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Easiest Way to
Remove a Popcorn Ceiling
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Removing a popcorn ceiling with paint instead of water
will make the project so much easier and simpler. Instead of
spraying water until your fingers grow numb, saturate your
popcorn ceiling by painting it with a roller soaked in cheap
paint.
Removing
popcorn ceilings is messy, time-consuming and
labor-intensive. The process of moistening the popcorn
ceiling so as to loosen it may take hours depending on the
size of the room. The conventional way of spraying water can
leave your hand feeling numb and sore. While hosing the
popcorn ceiling before removing it can create a small flood.
Fortunately, there is a third alternative. Instead of using
water to remove popcorn ceilings use paint.
Step #1. Obtaining Cheap Paint
Start by going
to Home Depot, Lowe's or your local paint store and look for
their returned paints. These are cans that someone custom
ordered, then changed his mind. Since most buyers are
looking for custom colors, returned paint cans cost very
little. For the purpose of removing popcorn ceilings the color
of the paint is irrelevant. In fact a hideous color may be
your best option because it is likely to be cheaper. What
does matter is the consistency of the paint.
Behr paints are
very thick and are best suited for this project. Though you
will need to use more paint than if you were using Glidden,
for example, the Behr paint will seep into your popcorn
ceiling, thoroughly saturating it until it almost removes
itself. Make allowances for this absorption of paint and
plan to use twice the amount you would use if you were
painting an ordinary wall.
Step #2. Protecting the Room Before You Start
Removing the Popcorn Ceiling
Even with the use of paint instead of water, removing a
popcorn ceiling is a messy job. Therefore cover the floor
and any furniture with a plastic sheet, such as Husky's high
density painter's plastic roll. Take your time to cover
every corner and use a strip of painter's tape to attach the
edge of the sheet to the wall, covering any gaps that might
otherwise form. This is tedious work, but it will make
cleanup a cinch in the end.
Step #3. Painting the Popcorn Ceiling
The paint is most easily applied to the popcorn ceiling with
a roller. You can either use a ladder or attach a stick to
the roller arm to reach high enough. Begin at the center of
the room and work your way to the sides. If you do not
intend to repaint the walls later, then be careful not to
paint over them. Use paint lavishly to cover every inch of
the ceiling and don't worry when the roller becomes full of
clumps of popcorn ceiling. This is a sign that the
saturation with paint is already starting to work.
Step #4. Remove the Popcorn Ceiling
While the paint is still wet, get on a ladder to begin
removing the painted popcorn ceiling. Use a joint knife,
preferably one that you blunted a little with a file to
prevent gauging into the ceiling as you work. Because the
popcorn is so saturated with paint, you will be able to
gently scrape it off the ceiling in long festoons that will
fall to the nylon-covered floor.
The process is incredibly
easy, and you won't have to keep spraying as you go along
since the entire ceiling is already wet with paint. Best of
all, paint doesn't dry as fast as water, so using paint to
soften the popcorn ceiling allows you to work at your own
pace. Even though this method produces far less dust during
the scraping process than the traditional use of water, it
is still best to wear protection over your eyes. Even your
sunglasses will do.
You may also want to hang a garbage bag
on your ladder as you work, to trap the fallen strips of
popcorn as they come down. This will minimize the mess that
you will need to pick up later.
Step #5. Easy Clean Up
Now that your ceiling is bare, it will look unfinished, with
the joint compound showing in white lines against the
wallboards. It's important to fill in any holes that you may
have accidentally gauged into the ceiling while scraping it
clean. Simply use joint compound, which you can easily find
at your local Home Depot, Lowe's or paint and home
improvement stores. Once you are done, sand the ceiling with
sandpaper. It's easiest to use a sanding pad that attaches
to a long pole. This way you will not need to use a ladder.
Once this is done, you will need to cover the wallboards
that make up the ceiling with a special primer (which looks
like a thick white paint). You can easily buy this primer at
the same time that you buy the returned paint cans at the
beginning of the project. For best results, give the ceiling
two coats of primer and wait for the first coat to dry
before you apply the second.
Questions? Comments?
Drop me a line.
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