Is your ceiling sporting that (not-so) glorious popcorn texture that was once so popular? Mine was too until I decided to pull a little DIY popcorn ceiling removal. Read on to learn how to remove popcorn ceiling the right way – and what not to do. Learn from my mistakes, friends.
Friends, this is one of those projects that is not for everyone.
Removing a popcorn ceiling is not necessarily hard, but its messy.
And frustrating.
And did I say it was messy?
Oh and this single project is what sparked the entire makeover of the bathroom.
However, in the end, for me, it was worth it.
Lucky for you, I screwed up multiple times during this process and can tell you exactly what not to do.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by HomeRight, however all opinions and popcorn ceiling messes are 100% mine. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
How to Get Rid of Popcorn Ceilings
*Before you start anything you need to determine whether or not your ceiling contains asbestos. If your house was built prior or around 1978, your ceiling could contain asbestos. You can do testing for asbestos by using this kit.
Tools & Materials Needed:
- Tank Garden Sprayer – I used this one.
- Wide Putty Knife
- Plastic Sheeting or Drop Cloths (If you want to keep a mushy mess from getting on your floor and ceilings)
- FrogTape or Painter’s Tape (needed if you use the plastic sheeting)
- Ladder
- Breathing Mask
- Water
- Safety Glasses / Goggles
What You May Need if You Screw Up Like I Did:
- Joint Compound
- Sandpaper
But you are going to pay close attention to the what not to do’s and not need those last two items above, mmkay?
Learn from my mistakes, y’all.
Steps
Step 1
Remove any light fixtures and cover up the wiring so that it isn’t exposed to water. Also be warned that when water hits a hot light bulb, the bulb will bust. Yes, this may have happened to me.
If you want to avoid a big mess, at this point you need to run the plastic sheeting all along your walls and floors securing it with tape along the edges. If you like big messes or you really don’t care to clean it up, you can skip this part.
Guess who skipped this part because she may have been a bit too impatient?
Yep. I’m still cleaning popcorn ceiling remnants out of my grout.
And yes, I realize that was more like three different steps, but its all just prep work.
Step 2
Fill up your garden sprayer with water. Nothing else, just plain water. Do not fill it so full that it is too heavy to carry across your shoulder while you are on the ladder. Yes, I nearly toppled myself over because of that.
Step 3
Pump up the pressure on your tank sprayer and aim your nozzle toward the ceiling. Begin spraying the water directly onto your popcorn ceiling. Wear safety glasses / goggles to keep the water from dripping onto your eyes and eventually the popcorn. Do not try to be a rebel and not wear them. Take it from me.
If you are working in a small space, as my bathroom was, then spray the entire ceiling down at once. If it is a large space, work in sections.
After you spray the entire ceiling down once, go back to where you began and spray it down again.
How to Scrape Popcorn Ceilings
Step 4
Put on your breathing mask. Seriously, put it on. I mean it.
After the water has had about 15 minutes to soak in, go back to where you began spraying, take your putty knife and scrape the ceiling texture right off the ceiling.
If it doesn’t come down easily with one scrape, stop and let the water soak in more or spray more water on the ceiling. Do not think that constantly scraping it will make it come down. Wait until it is soaked through and it will come down super easily – like mush. Literally.
Keep the putty knife flush against the ceiling and don’t angle it on the ends one way or the other.
Ok, so see that small putty knife I was using? This works so much better and goes faster with a wider, larger putty knife. The small one is good for going back and getting small pieces of popcorn you missed, but a larger one is better overall.
Where was my large putty knife you ask?
Buried in a box of sandpaper that I found after I had scraped the ceilings. Story of my life.
Do not think that you can leave small pieces of popcorn behind.
All those small pieces gotta go too. If they dry before you get to them, wet them back down and then scrape.
When scraping the popcorn off, try to keep the putty knife as level as possible against the ceiling. Do not put too much pressure on the edges or you will gouge the ceiling:
Where you see the brown is where I put too much pressure on one side of the knife and took off some of the drywall paper. Not good, but fixable.
In the end, you will be left with this:
The above picture is why you tape plastic sheeting up. I think the picture proves the value of this.
Step 5
After you have scraped all the popcorn off, allow the ceiling to fully dry. If you scored an A+ in following my what not to do’s, then you may not need to do this step.
If you do have some spots, like I did, where the paper on the drywall tore or you gouged the ceiling, you’ll need to fix them now.
Lightly sand them to make them as even as possible, then spackle as needed. Allow the spackle to dry and then sand them smooth.
