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Is it doable without wrecking the drywall? Have a 15’x14′ ceiling in a bedroom where I would like to do a knockdown/stucco effect ceiling to match a recent attached bath remodel. Have sprayed knockdown on a flat ceiling, but need to scrape off the popcorn so I can start with a smooth surface. Tips, etc…much appreciated…
Thanks-
Brian
This 654-sq.-ft. ADU combines vaulted ceilings, reclaimed materials, and efficient design, offering a flexible guest suite and home office above a new garage.
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Replies
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Brian,
To remove the popcorn ceiling material take a garden sprayer with water. Adjust to a fine spray and mist the popcorn until it is damp - not soaked and dripping - wait a few minutes and test with a scraper. It should just come off like butter. If not either wait a little longer and/or use some additional water. We've used a garden edger, but now have a concrete scraper with an 18" blade - fast.
One does have to take care to not damage the paper on the drywall. In other words, don't apply too much pressure to the scraper.
Cliff.
*Brian- Ditto Cliff's suggestion. A wide, blunt scraper like a drywall mud knife. You'll be flyin' - what a mess!
*Is there any concern that the "popcorn" material may contain asbestos? -- J.S.
*Brian,I might add that after we have scraped off the old popcorn we let the ceiling dry and then apply a coat of Kilz, or the equivalent. If it should ever get wet - as in a roof leak - then you will not get the typical yellow-ring stain that you will without it. That makes it easier and cheaper to repair if any falls off or peels - good/cheap insurance. Homax makes a good hand operated texture spraying tool if you should ever need to repair popcorn texture. They are sold at Home Depot stores.Cliff.
*improper. asbestos test first! brian
*Brian,Hmmm. Seems to be concern about asbestos. Rather than waste money I'd see if I could find out when the house ceiling was sprayed. If the house is older than 1978 (I believe that is the year) then asbestos may or may not be a concern. If it was built after 1978 then save your money. It should be asbestos-free.With the popcorn being wetted the asbestos dust would not be a major concern simply because there won't be any. We normally put down a plastic drop cloth and after the scraping gather it up, bag it and throw it out. We just haven't had any dust that anyone has noticed when doing it this way.With the application of the Kilz, again there is no dust problem, and if there were any asbestos fibers still on the ceiling they would be encapsulated by the Kilz. If you still have concerns then use a dust mask. It won't hurt and will give you peace of mind.Most asbestos concerns arose from people who had continuous exposure to it in a free state over long periods of time. If your job fits this scenario, then perhaps you should reconsider your options; otherwise, I wouldn't get too paranoid about asbestos.Cliff.
*That, and lead. I don't really mean Brian, but some folks forget most of us got brains. Knowing whether something contains lead or asbestos doesn't have much effect on how I work, other than maybe disposal issues.
*FHB had a tip some time back. Get a large plastic bottle. Cut off the base at an angle, tape the vacumn cleaner hose to the neck, turn the vacumn cleaner on and use the bottle base as a scraper.
*After working in the shipyards for many years. I feel that if it does have asbestos, you have to wet the popcorn to get it off anyway. What wetting the popcorn does is prevent the asbestos fibres from floating around. That is how the laggers in the shipyard started removeing the asbestos. (They did isolate the space and used breathing equipment). But I think with the limited amount of exposure and the wetting of it any chance of danger will be eliminated.
*While it's certainly true that wetting the sutff down will keep the dust down, it still makes a heck of a mess on the floor.I did about 750 sf of ceiling last winter, and after a couple of tests, came up with the "Ultimate Tool."I used the handyman's secret weapon to attach a 4" short-handled floor scraper to the smaller floor tool from my shop vac. (I used one section of extension pipe, too.)With the blade just even with the front edge of the vac tool, and about an inch away, the shop vac sucked about 99 percent of the stuff away.Things I learned:- Knock the corners off the blade to limit tears in drywall.- Be prepared with plenty of drywall bags for the vac.- It goes faster if you use sawhorses and planks instead of a ladder.- Rockers who know there's going to be popcorn aren't very careful.Ken
*it's not that it's going to be a hazard for the workmen. we're in, paid, and out!if, by chance, someone follows up and runs an asbestos test and it turns out to be positive, guess what happens? the house is locked up by the authorities with all contents inside. i forget for how many years.happened to a family involving sears contractors sometime in '93.brian
*i if, by chance, someone follows up and runs an asbestos test and it turns out to be positive, guess what happens? the house is locked up by the authorities with all contents inside. i forget for how many years. Really? My understanding is that asbestos abatement regulations for residential homes are extremely lax. We have remnants of asbestos floor tiles in our basement. We've been told that we can just throw away x amount per garbage load no problem.Also, as an aside, WHY did they use asbestos in this stuff? Was it really that much of a fire retardant to spray it on sheetrock ceilings?
*Do not mess with asbestos. It's not worth it! If there is any doubt at all, have it tested. You scrape a sample from EACH room that you are going to work on, send it to the lab, look in the yellow pages, cost is about $35.00 per sample. If it returns positive, have a abatement company do the work, it is not that expensive and as Brian Smith said, you can pollute a house for a 100 years. Asbestos is a silent killer, takes many years to show up and you do not know how much you have been exposed to by now. Think of other people too, guest to the house, the next buyers etc. Asbestos stays airborn forever! Sorry to preach, saw a lung with asbestos on a TV program and it scared me to death! Steve.
*DarnellWe have remnants of asbestos floor tiles in our basement. We've been told that we can just throw away x amount per garbage load no problem. Asbestos encapsulated in tile or roofing material is far less likley to become air born or friable (sp?) where as in the ceiling material it is already loose. Most wet down the material to try and keep it from becoming air born but with out the test equipment you won't know. Enforement may be lax in your area but here in Southern California I know of homes that sales have fallen through because the seller had scraped ceilings but no paper work showing that the work was done by an abatement contractor. The bank would not loan, the realtors all balked, huge game of CYA.