Removing Popcorn ceiling

[username_code]

Hi everyone,


Wondering how much work and $$$ would go into removing that popcorn crap off the ceiling?


Would it make better sense to break it all off and replace with new drywall. Drywall isn't expensive so wondering how much contractors would charge to put them up and do the necessary taping and etc.


I really don't think I could do it and would hire some one. What seems to be the going rate for either options.


Let's say a 20x10 room just to get an idea. We would eventually want to do the entire main floor.

[boyoflondon]

If its just plain popcorn that has not been painted over, its a piece of cake. Take a scraper and you will be done within 15min.

Now, if it has been painted over, it can be a pain in the ass. We just had this problem in the house we finished. We tried to sand it down as much as we could and then applied new popcorn over it.

[tommyamaral]

You have a couple of options here, Drywall right over it if the ceiling is nice and straight.I personally dont like doing this but its up to you,Or like the poster above me said if its not painted grab a paint roller cover your floors and roll some water with soap on the ceiling and scrap them off.The point of the soap is that the water doesnt drip as much,same as taking wallpaper off.

Good luck

[venice_it]

The first thing we generally do is to cover the floors/walls with plastic. Then we use a weed sprayer to spray water on the ceiling. If the stucco has never been painted it will come off easily.

If it has been painted, it will likely take some work to remove it. I find a quick scraping will break off a lot of the "points" of the stucco, allowing water to soak up through these areas behind the paint. Repeatedly mist the ceiling with water and give it a half hour or more for the water to really penetrate behind the paint. Hopefully the bond will weaken sufficiently for relatively easy removal. Occasionally, we find the stucco just cannot be removed completely.

Once the stucco is removed, we have been taking a sponge type mop and gently wash the ceiling of any residue (rinsing the mop frequently). Once the ceiling dries I do a quick light sand with a pole sander to remove anything else.

At this point it is nice to remove the plastic film protecting the walls/floor and all the stucco crap that was removed and replace it with fresh plastic film on the floor.

Since the ceiling has not been prepped for a smooth finish, you need to repair any damage/screw pops/loose tape and then skim the entire ceiling once or twice with drywall compound. Then a final sanding.

You will likely quite a range of pricing for this sort of work since it is not really a standardized type of work. I would say a ball-park price would be about $600-700 for the room size you mentioned, assuming the home is less than 20 years old.

[arisk]

I removed it from a room about the same size as yours.
Unfortunately mine had been painted and not primed underneath either.
It was hard work and took a full day of scraping just to get the popcorn off.
There was quite a bit of damage to the remaining drywall surface, which I had to repair.
Except for the actual mounting of the drywall, it was almost as much work as starting from scratch.
In retrospect I would cover with 3/8" and re-finish.

I tried the "knock the tops off" and then let water soak in method.
In some areas it was OK and in others it was a failure.
Because it wasn't primed underneath, water absorption varied depending in whether it was drywall surface or compound underneath.
There was quite a bit of trial and error.

Like others have said, if it hasn't been painted it should be an easy job.
Otherwise, I would say try a test area and based on that decide your course of action.

Another wrinkle is that it is possible the popcorn contains asbestos.
Mine did not.

[YeemJeem]

Sanding off popcorn ceiling is a lot of work. Sanding to a perfectly smooth flat surface is even more work. Even after you sand you still have to use drywall compound to fix all the imperfections. If I were in your shoes I'd get new drywall and start from scratch. Here is your chance to install potlights too while you're at it.

[username_code]

Thanks to everyone who posted something here.



I do not know think its painted. We already have pot lights. So I guess some of you think we can try removing it ourselves?? Worse to worse drywall over the ceiling...


Does anyone here have any photos as they were scraping and sanding this?? Because its the ceiling, it's that much harder to work.


I really wonder how it would look at the end of it...before even starting it.

[arisk]

So I guess some of you think we can try removing it ourselves?? Worse to worse drywall over the ceiling...

Removal is mostly labor and little skill.
Unless your time is worth a lot, save money and do it yourself.
It's either very easy (unpainted) or labor intensive (painted).

If new drywall is required, then likely you want to hire someone, as I sense this might be beyond your abilities.


Does anyone here have any photos as they were scraping and sanding this?? Because its the ceiling, it's that much harder to work.
No photos here.
Yes, overhead is harder.
I used an old tall cabinet as a seat sometimes and stood on a stepladder the rest.


I really wonder how it would look at the end of it...before even starting it.
Not sure what you mean.
At the end of it, after all repairs, it looked like any other drywalled ceiling.

[jnette]

I found a video for you... i hope this is something you are looking for, I thought of doing this too but houses in the US have asbestos around the 70s so i didn't touch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWmmjPhC5R4&feature=related

[andr3y]

Hi everyone,


Wondering how much work and $$$ would go into removing that popcorn crap off the ceiling?


Would it make better sense to break it all off and replace with new drywall. Drywall isn't expensive so wondering how much contractors would charge to put them up and do the necessary taping and etc.


I really don't think I could do it and would hire some one. What seems to be the going rate for either options.


Let's say a 20x10 room just to get an idea. We would eventually want to do the entire main floor.

if its just a regular stipple, like they do in most of the new houses. Then it will come off really easily. The secret is to wet it with spray bottle and then scrape it with a knife.
you might need to patch the ceiling with some mud after.


just like on the video jnette posted

[mayble]

We are having our popcorn ceilings removed as part of our remodelling project. My contractor is charging $1,100 for 3 rooms (approx. 12x17, 12x16 and 12x12). The price also includes repairing the ceiling once the popcorn is gone.

[andr3y]

We are having our popcorn ceilings removed as part of our remodelling project. My contractor is charging $1,100 for 3 rooms (approx. 12x17, 12x16 and 12x12). The price also includes repairing the ceiling once the popcorn is gone.

Sometimes popcorns are made from concrete. Especially in old houses. Is it a tall ceiling?
If its the one in the video. it shouldn't take more than 2 day. fixing the ceiling after and painting it.

[mayble]

It's 8 foot celings, the house is approx. 38 years old.

[felix2000]

We need to remove the popcorn in a home we're purchasing in mississauga. It was built in 1975 should we be concerned about asbestos? Somethings we've read said anything before 1979 should be tested.