DIY popcorn ceiling removal

Popcorn Ceiling

Popcorn textured ceilings have been used in residential homes for quite some time.  Beginning in the 1950s up through the 1980s, they were the primary ceiling choice for hallways and bedrooms in nearly all residential construction.  The texture of these ceilings help act as a noise reducer to help keep noise levels down in homes.  While the idea behind its use was completely practical, the textured ceilings were difficult to clean, and the look has lost favor over time as well.  Luckily, if you're looking for a solution, removing a popcorn ceiling is fairly simple!

Garden Sprayer

Putty Knife

The only tools you will need are a garden sprayer and a putty knife.  Make sure to have plenty of plastic sheeting to cover the floors.  If you plan on leaving the walls as they are, you will want to cover them with plastic as well.  Once you have sufficiently covered everything you would like to keep clean, use the garden sprayer to coat the ceiling with water.  Be sure not to overdo it, or the drywall under the texture will become too wet.  Once the ceiling has been coated, let the water soak in for about 5 minutes.  This will allow the water to soak into the textured portion of the ceiling, and help to separate it from the drywall beneath.



After 5 minutes has passed, you can use the putty knife to begin scraping.  Start in the same area of the ceiling that you started in when spraying as this has had the longest amount of time to dry.  Since the water has soaked in, it shouldn't take much pressure with the putty knife to start removing large sections of the popcorn texture from the ceiling.  Just be sure not to press too hard, as this may gouge or scrape the smooth surface of the drywall underneath.

Stripped Ceiling

This is what the ceiling will look like after removing all the popcorn texture. If there are any gouges or blemishes from removing the texture, just use some drywall putty and sand paper to smooth out any problem areas, then you are ready to prime and paint your newly smooth ceiling!

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