If the ceiling is really bad, you might need to skim coat the whole ceiling with drywall mud, let dry, then sand.
Step 6
Prime and paint the ceiling. I used Kilz 2 Primer and my Paintstick.
You should only need one coat of primer. This just helps to seal the drywall and keep your ceiling paint from soaking in too much and requiring multiple coats.
At this point, you can paint your ceiling white or whatever color you want to paint it.
Oh, you are wondering if I was just lazy and left my ceiling primed? Nope…..I painted it PINK and added some faux white moldings to it. See that tutorial here!
Have you done a DIY popcorn ceiling removal before?
Share your experience in the comments!
More helpful ceiling posts:
Not ready to take the plunge into removing your popcorn ceiling? I totally get it – see these ideas instead for distracting from your popcorn ceilings!
Painted Ceiling Designs – you’ve banished the popcorn, now make that ceiling shine!
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charles young says
Took the popcorn off a couple bedroom ceilings years ago. BIG mess and days of spackling all the joints and nail heads that the contractors didn’t finish. We ended up priming then going back and fixing the spots that weren’t level then priming again. In the end looked so much bettrr and cleaner when done.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
It is a huge mess, big reward, but big mess! And ya know, I don’t think taking off the popcorn is as bad as spackling and then sanding all the other spots! That’s what gets me!
Teresa says
So… do ya know what happens when you PAINT a popcorn ceiling??? Most of it comes down, in several big sheets, when you’re downstairs eating lunch thinking how good that bedroom ceiling looked. Not good when the real estate agent listing your house is due to arrive the next day. Just so you know… you let that crap dry, pull out the Elmer’s glue, and you glue those pieces right back up where they came from. It’s quite a jigsaw puzzle. Once the glue dries, spray a light coat of paint on which is what ya should a done in the first place instead of thinking a big fluffy roller would work fine.
Good job getting rid of the popcorn. It’s only for movies.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t believe that happened, Teresa!!! I hate that you went through all that only to have it fall. Thank goodness for Elmer’s glue to the rescue! I’ve painted a popcorn ceiling before as is and that didn’t happen to me. Maybe it was because I didn’t use a big fluffy roller?
Dale says
So sorry to hear that! I recently removed painted popcorn from a large bonus room and can share this: if you put vinegar in the water it can effect the paint that goes over the ceiling. I’ve heard it will peel off (maybe that was your experience). So far, after 3 months my ceiling paint is still there. Hope you have better luck next time.
chris aka monkey says
my dear jenna that void we have when it comes to patience is gonna kill us one day ha ha i know what a mess this is we want to do vaulted ceilings in the living room crazy xx
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Yes, Chris you are so right, that lack of patience is going to kill us one day – or severely injure us! haha! Ahhh… vaulted ceilings, I can only imagine!
MJ says
How do we determine if there is asbestos in the popcorn? Is there a tester available from the hardware store or do we need to contact someone in particular…..?
I have been contemplating this job for years……maybe soon, thanks to your grey tute.
MJ says
great, not grey….have i told you how much i hate autocorrect? sigh….
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
MJ, this website: http://www.asbestosnetwork.com has tons of info on Asbestos and how to get it checked! I hope that helps! I think you have to send a sample off to a lab to be tested.
gail says
super job Jenna! I so totally GET the impatient part….it’s my middle name. LOL
IF you do this again, I would suggest not a wide putty knife, but a drywall trowel…. maybe 8 inches? They are so wide and flat and would be perfect for this.
As I look up at my ugly popcorn ceiling I only WISH I could do this. but we put it on years ago due to and ugly cracking ceiling. I think I’ll just eventually go with something that covers it up rather than taking it down. LOL
super tute!
gail
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Thanks, Gail! Girl, covering up your popcorn will be so much easier than taking it down! It wasn’t super hard, it was just messy!! I think you are right – a drywall trowel would have worked much better!
Heidi says
Holy cow. That looks like a lot of work! Thanks for the how-to (and how-not-to). Hoping to tackle this project later this year. I’m scared. Pinning!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Don’t be scared, Heidi! Its really not that hard, just really messy! You’ve got this!
Jamie says
This is amazing! I love this tutorial, the good and the bad and the ugly!
Hugs,
J
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Thanks, Jamie! Yep – all of it – good, bad, and ugly!
