcorn off.

 

[Planogirl]

I'll be watching this thread.

We have to hire someone to take care of our popcorn ceilings since someone painted over them. If you do have popcorn ceiling NEVER paint over them! DH and I worked for a very long time on just our entry way area and only removed some of it.

I am curious to see what the procedure is though.

 

[SC Minnie]

you need to sand the the 'residue' so it is even. Get a pole sander and it will be your friend. If you don't you will have ridges and it won't look smooth. When I took the popcorn off I put a coat of primer on before the ceiling color just in case.

When I did ours I bought popcorn ceiling remove solution at Home Depot. It is a super messy job.

 

[minkydog]

It is a super messy job.

Boy, that's an understatement! It wouldn't be so bad if i could just leave everything in place and do it a little bit along. But it's my kitchen! It has to be reasonably clean so i can fix meals. i got about 1/3 of it done today.Maybe i can work on it for a couple hours tomorrow while Christian's nurse is here to watch him. I can't set up the ladder with Christian buzzing around "helping" me.

 

[GoldenGate2]

Are you sure it doesn't contain asbestos? Was it put on before the 1980's?

 

[minkydog]

Are you sure it doesn't contain asbestos? Was it put on before the 1980's?

It was built in 1979. We had it tested a few years ago when we did some other work, so we're okay. I wouldn't want to mess with asbestos. My dad died from mesothelioma and my mother has asbestosis now from handling his asbestos-filled laundry all those years ago.

 

[walden]

Yes, the asbestos question is major! Please folks, don't take 'em down without proper precautions. And most "popcorn" ceilings are pre-1980s.

I have only one room with popcorn in my 1938 house. It was applied in the 70s, who knows why? We chose to seal it (temporarily) with paint to reduce the risk (the covering/smothering of wet paint on the ceiling reduces the risk of asbestos with little risk to the painters. Just do not sand!)

It will be taken down soon, not by us, but with workers in HAZMAT gear.

 

[SandrA9810]

you need to sand the the 'residue' so it is even. Get a pole sander and it will be your friend. If you don't you will have ridges and it won't look smooth. When I took the popcorn off I put a coat of primer on before the ceiling color just in case.

When I did ours I bought popcorn ceiling remove solution at Home Depot. It is a super messy job.

Primer's good stuff.

Sounds like a mole hill project turned into a mountain.

My aunt's old town house in Florida had popcorn ceiling, but it was built in 82 or 83. I wasn't a fan of it growing up, and I'm still not a fan of textured walls.

 

[Nicolepa]

We just drywalled over ours. That was what everyone recommended. Drywall, plaster, paint, done.

 

[focusondisney]

We just drywalled over ours. That was what everyone recommended. Drywall, plaster, paint, done.

We had our kitchen remodeled & that's what they did. I thought they'd scrape it off, but they just put up new drywall.

 

[minkydog]

For those you simply drywalled over the ceiling. How much does a project like that cost?

 

[focusondisney]

I don't know specifically, because they did it during a remodel, so it wasn't priced seperately. Sorry.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Just wondering, what evil thing did the ceiling do to you to make you attack it? And isn't it allowed to defend itself?

 

[muffyn]

For those you simply drywalled over the ceiling. How much does a project like that cost?

we have done several building projects. its not that bad to do on your own.just awkward. get a couple strong guys, a couple "t" made out of 2x4's to hold the drywall up while it gets screwed in. tape the joints & then stucco with a specific brush. lots on how-to's on internet.
4x8 sheet of drywall about $6.00, couple buckets of drywall mud @14.00, couple drywall knives..stucco brush *(can screw on broom handle_ if you stucco the ceiling, you don't have to do much sanding (except sides where it blends in with wall.)

can easily be done in a week. 1st day hang, then the next few days, tape, mud seams, mud seams ( dries in between coats,) then stucco.)this is a mix of drywall compound with water to thin it.)

 

[kirstenb1]

For those you simply drywalled over the ceiling. How much does a project like that cost?

Minky, drywall is wicked cheap. The challenge is finding someone who will take on a small job. DH has done (and cursed) many smaller drywall jobs around our home as we've added onto it. He's tried to hire it out, to no avail. Your best bet would be to try to find someone handy at church or what have you, and pay them cash.

PS, our former home built in the late seventies, had popcorn ceilings. This was fine, til we had moisture damage coming through our foyer, agghh!! We finally found a spray on popcorn ceiling product to match the existing, but it was a bear.

 

[Nicolepa]

For those you simply drywalled over the ceiling. How much does a project like that cost?

I don't remember exactly but it was pretty cheap. We started out doing it ourselves but we bought huge sheets of drywall and it was too cumbersome for us to do so at the last minute my dad (a contractor) found a couple guys to do it for us.

We did our kitchen, family room, dining room, living room & hallway. I want to say we spent a couple hundred on drywall and maybe a thousand to have it installed, taped and textured. It was maybe a 3 day project.

 

[minkydog]

I don't remember exactly but it was pretty cheap. We started out doing it ourselves but we bought huge sheets of drywall and it was too cumbersome for us to do so at the last minute my dad (a contractor) found a couple guys to do it for us.

We did our kitchen, family room, dining room, living room & hallway. I want to say we spent a couple hundred on drywall and maybe a thousand to have it installed, taped and textured. It was maybe a 3 day project.

Oh, wow. That's cheaper than I thought! We have a handy man who has done some other projects for us, including drywall. I bet he could give us an estimate. I'm just looking at allll the popcorn we have throughout the house. You know, once you start one project you gotta start more. I've got to move on this pretty quick because we're having the cabinets refaced soon. The project will probably start within two weeks.

 

[kirstenb1]

Also, if you go to a place like Sunbelt Rentals, they have a drywall lift you can rent. It's awesome. You lay the piece of drywall on it, and crank it and it will hold it in place on the ceiling until you screw it in. Also, if you have angled walls, the lift can pivot to the angles too.