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I've started removing the popcorn ceiling off one of my rooms (I had it tested for Asbestos before = negative), but after removing a small area I'm disappointed to find the ceiling material to be apparently plaster and not drywall, so this has become such a hassle since the previous home owner had the popcorn painted which is already making this difficult enough, and now I have no clue how am I supposed to make this material ready for painting.
I took out a small area of about 2'x2', so now I need to do something to fix this ugly spot.
Any suggestions? Am I right and does this ceiling look like plaster to you?
If the ceiling really is popcorn then spray water on the ceiling and remove with a blade. If the material does not easily remove when wet then perhaps it is not popcorn. You can scrap the ceiling with a blade only to determine adhesion not to remove. Then continue on with a hopper if the material is permanently attached to the ceiling.
I want to say Oil based, it was hard to penetrate the popcorn for removal.
I watched a HousePorn TV with Candice Olson where the previous owners had done that.
It was a nightmare to fix. Her experts could not remove the popcorn.
I don't remember whether they removed the entire ceiling or covered it over.
I remember watching a home remodel show a few years ago where they didn't even attempt to get rid of the popcorn. Instead, they put a thin plywood over the popcorn and textured/painted the plywood. To me, that seemed much cleaner than scraping the popcorn.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Yes, that looks like plaster. You have a couple of alternatives, I would probably re-plaster over it to make it smooth. The other, messier method is to remove it plaster and all and then do new drywall. For just one room it wouldn't be costly, just a lot of work.
It may be easier to cover the old ceiling with new drywall.
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So, 50/50