Melissa@TheHappierHomemaker says
My husband did this in an old bungalow we lived in when first married (I was pregnant with my oldest-my excuse not to help!) It was rough-he did one hallway and we conveniently moved on to other projects!!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Yes, Melissa! It is not a fun job!! This will be the only ceiling I do for a long time if ever!
Chris says
Great job! I have managed to complete 4 ceilings with popcorn and have a couple more to do. I find the four inch knife the best, and one with a handle that is very comfortable. I used a spray bottle with warm water, and sprayed in 2′ by 2′ sections. The key is to not overspray. It does add a lot of moisture in the room so you were right to use plastic. I added drop cloths over it so I didn’t slip. One trick I used was to put a plastic bag in a bucket and hold right under where you are scraping. It makes clean up faster. Another thing to do is to once all the popcorn is removed is to take a drywall sponge, and wet it, and squeeze out extra water. Take the sponge and work in sections and remove the residue and bits of popcorn you have missed. Just remember to rinse it in between uses. It really cleans up the ceiling. The great thing about these sponges it eliminates the need to over scrape.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Chris, those are awesome tips! I wish I would have thought about using a sponge to clean up after especially!! Thanks! I will be remembering that next time for sure!
Melanie @ The Painted Chandelier says
Jenna, GIRL, now that’s just impressive right there! It looks great, but man, what a job! You are a true DIYer for that one! I have a client currently who has some type of textured ceilings ( like a star pattern? 🙁 lol ) and they’re sloped….yeah, I won’t be doing that job… I will be pinning your post, however! Thanks for sharing what not to do,which is just as important as what to do!! Great job 🙂
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Oh man, I think I know what kind of ceiling you are talking about that you client has – they are terrible!! Yea, there’s no way I would have tried this if I had tall, sloped ceilings – and it will be a while before I do it again! haha!
Krysta says
Actually, removing a popcorn ceiling isn’t that messy! This post was great, but if you tape a wide putty knife to the end of a wide end attachment for a shop vac, all the mess goes right in the vacuum. I had minimal mess. I didn’t even remove or cover my washer and dryer from my laundry room!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Great tip, Krysta!
Cat says
I would love to see a video of that. I can’t see it in my head. I need a picture of how to tape to the vac.
Jenna Too says
Hey Jenna! I just removed popcorn half of my dining room ceiling. The problem is – it’s not going so well. It took me 4 hours to do about 15 sq ft and there’s waaay too much paint residue left behind. I just spraying a little and then more and them even more – nothing works! It’s so bad that the top layer of drywall paper starts rolling, but the paint doesn’t budge. What should I do? Any ideas?
I tried cold and hot water and even added fabric softener (someone recommended it in another blog). I’m going to try cleaning it with a sponge tomorrow, but I doubt it’ll do anything to that paint. It almost looks like primer or something and it’s pretty old (~20years). Also, when the drywall paper gets wet, it becomes very fragile. Do you then stop and let it dry? I’m not sure how to rid of that residue without spraying it, but then drywall gets all wet. It’s vicious circle. You made it look super easy…. 🙁
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Oh no, Jenna! Yea, I didn’t run into this, although some of my drywall paper did peel. Have you tried to sand it? Maybe if you let it dry completely, then came back with a sander, you could get it as smooth as possible?
theresa says
I removed our popcorn ceiling in a fairly large entry room. We had a pretty bad roof leak , so for a while the rain was slowly removing it for us (ugly and not a great feeling) when we could finally afford to have the roof fixed I took on the task of removal and painting . It looks beautiful now. But our kitchen is joined right up to that and now I think I may hAve to keep going soon.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Ugh, Theresa. Here’s to as clean of project as possible!
Linda says
We started to take off our popcorn ceilings, but did not have a pressurized water tank. Needless to say a spray bottle did not cut the mustard. Instead, we took a dollar store sponge mop and scraped the ceiling with a dry mop first going the length of the ceiling and then the width of the ceiling. We did not get all of the texture off, but the popcorn pieces did fall off. We then painted the ceiling with a double coat of paint. It looks like a textured finish. If you decide to do this be aware there will be popcorn pieces everywhere.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Good to know, Linda. Thanks!
Meleah says
I haven’t read down through everyone else’s comments, but thought it may be good to add that that old paint can be lead paint, even if there’s no asbestos. You can get tests for lead paint add most hardware stores. Very informative post. Thanks!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Yes, very true! Thanks, Meleah!
