Popcorn ceilings no longer appeal to the majority of homeowners as they did from the 50s to the 80s when they were widely applied. Removing the texturing takes work and creates a mess, but the result is a more modern, clean look to the ceiling. A popcorn ceiling texture applied before 1986 may contain asbestos so testing is a key step in the process. If asbestos is present, you need a professional to remove the ceiling texture.
Instructions
1. Scrape a small section of the popcorn ceiling texture off using a putty knife. Catch the sample in a plastic bag. Take the sample to a local company that handles asbestos testing and consultations to determine if asbestos is a problem. If there is no asbestos, continue with the removal process. If asbestos is found, hire a professional to remove the texture.
2. Move furniture out of the room for easier removal. This eliminates the risk of getting the furniture dirty and allows you to move around freely as you work.
3. Cover the floor, light fixtures, electrical outlets and other fixtures you cannot move out of the room. Cut plastic sheeting to fit and tape the edges down to cover the items. This step takes time before the removal, but it saves you time on the cleanup and protects items from the dust and dirt of the project.
4. Fill a pump-style garden sprayer with water. This style of sprayer allows you to use it from any angle, unlike a spray bottle that doesn't work well when tipped to hit the ceiling.
5. Spray the ceiling with the water. You want the popcorn texture wet without saturating the drywall material it covers. Wetting the makes it much easier to scrape away, speeding up the removal process.
6. Put the goggles and mask on to protect yourself from the falling debris. Scrape off the popcorn texture while carefully standing on the ladder. Keep the scraper at an angle, being careful not to dig holes in the ceiling. Spray on additional water as needed for stubborn areas of the popcorn texture.
7. Pull up the tape holding down the plastic sheeting. Roll it carefully to keep all of the debris trapped inside. Wipe down any surfaces that still have popcorn texture dust on them.
Tags: popcorn texture, asbestos testing, ceiling Spray, ceiling texture, plastic sheeting,