Removing a Popcorn Ceiling: Here’s what to do

Popcorn ceilings are perhaps one of the most common interior design regrets that have driven many homeowners to search for an easy way to save themselves from the unfortunate speckled ceiling trend.

The professionals at Spectra Painting Contractors have dealt with our fair share of popcorn ceilings, and we know how much of a pain it can be to knock them down and start fresh. This post will give you some tips for dealing with a popcorn ceiling and explain safety concerns you should know.

How to remove a painted popcorn ceiling

You will likely be looking up at a popcorn ceiling that has at least one layer of paint over it. If it is unpainted, consider yourself lucky because it is going to be a lot easier to get down.
For an unpainted popcorn ceiling, you will spray it with water to soften up the texture.

For a painted popcorn ceiling, the process is a little more intense. Here is how it gets done:

1. Put on some safety gear, including a face mask, some eye protection, and some old clothes that you can throw away when you finish working
2. Spread out lots of plastic drop cloths to protect the floor and any furniture that is still in the room
3. Takedown any ceiling fixtures that might get in the way or damaged, like fans and lights
4. Working in small sections, use a roller or brush to apply a stripping product designed to remove painted popcorn ceilings
5. Let the stripping product sit on the surface for the correct amount of time, following the package directions
6. Use a trowel to scrape the old texture off of your ceiling. You could try to catch some of the mess by holding a bucket as you scrape
7. Safely dispose of the old popcorn material

Once the popcorn ceiling gets removed, you will likely have to address any underlying imperfections left behind. That may mean you will have to sand down the surface to smooth it out before the ceiling can get repainted.

Popcorn Ceiling asbestos: What you need to know

In case you needed another reason to hate your popcorn ceiling, you should know that the material of choice for many popcorn ceilings up until the mid-1980s was asbestos. Newer popcorn ceiling materials contain polystyrene or Styrofoam that do not include asbestos. Be cautious if you are not entirely sure how old the popcorn ceiling is.

Asbestos is a silicate mineral that got used in fire-resistant and insulating materials, according to WebMD.

Although your asbestos ceiling likely is not posing an immediate health risk, it is dangerous when it is disturbed or damaged because it disperses microscopic fibrils. These fibrils can cause lung-scarring illnesses or cancer if you inhale them for an extended period. According to the EPA, asbestos is a safety hazard, but you do not need to worry about inhaling asbestos if your popcorn ceiling is still intact.

Test your popcorn ceiling for asbestos before moving forward with any major renovation. You can scrape off a small chunk of popcorn ceiling and have it tested. If the popcorn ceiling does have materials containing asbestos, professionals recommend hiring an asbestos remediation company for the job. You should also call your local waste authority to know how to dispose of it legally once it is off your ceiling.

Alternatively, you could skip the entire removal process and cover the old popcorn ceiling with a new layer of drywall or wood planks. There are also numerous creative ceiling coverings on the market today, like faux tin ceiling tiles, copper tiles, or shiplap.

If you are removing an old popcorn ceiling that contains asbestos, be sure to keep the texture wet to help trap the fibrils so that they do not get in the air.

In conclusion

Popcorn ceilings can make any room feel more dated, affect the lighting, and gather lots of dirt and dust. When you remove a popcorn ceiling, you can instantly make a room appear more modern and sleek, but it does require some work.

It can also end up being a pretty costly project, especially if you have a lot of space covered in the popcorn ceiling texture. You can expect to pay anywhere between $30 to $200 in materials if you remove the popcorn ceiling yourself or $1 to $3 per square foot of ceiling space for labor and materials to hire a professional. If your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos, you will pay between $3 and $7 per square foot to remove it, according to data collected by Home Light.

Follow up the project with a good quality ceiling primer and plan for two coats of fresh paint. Since you will already have the room emptied and covered, you may want to consider painting the walls as well.

You can learn more about interior and exterior painting projects at the Spectra Painting Contractors Blog. If you are in the Boston area, call Spectra Painting Contractors for your next painting project