Rebecca F says
Want to collect 98% of the mush….use a garbage can lid (use it directly under your LARGE wallpaper blade) with a handle to catch and dump in a large can as you go. Very little mess this way (I’ve done over 20 ceilings in my renovations). Also use lukewarm water and wait about 20 minutes after wetting. DON’T RUSH this part. You should be able to do a 10 x 12 room in a little over 2 hours. Once you have any small pieces removed let the ceiling dry over 24 hours before patching, any texturing you want to do (or not) but make sure the ceiling is completely dry before you do any drywall repair and priming. If it feels cool to the touch…it’s still moist.
Juanita Short says
I took the popcorn off my bathroom ceiling a couple years ago with much less mess. Inevitably, you are going to have some of that stuff get away from you, but here’s how I did it: I simply took the wide 4″ drywall knife for the large area, with a smaller one for the tight spots, and scraped the rough stuff off into a beer flat I was holding under as I scraped. A very slight texture was left that was much easier to paint. If you’re careful not to gouge as you go, you eliminate having to patch or re-texture. Also not using water to moisten the stuff is much easier to just vacuum up what doesn’t fall into the flat. I like the idea of the previous commenter of using a garbage can lid–more area for the popcorn to fall into and with a handle. It didn’t take hardly any time at all and like the soft textured result that would allow for much easier painting in the future.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
That is a great idea, Juanita!! Thanks so much for the tip!
Charlene says
So you didn’t wet anything? No sprayer was used?
Rhonda Theis says
Good tutorial! We’ve taken down two full houses of popcorn ceilings (1500 and 2500 sf). After MUCH trial and error, we finally have it down. A couple of must-do tips to add for those who are thinking of trying it:
1. It’s not difficult- but it is tedious. Do not take shortcuts. I’m one who cuts corners and it really showed my mistakes. My husband, Mr. Detail Oriented, always came back and put in the time to clean up my mess and make it look better.
2. After you’ve scraped, take extra time to sand any rough spots to perfection- especially where the ceiling meets the wall. We realized that Sheetrock in the 70’s was not yet an art form and they used popcorn to cover up sloppy work. We scraped it off and then had to fill low spots with spackle and sand, sand, sand every spot. Originally, we retextured once it was scraped- thinking the texture would cover the uneven spots. It doesn’t. Of course, we started in our living room and ended up looking DIY. By the time we had finished the bedrooms and hallways, we had the hang of it and finally found our way back to the living room and started over. Start in the least used room in your house, so you don’t have to see your first attempt every minute of every day!
Overall, it is well worth the effort. It doesn’t cost much- except time. When you’re done, the room will feel brighter and cleaner- and not 40 years of dust on your ceiling.
Angela says
Great tips! I wonder how to check a ceiling for asbestos? Our house was built in 1971 and I’ve removed 1200 square feet of ceiling so far, and never checked….I have more to do and think I’d better figure that out.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Hi Angela! I think you have to send a sample of it off somewhere. I googled it once and found a service, I think.
Becky says
Hi! I just started this project in my kitchen/breakfast area yesterday. I’m using a large metal cooking spatula and a dust pan to catch it (I’m trying to spend as little as possible). Of course a lot is still falling to the ground but not as much as it could be. I’m on my second day (fairly large room and I’m doing it all by myself). It’s a slow process and very messy but I know it will be worth it in the end. I like using the spatula because of the longer handle. It’s not as wide as other tools but I’m learning, if I get the stuff wet enough, it comes down pretty quickly.
I’m finding all kinds of shotty builder work in the placement of the sheet rock. Spaces between sheets will need to be taped and spackled. More work than I first anticipated. Isn’t that always the case with DIY projects?
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Good luck, Becky!! That is always the case with DIY projects! Always, always, always!!
beth says
our popcorn ceiling has been painted several times – with acrylic ceiling paint (and it did not come down when we did) – so I’m guessing that the wet and scrape method won’t work as the acrylic has basically sealed it up. are there other options, or do I just accept popcorn in my life… (spent 10 years working in a movie theatre, so the word popcorn still makes me twitch…)
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Ugh. I’m so sorry, Beth. Yea, I think once its been painted its really hard to get off. You could probably put new drywall over it, but that would cost a lot of money. You could contact someone who removes popcorn ceilings professionally and ask him. He might know something that I don’t.
