Making a mess shouldn't be too much of an issue because I'm tearing up the carpet and removing everything.Should I try to smooth out walls that have textured paint or should I just tear down the walls and re-drywall?
I've heard that you can spray with water and let it soak, then scrap with a wide putty knife. However, when I remodeled my bathroom, I removed an entire ';popcorn'; celing in about 10 minutes using a commercial prodcut from Lowe's. (I can't recall the name, but there are several brands. I also purchased an inexpensive tool that was about 12 inches wide (in the shape of a rectangle)with a handle. It scraped the textured area very quickly with little mess. Go to any home improvement center and ask for help, they'll know exactly what tool you'll need.Should I try to smooth out walls that have textured paint or should I just tear down the walls and re-drywall?
When you find out a good answer, let me know because I have a similar issue with a house I'm buying.
sand it down, easy
I once had a stair well that my wife wanted to wallpaper. It had an orange peel finish.
I sanded it with 100 grit paper to knock off as much of the high spots as possible. I then put a thin coat of drywall mud over the entire wall using a ten inch drywall knife. I moved the knife only in a vertical motion.
The result was a kind of corduroy surface. I gave it a light sanding and then put on a second coat moving the knife in the horizontal direction. Sanded again and then applied a final coat and a final sanding.
I ended up with a smooth surface that I primed and then applied the wall paper.
It was a lot of work but a lot less than trying to drywall a stairwell.
Sanding down will never work. It will always look textured. If possible (budget wise) re drywall it.
tear it out and drywall it or you can leave it in and dry wall it . you will need extension rings on the electrical boxes, you'll have to re-cut your trim -But what the hell. you wind up taking less time and making considerably less of a mess.
';Popcorn ceiling removal can be touchy
Stacy Downs
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Mar. 29, 2005 12:00 AM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Americans have a love-hate relationship with popcorn ceilings.
Contractors like them because they're easy to install with a sprayer and they hide imperfections. But homeowners loathe the cottage cheese look.
';They're just ugly,'; says Lorraine Hoffower, whose Raytown, Mo., home has popcorn ceilings in every room, including the garage. ';I want to get rid of them, but I don't know how.'; advertisement
Removing popcorn ceilings requires prep work and time. Start by choosing a non-public room in the home that has textured ceilings, such as an office or guest room. That way if the work doesn't go as planned, at least it won't temporarily destroy the family room or kitchen.
Before scraping popcorn, have the ceiling tested for asbestos. The mineral fibers increase the risk of cancer and lung disease if they are released in the air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Undisturbed, asbestos is harmless.
Textured ceilings installed before 1980 or sprinkled with glitter probably contain asbestos. ';The gold or silver metal flakes are usually a tell-tale sign,'; says Leland Sumptur, a project manager at Asbestos Consulting Testing in Lenexa, Kan.
A professional asbestos testing firm can provide instructions on how to create a ceiling sample. Results typically come back in a few days.
If a ceiling contains more than 1 percent asbestos, homeowners can either keep the popcorn or have it professionally removed.
Asbestos-removal companies remove residue by wetting the ceiling and using negative-pressure machines that put the room under vacuum. Expect to pay at least $1,200 per room.
To save the expense, some homeowners ultimately decide to scrape the popcorn themselves. ';We caution people against doing that,'; Sumptur says. But if homeowners are determined to tackle the project themselves, they should talk with a professional asbestos consultant about safety precautions.
If a ceiling contains less than 1 percent asbestos, it is safe for homeowners to scrape.
Begin the job by covering floors and furniture with protective drop cloths, which also help contain the debris. Spray sections of the ceiling with water so the popcorn comes off easily with a stiff putty knife. Smart scrapers hold a bucket underneath so not all the debris falls on the floor.
Popcorn comes in two basic varieties. Styrene is light and soft and flakes off easily; vermiculite, with a crunchy, sandy base, is more difficult to scrape. No matter the type, plan to spend a few hours removing the texture in the room. Once one room is mastered, move on to the next.
';It might not be a perfectly flat-looking ceiling when you're finished,'; says Clay Wilson, owner of Clay Wilson Remodeling in Gladstone, Mo.
To have ceilings professionally scraped and repaired with sanding, sealing and painting, plan to spend at least $600 per room.
Hoffower had one of the bedroom ceilings in her 1968 brick house tested for asbestos. The result: 3 percent asbestos. She's uncertain about what course to take. For now, her ceilings show dirt, are difficult to clean and easily chip. She might have the popcorn removed in one room, which she plans to turn into her study and reading nook.
';Maybe it's better to leave the popcorn in the rest of the house alone,'; she says. ';I won't grin, but I'll bear it.';
Finishing the job
After scraping off the popcorn, plan on sanding and filling imperfections with drywall compound before painting them. For more information, go to alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement, then click on FAQs. ';
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