Popcorn ceiling removal (hardwood floors, alternatives, washer, laminate)

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by jhlcomp

Just the thread I was hoping to find. Our home was built in 1978 and we have popcorn ceilings. I cringe to start as we just did a bunch of remodeling and I am up to my ying yang in dust. But, I know I will be happier without a popcorn ceiling.

It sounds like a big job and it's scary to think...Uh Oh...if I start, I'm committed!
But, as long as you can reach the ceilings with regular ladders, it's easier to remove than you might think. You'll need plastic dropcloths, the big ones you get at Lowe's or Home Depot, etc. They're cheap. You need tape that is good enough to hang these plastic dropcloths from just under the ceiling and you lay the plastic on the floor first, then do the walls so that any dripping water or goop is caught on the floor dropcloths.
Then it's a question of just using a large squirt bottle with tap water and you start by squirting water up at an area and gently begin scraping. You'll know the popcorn is ready to be scraped because it will turn a saturated gray color from the water absorbed into it.
Once you get a small area cleared, it gets EASY. You simply squirt, get it wet, and soon you find yourself with your scraper making two foot runs. The pain is having to keep moving the ladder so often!
I did my living room and dining room in one afternoon by myself in my first house, having dreaded started not knowing if I'd end up making an unbearable mess, then finding it was really easy to do.
Make it a family project When the ceiling is clear of popcorn, take a large traditional broom and sweep the ceiling to remove any stickons, and, you have to lower light fixture hardware just a bit to scrape behind that, not a big deal.

[simplyaged]

Originally Posted by taigagirl

And I do remember those lovely silver sparkles...looked stunning with the shag carpet (also now being used in new homes too), and the horrendous mirrored tiles---used everywhere from feature walls to entire residences by those with a flair for the latest in home decorating. Thanks for reminding how tacky the 70's and 80's were.

Ahhhhhh, reminiscing! How cool is that!

I have a relative (by marriage ) who still has the sparkle and the shag and likes it. But he still thinks that computers and TVs are evil. I think he fried his brain in the 70's! That would explain his hair style also! LOL

[jhlcomp]

When we moved into our home, we had the popcorn ceilings spray painted white - it really does help the appearance. And you are right, if the walls are a different color it looks just fine. But it's time to make a change ...

[shannon94]

Originally Posted by jhlcomp

Just the thread I was hoping to find. Our home was built in 1978 and we have popcorn ceilings. I cringe to start as we just did a bunch of remodeling and I am up to my ying yang in dust. But, I know I will be happier without a popcorn ceiling.

We did our whole house. Since the popcorn had been painted over god knows how many times ..it was harder to scrape. However we put a little fabric softener mixed with water in a spray bottle and it made it it slide right off!! You will LOVE the results...it's worth it.

[taigagirl]

Originally Posted by shannon94

We did our whole house. Since the popcorn had been painted over god knows how many times ..it was harder to scrape. However we put a little fabric softener mixed with water in a spray bottle and it made it it slide right off!! You will LOVE the results...it's worth it.

Sounds like an absolutely fabulous plan...now I just have to figure out how to get my spouse to help me

[Figment 07]

I've done that (spraying water and scraping the ceilings), but rather than the popcorn, mine was a heavy, hideous spackle that looked as if someone had created a textured ceiling by dipping a mop in wet drywall compound and dabbing it overhead. It was tough work to remove.

Take plenty of breaks. After a few days of pretty much non-stop scraping, I discovered that I had injured my shoulder and I had serious pain for a couple of years.

But I no longer have the pain of looking at those ugly ceilings.

[golfgal]

You might want to rent some scaffolding to help make the process easier and go faster. You could get some high enough so you aren't do as much overhead work, more head level work. It would also save many trips up and down the ladder. Another idea would be to put the scraper on the end of a painting pole so you can stay on the floor. You can buy them to extend to 10+ feet and wouldn't have to do any overhead work.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by golfgal

You might want to rent some scaffolding to help make the process easier and go faster. You could get some high enough so you aren't do as much overhead work, more head level work. It would also save many trips up and down the ladder. Another idea would be to put the scraper on the end of a painting pole so you can stay on the floor. You can buy them to extend to 10+ feet and wouldn't have to do any overhead work.

What a great idea about the extender! Why didn't that occur to me?

[Theresejenkins]

Myu husband is a contractor in SC and he does this, we did it to our house - it makes a HUGE difference and I strongly encourage it for resale...it's not difficult, but makes a total mess. You buy a sprayer and spray the ceiling with water, and at Lowe's they sell a scraper attached to a handle, and just lightly scrape it off, but make sure you have plastic on the floors and your furniture! And, the stuff is extremely heavy. Then when the ceiling dries you can prime and paint it.

[HockeyDadof2]

Our previous home had popcorn ceilings. We had painted one of the rooms and been relatively happy with the results however a few years later we decided to scrape them all. It is a very easy job but very messy. The one room we had painted the ceiling in it was very difficult to remove the popcorn. We rented scafolding, it was cheap for the amount of work it saves balancing on ladders and having to get down and move the ladders. We then had the ceilings textured as the walls were textured. When we bought our current home that was one of the first things we noticed in the homes we were looking at. I was amazed that some homes they were asking as much as $500K for had popcorn ceilings.