Leslie says
I am in the middle of this right now. I spent hours and hours over two days scraping off the popcorn ceiling in our 10’x12′ bedroom. Our ceiling was definitely painted at least once before and the water didn’t really do much to soften the popcorn. So a lot of spots retained the slightest bit of texture and the rest is GOUGE MARKS GALORE. If you spray some more AFTER you start scraping, the drywall paper beneath just rips right off. Where I managed NOT to gouge into the ceiling, there are still trowel marks that dig into the plaster just slightly, and I know they will be visible once painted. So I had no choice but to spend 3 straight hours this evening patching up all the gouges. Tomorrow I will sand endlessly, then will have to skim-coat the entire ceiling with mud to try and eliminate any leftover texture. Ugh. Why can’t anything be easy.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Oh honey! I am so sorry! I’ve heard that painted popcorn ceilings are a ***** to take down!! I really want to remove the popcorn on some more ceilings of ours, but I am dreading it!
Judy Dendy says
I flip houses. I recently just sanded all the popcorn off the ceiling rather than take it all the way down. Use an electric sander with a vacuum attached and be sure to wear goggles and eye wear as you will get sand everywhere. When you paint, do NOT go over any area 2 times while wet or the texture will come down.
On that house, I decided to take all the popcorn off in two baths and the living room (sanded rest of ceilings) and after you get the popcorn off, you should spray or hand apply texture. Big box stores has a sprayer for texture for $99 that will do the trick. Put plastic over walls and cover windows. Although texture just washes off you do NOT want to wash every wall surface, baseboard, etc after texturing. You will have a much more professional ceiling if you texture before painting. House sold first week on market. It does make a difference. Oh yes, sand the ceiling after you get the popcorn off before applying texture or paint or it will look lumpy. Light sanding with a palm sander is enough. Harbor Freight has palm sanders for $15.
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Great tips to know Judy! Thank you!
Melanie says
Much like you, I was impatient one day, and after watching YouTube videos that showed “just how easy it is!” I started scraping the popcorn off my kitchen ceiling. Two weeks, 4 bleeding knuckles, and one dust-covered house later, it was finished. It looks fantastic no, but it is the one DIY project I pledge never to do again . . . except for the dining room ceiling that’s connected to my kitchen ceiling. But I think I will wait at least a year so I can recover 🙂 Thank you for encouraging your readers to not skip the prep and safety steps–taping off your walls, covering your eyes, and wearing a mask are a must! Even if you are impatient and just want to get scraping!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
At least there’s someone else out there like me that’s impatient!!! haha! Yep, the prep work is a key in this kind of project.
Victoria says
We’re buying a townhouse that has popcorn ceilings throughout so this is on my to-do list but after reading through the comments, I’m thinking I may just hire someone! I know my FIL did it in a couple of their rooms and didn’t have too much difficulty with it but he used to be a contractor so he knows about these things.
Who the heck ever decided popcorn ceilings were a good thing!!! They’re ugly and collect dust and cobwebst!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
Preach, sister! I’m not a fan either. However, after this adventure in removing them, I won’t be doing it again. I actually wrote another post about distracting from the popcorn ceilings rather than removing them. You can see it here: https://rainonatinroof.com/2016/06/6-decorating-ideas-to-distract-from-popcorn-ceilings/
Kristin says
I feel your pain with this project! It has been such a mess to get off and sometimes I wonder if it’s all really worth it. I’ve definitely made a few mistakes with it like you did, but in the end, I’d say I’m glad I went ahead with my crazy plan. Great article. Thanks for sharing!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof says
It is a pain, isn’t it, Kristin! You’re braver than I am – I don’t know if I could do it again!
Jane says
Jenna you did a hugeee work! And great tutorial…I’m just losing motivation to start doing this myself because it’s sooo much work cannot even think about doing this :(( someday maybe or should hire somebody… 😀
Jenna says
It is a lot of work girl and honestly, I don’t know that I could bring myself to do it again!
No One says
beth says
August 30, 2015 at 3:38 pm
our popcorn ceiling has been painted several times – with acrylic ceiling paint (and it did not come down when we did)
> it’s at least 10x harder, but it can be done. I removed popcorn from my home which was painted multiple times with oil based paint. 1) use paint stripper gel and brush it on the popcorn 2) wait 15 mins and scrap off what the paint. if you’re lucky some areas will come down in bigger sections. 3) used heat gun to remove remaining popcorn, or apply another coat of paint stripper. Buy a P100 mask; eye protection, gloves, and use at least two layers of plastic on the floors (otherwise the drips from the paint stripper will eat through the coating on your hardwood floor). this was done on a close to century old home with plaster and lath ceiling. i didn’t test for asbestos and paint was guaranteed to have lead, but took a lot of precaution sealing each room and putting a large fan in an open window to vent out.
