Are you tired of looking groovy textured ceilings in your home? These ceilings often called ‘Popcorn ceilings’ are in a lot of homes in Texas and Dallas Fort Worth. But not everyone likes them.
So if you moved to a new home in Collin County, or in the surrounding neighborhoods, there is a good chance that your home has a popcorn ceiling. And if you’re a family that does not like these ceilings, then you may wish to remove the popcorn texture and update it with a smooth surface ready for painting or resurfacing.
The only problem is that ceiling removal is a complicated process, one which requires a ladder and some basic knowledge of interior painting. If you do not possess the knowledge, you have come to the right place.
We have developed a comprehensive guide on removing ceiling textures in the easiest and quickest way possible. The guide was made after talking to many of our expert painters.
Once you are done removing the popcorn ceiling, you can cover it with new material such as drywall, decorative tin tiles or even panels.
Start by Testing Material for Hazards
- If your new home was built in the 80s, then there is a good chance acoustic texture was used to give the ceiling its texture. These materials contain asbestos, and before you can start removing the popcorn ceiling, it is important to test the material to see if it has asbestos in it.
Asbestos that remains intact in the material does not pose a health risk, however, if you temper with it, the hazardous material in it can cause the fibers to become airborne and can become trapped in your lungs when you breathe. This is why testing for asbestos is very important. If you’re not careful, it can cause serious health results.
- The easiest way to check of hazards is to buy a home test kit. All you will need to do is scrape a small amount of ceiling texture into a plastic bag and then send this sample to a testing lab.
In order to avoid any serious health risks, you can also call the experts to perform the test. Encore Painting provides this service as part of our professional popcorn ceiling removal services.
If you find that the ceiling texture contains more than 1% asbestos, you can choose from three options.
- Have the ceiling removed by professionals
- Do not disturb the ceiling
- Encapsulate the ceiling texture with some other safe material
Our expert painters recommend conducting a lead paint test as well, especially if you have very young children at home.
Removing Painted Popcorn Ceiling
- Removing ceiling texture isn’t really a tough job, but it will require a lot of time and strength. While doing this job, make sure to wear an appropriate respirator or dust mask, and goggles to help protect your health.
Although removing the popcorn ceiling is an easy task, if it is painted, there is a whole new step you must take. You will be able to remove a painted popcorn ceiling, but it will be a challenging task because the paint adheres to the sealing and it often acts as a sealant.
- In other words, you’ll have to spend a lot more extra time breaking down the paint before you get to remove the texture.
Before you begin this interior painting job, you must make sure that you have prepared the room. It is best to move the furniture out of the room and turn off any cooling or heating system installed in the home. Consider closing all the vents by using plastic sheeting and a painter’s tape.
Cover or remove light fixtures, wall switches, and outlets. Protect the room’s floor with drop cloths and you’ll be ready to start the process.
- In order to breakdown the paint on the ceiling, spray a mixture of ten parts water mixed with one part vinegar in a garden sprayer and spray directly on the surface.
- Then use a 4-inch putty knife or scraper to remove the material from the ceiling. Although this method is slow and messy, it is guaranteed to work. Make sure the surface is saturated enough with the solution so it starts to penetrate. Once it penetrates the surface, you will be easily able to scrape away the material.
You Can Now Prepare the Surface for Painting
- Once you have removed all the popcorn texture, you can start priming and painting the surface with a fresh coat of paint. You can proceed with the paint job just like you would do it on the walls.
Sand the surface of the ceiling with a drywall sanding stick. This will help you hide imperfections. After you have applied a quality coat of primer, you’ll have a smooth ceiling ready to be paint
Should You Hire Interior Painting Specialists for the Job?
Removing the popcorn ceiling is a complicated process, especially if the ceiling is painted and has material that is hazardous. If the testing for asbestos turned out positive, then we highly recommend getting professional help.
Our award-winning interior painting services in Texas is all you need to get the job done.
Here are some more reasons why you should opt for professionals –
- Getting rid of the popcorn ceiling is a time consuming and labor-intensive work. Not everyone can get the job done at home.
- There is a very good chance that you may end up damaging your ceiling or drywall. This can lead to costly repairs.
- As mentioned above, if your house was built in the 80s, it may contain hazardous material. It is highly recommended that you do not try to remove a popcorn ceiling yourself if the ceiling in your home has more than 1% asbestos.
Encore Painting has been providing interior painting services for almost two decades now. We have a lot of experience in getting all kinds of interior painting jobs done in a timely and accurate fashion.
If you’re interested in getting a popcorn ceiling removed by professionals, get your free estimate now and let Encore handle the job.