Popcorn Ceiling Fix

Popcorn Ceiling Fix

Are you tired of your popcorn ceilings? Tired of all the cobwebs and the little bits of ceiling that come off when you try to clean them? Here are a couple of ways to get rid of popcorn ceilings. Beware, your popcorn (aka. acoustic) ceiling may contain asbestos. Asbestos was used in ceiling products installed as late as the 1980s. Doesn’t that make you love them even more?!

To give your ceilings – and the whole room – a softer, homier feel, just follow these instructions.

You'll need:
-A face mask with air filters that covers your nose and mouth.
-Goggles
-Plastic tarps
-A putty knife or taping knife
-Paint
-Paint roller
-Paint brush

For the first step, cover everything up you don't want to have to vacuum. If you have something like a piano near by make sure you wrap it thoroughly with plastic tarps so the dust can't float into the works.

It's also a good idea to put up “walls” of plastic tarps where there aren't any walls or doors dividing you from a room you aren't going scrape. Otherwise, the dust from scraping travels in the air from room to room quite easily. Scrape the ceiling by using the putty knife or taping knife. Push it away from you with the handle pointing down or slightly away from you, but keep the edge of the blade flat against the ceilling. Do this evenly all around the room until you reach your desired level of texture.

After you are finished scraping, sweep the ceilings with a broom to knock off any loose pieces. Remove the plastic and dispose of the fallen popcorn. Recover everything you don't want paint on. Paint the ceiling with a roller or paint brush. If your popcorn isn't well adhered to the ceiling, it may come off in sheets when you apply the wet paint. Using a paint brush instead of a roller may remedy this. Second option: If you want to completely remove the texture so that you’re down to the sheet rock, spray the ceiling with water before scraping. Push the scraper away from you with the handle pointing toward you and the edge of the blade flat against the ceiling. You can then retexture and paint, or use a primer and paint that works for bare drywall.


Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.