Replies

1. 
   jet | Aug 20, 2002 05:38pm | #1

   It can be scraped, then skim coated and painted. Very messy and lots of labor. Do it before you move in.

2. 
   Forrest | Aug 20, 2002 05:53pm | #2

   I removed a poocorn ceiling in our bathroom when we moved in. I sprayed it down several times with water in a garden spreayer and then scraped it off. Very messy but can be done.

   Forrest 

1. 
   LynchPin | Aug 21, 2002 03:38am | #3

   Why not just paint? There is a ceiling paint for popcorn

   ceilings and I think it works pretty well. Sure would

   be a lot cheaper than scraping all that stuff off and

   re-surfacing it.

   John

2. 
   martagon | Aug 22, 2002 05:04am | #8

   >>>I removed a poocorn ceiling in our bathroom when we moved in<

   OK, we know that popcorn ceilings look like sh*t, are cr*ppy to remove, and leave a pile of d*ung on the floor when you are removing it.  So, was "poocorn" just a typo, or were you serious??  Or were the previous tenants just lousy aimers.

3. 
   Mooney | Aug 21, 2002 03:35pm | #4

   I cant see whats on the ceiling , but here are some answers I use daily .

   First it will come down if you spray with water , let sit , and scrape.

   I normally vacumn ceiling , and paint with latex with an airless. If you are seeing water stains , there are latex stain primers. If the ceiling is really bad [gross] , and does not cover with latex , you have used the latex as a covering primer for an oil flat that must be sprayed . I dont like products like kilz because the finish is not uniform . I have covered the worst ceiling with undercoat enamel normally a product for first coating wood trim. This product will dry perfectly flat , hence you are done after spraying it.

   Notes to remember ; If you ever paint that ceiling it wont ever come off especially using oil. It can be spot texture sprayed , and then covered in entireity. I have done that many times for clients that have had heavy marks or repair ceilings. One thing you can do now is take it off now , and use another type of texture on it that can be maintained easier , such as spanish texture, spatter , orange peel, etc. I reccomend a professional for these applications. And by all means do the ceiling before you move any thing inside.  

   Tim Mooney

1. 
   RickGreg | Aug 21, 2002 03:54pm | #5

   One word of warning about painting over popcorn. We had ours sprayed with primer and the weight of the primer pulled down huge sections of the popocorn finish.

   My painter said it was due to the sheetrock not having been primed prior to the original popcorn job. We ended up having to scrape down the whole ceiling and prime and paint again (with new popcorn). VERY MESSY.

   You may want to test a small out-of-the-way section if you plan on painting.

1. 
   Mooney | Aug 21, 2002 09:07pm | #6

   That would have been an adhesion problem not common with the majarioty of work.

   Tim Mooney

4. 
   ken1putt | Aug 21, 2002 10:40pm | #7

   Along with the suggestions already posted, I can add that it is possible to minimize the mess with a home-made tool.

   I attached a 4-inch floor scraper to a similar-sized small shop vac tool, using the extension tube as handle. The method of attachment involved a significant amount of duct tape.

   The result allowed me to scrape away to my heart's content, with 99 percent of the popcorn ending up in a Shop Vac drywall dust bag.

   I scraped and remudded about 700 square feet last winter working a few hours in the evening and on weekends.

   Ken