removing painted popcorn ceilings


  #1  
Old 01-30-05, 04:45 PM
mollysgirl
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removing painted popcorn ceilings

I see lots of info on removing popcorn ceilings but not if they are already painted!

I have spent the last week removing the painted popcorn ceilings in 2 bedrooms! What a job. I have removed popcorn in other homes but it has never been painted.

I have tried sanding the ceiling first and then applying the water but still is not very successful. It takes ALOT of water before it breaks down the texture.

Anything to make the job easier? I only have 2,850 more sq feet to go.

Help please!!!
 
  #2  
Old 01-30-05, 08:49 PM
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My only advice is use lots of water, and scrape with a stiff blade, 6" or 10".
 
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Old 01-30-05, 09:37 PM
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Asbestos in popcorn ceilings

My only concern is that the popcorn may contain asbestos. The application of sprayed-on asbestos-containing coatings was banned in 1978, but a lot of popcorn ceilings installed as late as 1986 contain asbestos in the mixture. The only way to know if your popcorn contains asbestos is to have it tested.

Click this link: http://doityourself.com/ceiling/asbestosremoval.htm
 
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Old 02-01-05, 07:14 PM
Certaguy
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after 78 latex paints were all supposed to be asbestos free
1986 didnt have any asbestos,nor was it something a paint would or could add - trust me painters never add anything that your not paying for

i would check again your facts - then scrape away
 
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Old 02-01-05, 07:32 PM
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I think the asbestos was in the popcorn itself, not the paint. Whatever was used to make the 'kernals', styrofoam or whatnot. And yeah, pretty sure after '77-'78 it should be fine.
 
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Old 02-04-05, 06:03 PM
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If the textured ceiling was put up between 1960 and the early 1980s, the texturing material may contain asbestos. To find out if your ceiling is asbestos-containing, you can have it tested. Look in the yellow pages under "Asbestos — Consulting and Testing." Ask a laboratory technician to instruct you how to safely take a sample. The asbestos is not in the paint. Painting popcorn ceilings requires oil-based paint because water-based will dissolve the popcorn. If you find that the popcorn has no asbestos, removal will be more challenging because it is painted. Removing popcorn requires saturating with water from spray bottle and doing a section at a time with a scraper. Asbestos fibers when airborne are inhaled and can result in lung cancer (worst case scenario). My father had asbestiosis due to exposure in the factory where he worked. It is not something you want, believe me.
 
 

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