Popcorn ceiling removal? (how much, engineered, window, vacuum)

[flstatenolefan]

Has anyone ever had this done professionally? If so, how much do contractors normally charge? We are looking at an older home that I love, but ick...can't stand popcorn ceilings.

[AnotherBravesFan]

I paid a drywall professional to do my vaulted ceiling because I don't like heights and don't own a super tall ladder or scaffolding. I am doing the rest of the rooms in my house myself. Very time-consuming and messy, but you can do it. My husband just got a quote in Harvest for a 2250 sf home - $4,950 not including painting. Seemed a little high to me... will try to get more bids and will probably end up doing most of the removal myself, except for the one vaulted ceiling again!

Depending on the age of the house, make sure you get the popcorn tested for asbestos. My home was built in 1977; I think it was outlawed in 1978. They sell test kits online or at big box home improvement stores (but I could never find them in the ones here), and you mail a sample back to a lab and get the results in about 2 weeks.

[malamute]

I'm taking mine off myself -- it's so easy to do, just a plastic or metal scraper and it's gone.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by flstatenolefan

Has anyone ever had this done professionally? If so, how much do contractors normally charge? We are looking at an older home that I love, but ick...can't stand popcorn ceilings.

Removing a popcorn finish is an extremely difficult DYI project. If you've ever removed wallpaper, multiply the difficulty level 5-fold for popcorn removal. More often than not, people ruin the drywall either by the act of scraping the board too vigorously, or getting it too wet.

For DYI, i'd recommend that you cover the old, untouched ceiling with new 1/4inch wallboard, but leave the taping to a professional. Another, albeit cruder, option, might be to cover the popcorn with compound. This may or may not be viable and it won't look perfect, but it's a quick and cheap possibility.

[marysally]

I had this done by a professional (actually a retired "good ole boy") earlier this year. He did 10 rooms - 1 with a vaulted ceiling - he taped and covered everything with plastic, then dry scraped, applied two layers of mud, and finally sanded all. It turned out beautifully and was ready for painting. Direct message me if you want more details about cost - I'd rather not give details on forum because I would be besieged for his name because he was VERY REASONABLE. I will say that my house is not old enough to be an asbestos risk and if the house is vacant, I would do before moving in if possible since it is time consuming and creates a big dusty mess. All in all I am thrilled with the results and the cost.

[World Citizen]

I disagree that it's a hard project but it is a messy one.

I did three rooms myself this year. It didn't take that long...

All you need is a pump type garden sprayer filled with warm water and a scraper. If your ceiling has never been PAINTED -- it should come right off in big strips.

Spray it. Let it absorb in. Test it to see if its ready ... you may have to spray a second time.

Work in small sections -- don't spray the whole ceiling at the same time. Don't spray the part that's been stripped.

I did it all by myself and it's not that hard. (and, I'm a girl)

You should get an estimate or two and then try it yourself. You'll be smiling all the way through when you see how easy it is to do!

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by marysally

I had this done by a professional (actually a retired "good ole boy") earlier this year.

I would do before moving in if possible since it is time consuming and creates a big dusty mess. All in all I am thrilled with the results and the cost.

Tell your Good Ole Boy to get one of these.

BonTool.com-Drywall Vacuum Hand Sander

That dust does not have to happen. Plus is very bad on the lungs, even if you wear one of those dust masks. This works great, get something like one of them old Bissel carpet cleaning vacs or some wet / dry ones will do.

This sander should come with a built in water trap in a small bucket in line before the vac. Old Indian trick is to take the filter out of the vac, put a hose from the outlet out the window. Put a window fan in a window blowing out in the room being sanded. Close off all doors leading in. Put another fan in a window in a room next to the room being sanded to pressurize the rest of the house so no leakage of dust can occur to the rest of the house.

Will be extremely clean affair, might get a dusting on baseboard trim, can wipe it up with a damp sponge, any other leakage typically gets blown out the window. Should not even have to wear a mask. Typically you can do one wall or ceiling before having to dump out the water trap bucket. Could even build a far larger water trap bucket out of an old drywall mud bucket. This set up lends itself to being re-engineered very well.

The other old Indian trick to know, put on two drywall sanding screens. It tends to get sucked too tight to the surface being sanded, requires too much work to move it efficiently. This provides enough space for more air to flow under the tool. I like a new medium screen first and then the grade you want to use for that job. He will get a lot more work if the word leaks out he can do it very clean. Can even do a house that is presently occupied one room at a time, no sweat.

Good to see there are still some Good Ole Boys earning their keep the old fashion way. s

[Blondie621]

What is the reason to put in popcorn ceilings?

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by Blondie621

What is the reason to put in popcorn ceilings?

It is cheap. Contractors and builders love cheap.

Saves a lot of the steps you would have to do if you wanted a nice smooth painted ceiling.

Slap up the drywall, tape and quick mud job. Shoot that crap, tell everybody they are at the peak of fashion. Some Yahoos do all the walls in textured junk, save even more money, hide every sin in the book. Hey, do it right you may not even have to mud the screw holes. That junk hides a ton of sins.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Blondie621

What is the reason to put in popcorn ceilings?

It covers and hides the joints and eliminates the need for professional mudding and sanding, in other words, it's faster and cheaper. It also has some acoustic effects to eliminate echoing. I removed my popcorn texture from my garage (don't know why they put it in there), but theres no way I'm going through the hassle of removing it in my whole house, it doesn't look THAT bad. LOL