Removing a Popcorn Ceiling

Popcorn ceilings were a popular design trend during the 1960s and 70s, but look dated compared to today’s clean, modern décor. Removing the textured material is a fairly straightforward job, but it is a bit messy and requires a bit of time. Proper preparation will make the job go smoother.

Sometimes, popcorn ceilings contain asbestos. A lab can test a sample to determine if that’s the case (see below on how to take a sample). If your ceiling does contain asbestos, you might opt to cover it with sheetrock or have a professional remove it, as asbestos is a known carcinogen. Check local regulations for guidelines on removal.   

Step 1 - Check for Asbestos

Using a spray bottle with water, moisten (don't soak) about four small areas in different parts of your ceiling. Scrape about a 1-square-inch patch from each area into individual plastic bags with a small putty knife. Take these samples to a lab that can determine if the ceiling contains asbestos. If there is no asbestos in your ceiling, move on to step 2.

Step 2 – Clear the Room

Once the lab has assured you the popcorn ceiling doesn't have any asbestos, removing it becomes essentially a larger-scale version of the sample-taking process. Remove all the furniture in the room if possible, or cover it with waterproof plastic sheets. Spread plastic sheets or tarpaulins on the floor to protect it.  Consider putting a piece of plastic over the windows as well.

Step 3 – Wet the Ceiling

Put on a long-sleeved shirt, a hat, and goggles. Safety goggles with sides are best. Wear a face mask to avoid breathing in any dust. Use a spray bottle or a clean garden sprayer, to moisten an area of 2 to 3-square-feet with water. Alternatively, use a long nap ceiling paint roller dipped in water. The objective is to wet the popcorn enough to soften it and make it easy to scrape off without soaking the sheetrock behind it.

Step 4 – Scrape the Popcorn

Once a section has softened, use an 8 or 10-inch putty knife to carefully scrape the popcorn off the ceiling. Move across the ceiling, section by section, moistening and scraping until all the popcorn is gone. Try not to catch the corners of the putty knife. This can create gouges in the ceiling that need to be repaired.

Step 5 – Sand the Ceiling

Once the popcorn has been removed, lightly sand the ceiling and paint it as you normally would. If there are tears in the sheetrock, or other damage, you may have to spackle some sections of the ceiling to get it as smooth as you would like.

Alternative Method

Rather than going to the trouble of wetting and scraping, an alternative is to simply install a new drywall ceiling over the popcorn. You would lose about 1 inch of ceiling height, but this might be the most hassle-free way of getting rid of that popcorn.  Painting expert, Pam Estabrookse of ProTect Painters, suggests, “To compensate for the difference in height where the new drywall ceiling meets the wall, consider installing crown molding to finish off the new look.”

TIP: Putting too much water on the popcorn could cause water spots on the underlying ceiling drywall.  Pam says, “If you get a water spot or two, use an oil primer in a spray can to block the stain.  These come with tops especially designed to spray ceilings.”

 

Pam Estabrooke, district manager of ProTect Painters, contributed to this article.