Jennifer Davis says
Just found this post Googling and I loved it! Thanks for your help. I’m currently working on a spare bedroom and this will be my first time scraping popcorn ceiling.
Jenna says
Glad it was helpful, Jennifer!
John says
FWIW, I paid an independent contractor a ransom to scrape the popcorn off the ceiling of our manufactured home and then spent 3 weeks correcting his mistakes. Ain’t done yet. There were huge areas of rough spots that had to be re-scraped and needless to say I produced a huge amounts of what I call tags, otherwise known as tears in the underlying drywall. After the tags had dried for a couple of days, I went back over the area with my trusty drywall knife and scraped the tags off. By accident, I discovered that rather addressing each void where the tags came from, I simply skim coated the area, working in one direction. Ceiling looks wonderful! I plan to skim coat going in the opposite direction to make it even smoother. Future plans are to orange peel texture the whole house so a really perfect job on the scraping is not necessary. Of course all the walls and the ceiling will be coated with a new drywall sealer/primer. Here are the steps I plan on using:
1. Scrape
2. Dust (sweep, vacuum, sponge)
3 Skim coat
4. Scrape/sand big ridges
5. Dust (sweep, vacuum, sponge)
6. Skim coat (going the other direction) The resultant finish should be smoother than a baby’s bottom.
7. Final sanding
8. Dust (sweep, vacuum, sponge)
9. Apply texture
10. Seal the whole area
11. Paint
As many have said, a lot of work, but the results will be worth it!!!
Oh, I’m doing the walls as well.
I don’t care about the mess I just cover what I don’t want to get dusty, muddy, etc. I use a small plastic box ( the kind you store shoes in) to catch the crud and a 3 inch scraper. For skim coating I use either a 8 or 10 inch drywall knife. I work in small areas so the mud doesn’t dry out. It’s summer in Yuma so that tends to happen fast. AC is on, water is at hand and I gotta get my butt back on the ladder.
Sorry for the novel!!!
Jenna says
Wow, John – thanks so much for all the tips! I hate you had to correct all the contractor’s mistakes, but at least it turned out well in the end!
Steve says
This was so well written & hilarious to read, I have researched this project to death & yours was the best REAL WORLD explanation. Simply awesome & thank you for the fun read.
Denise says
I’ve scraped off several ceilings in this house. What started it was previous person thought it would be great to paint the ceiling blue to match the walls. I had to remove it to redo the room. Then my realtor said if I do one ceiling, I have to do all ceilings. It’s a 3000 sq ft house with 5 bedrooms and 4 baths plus huge living room, dining room, and kitchen. It is taking a loooong time.
vmurt says
Thanks for giving me the confidence to do this!! I checked and my ceilings had not been painted, so I used your tricks / advice plus a lot of the advice in the comments. I just finished scraping my hallway – it took me an hour and a half to do myself and it’s about 20′ long by 4′ wide.
The garbage can trick is amazing by the way – that saved a ton of mess with the dust. I’ve just finished post dusting / mopping, and will now go over it with a drywall sponge.
I used a plastic drywall scraper – 6″- and in the end, didn’t get many nicks at all. It really wasn’t too bad! I’m going to tackle the bedrooms in my apartment this weekend.
Karin says
I enjoyed your journey and all the tips from the comments. I took off my vaulted kitchen popcorn ceiling this year. I made the mistake of not sheeting the walls. I didn’t have a problem with wet popcorn mess on the walls. BUT, I did have rivulets of water streak down the previously flat painted walls, which made it hard to cover the water marks with primer paint later. It took a lot more elbow grease to scrub those walls. I will use sheeting next time. I used a 6” scraper and plastic shoe box to catch the wet mess. I dumped it out frequently into a garbage sack lined 5 gallon bucket, that I set on on top of a short ladder. It saved my back. I bought a small hand pump sprayer and used warm water on 4′ by 4′ sections. For any places that lifted the paper off the sheetrock I sealed them with Gardz from Zinsser (a Problem Surface Sealer), then mudded and sanded the imperfections. I love the finished kitchen. The hard work was not in removing the popcorn, it came off slick as a whistle. The most time consuming and shoulder aching was doing all the multiple layers of mudding & sanding work afterwards. I didn’t have very many gouges, but found that the weakened wet top paper layer of the sheetrock did come off in many spots. I don’t know why, but, maybe I was too heavy handed on my scrapper pressure. Thank You for the Great article!