Popcorn Ceiling removal

[Instrument 41]

Has anyone ever used a big scraper that mounts on a pole? Just did the bathroom with a handheld up on the ladder, what a PIA!. Looking for an easier way to do this.

[GH85Carrera]

Hire someone?

[peppy]

Some of that stuff has asbestos in it...be careful.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by peppy

Some of that stuff has asbestos in it...be careful.

+1

After getting a quote of about $1500 to have it taken off the ceiling and walls of my 2-car garage, I decided it wasn't worth the cost.

[A930Rocket]

One way we've done it was use a pump up garden sprayer with water. Spray an area and let it soak a few minutes. Then use a sheetrock knife to scrpae it off. You may have to play with the quantity of water, soaking time and the width of the knife.

Once it's done, you may have to reskim the ceiling with sheetrock mud and sand.

Fun times ahead!

[Zeke]

You can scrape it dry, but it's more effort. The pole should get 90% of it wet. You will have to detail the ceiling. Be careful to not over wet or ding up the ceiling or it's just that more work.

Now here's the best tip: lay down a few layers of plastic. Don't let too much wet popcorn accumulate or you will have a 100 lb. Santa Claus bag to haul out. If it breaks on the way to the trash, you will hate life. When it gets about 50-60 lbs, roll up a layer and take it out. You'll figure this out first bag.

[Tobra]

that is the voice of experience right there

when you repaint, if you can cover all your skin it is best, put baby oil or vaseline on exposed areas to ease clean up when using a sprayer

[look 171]

Take it to get it tested. 50 bucks well spend. If you are doing it yourself, do what Milt said. Also, get a wide scraper or blade. make sure you wet it and let soak for a bit before removal. No fun. Hire a laborer.

[74-911]

I've removed about 2500 ft2 over the past couple of years in this house and the following has worked well for me:

1. If you are doing very much (on 8' ceilings anyway), ditch the ladder and get one of the lightweight alum. work platforms at your bigbox... about 4' long and 2' high. You will go much faster and less tiring.
2. You definitely need to cover the floor. I found the cheap blue painters drop cloths (plastic on one side and clothlike on the other) works much better than plastic drop cloths. Plastic just turns into a slip and slide when it gets wet and covered with the wet popcorn.
3. Use a garden sprayer as suggested. Just takes some practice to figure out how wet to get the popcorn.
4. I used a 8' taping knife and an old 9x12 alum. cakepan. Just hold the cakepan under the knife as you scrape and you can catch about 95% of the stuff. You can also control the knife much better and scrape the ceiling much cleaner with fewer gouges and tape tears. Empty the cakepan into a garbage can when it starts getting heavy. The blue dropcloth absorbs the moisture and popcorn that gets to the floor and you can just take it out in the yard and shake the popcorn off and put it back down.

5. Ultimately, how much work you have do do after scraping depends on how well the ceiling was originally taped and floated. In this house they had applied 2 coats of texture over the tape and sanded it. All I had to do was some minor touchup and sanding, applied 2 coats of drywall primer and painted and it came out great. If they just slapped the sheetrock up and one coat over the tape you may have a lot of work ahead of you.
6. No matter how you do it, it is messy and a lot of work...

[5String43]

I've done this a couple of times with but limited success. You scrape, then scrape some more, then sand things a couple of times, and still there remains a fine residue that keeps paint from sticking. So you've got several varieties of mess.

I gave up. I now leave it there and apply thin drywall over the top of it. Better deal all the way around.

[Hugh R]

Most likely asbestos-containing if the house is pre-1979. Wetting it helps a lot, and cuts down on airborne fibers, whether it contains asbestos or not. As was said above a $50 or less test.

[Joe Bob]

Cover it with another layer of sheet rock. Sprayed on material covers up crappy work....even if you scrape it off you'll need to do work to make it look good.

[RWebb]

YES!

And that "solves" any asbestos problem (until somebody else tears into the area).

You do not want to eff with a ceiling that has asbestos in it...

[Instrument 41]

Well after 2 hours yesterday and 3 more today I finished the bathroom/vanity areas. What a friggin PIA and the results are nowhere near the effort. First mistake was using a 4" hand scraper. If all I had to do was scrape popcorn, thats would be easy. Its all the friggin sanding afterward to make it smooth, then filling in all the small gouges...I'm thinking new rock over the existing is the easiest to achieving the smooth ceiling.

[trekkor]

new rock over the existing

This...


KT

[Joe Bob]

BTW, disposing it in the trash is a Federal Bozo, No No......find a household haz mat collection site. Double bag it and wet it......

[Instrument 41]

Reporting from the trenches....found a possible cure. Won't have an exactly super smooth ceiling but maybe close. Mixed a Small amount of Sheetrock mud with my paint. We'll see how it looks dry but may be the ticket!!!

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Hire someone?

Ding Ding Ding!! We had our complete upstairs done last year, (@ 1,800 sq.ft) and will getting the middle floor done next month. Took them 1 full day, and it makes a HUGE mess. Dust EVRYWHERE!!

Best $1,200 Ive spent.

[Joe Bob]

Snake congrats......

Did you or your contractor assume or test for the prescence of asbestos? Billy Joe Bob used a chopper gun to apply that stuff. When the tip gots alls plugged up, Cousin Merle Haggard, (no relation) dumped in another bag of Chrysotile asbestos that lubed the old chopper that BJB played like a Thompson sub machine spoon.

Resultant mix is about 3-10% and is what is called "friable" when chipped, scraped or delaminated dry.....it's in the dust. Using BJB's shop vac to clean up makes it MORE friable. The home Kirby does it even better. It filters out the gross particles and lets the really teeny tiny ones slip past the dirt bag and redeposit into the carpets, upholstery or any other dust magnet....like yer lungs.

Asbestos removal is covered under 40 CFR, Subpart M, NESHAP (National Emissions Standard for Haz Air Pollutants). There is no known safe level of asbestos. It doan kill ya right away, takes 20-30 years. Kids have been known to come down with symptoms in 3-5 years......

Enjoy the 1200 bucks......

[RWebb]

Exactly right - your house and the area near the doorway may now be a hazardous waste site.

Someday, the house will be sold. The buyer will test it for asbestos. If it is contaminated now, then the test WILL be Positive even a century later. They will trace it back to you. If you are still alive...

If you are dead, they will exhume your body and...