Walls and Ceilings - Cottage Cheese Ceiling has got to go!

Just bought a new house and the ceilings are all covered with that cottage cheese, aka "popcorn" stuff. Is this easy to remove, and for a "first timer," will it take a lot of work? There are 3 bedrooms, living room and a long hallway that I'd need to do. Any pointers would be GREATLY appreciated!

I have the exact same problem -- moving into an old house and kitchen, dining room and both bedrooms have this cottage cheese all over the walls.... need to get it off PLEASE!!! :-( can someone respond to this question??

We recently had some contractors remove the "popcorn" from our ceiling. They used a sprayer to spray plain water on it, then after a few minutes to soften, scraped it off with a broad knife. You can use a hand sprayer, but for large areas a garden sprayer (the type that holds a gallon or so of water and you pump up) will be much better. I have tried it since then on a small area, and it made it pretty easy to get off. You're on your own with mudding and sanding what's left underneath, which I bet you'll have to do to get it smooth. Good luck!

I have an older house that I am planning on removing the cottage cheese from. Can I out up drywall over the existing ceiling or do I have to remove the old and start with studs. I think I know the answer - I'm just hoping I can take the easy way out. If I have to take down the ceiling then the walls probably have to go too. It is an old house - probably not drywall but that plaster stuff.

Jim,

There is no need to take down the plaster. You have a number of options that don't involve the mess of ripping out plaster. Don C.

Thansk for the reply Don. Any suggestions? It's not a very big house. only about 1,000 ft2.

Jim,

The easiest way would be to fasten board directly to the existing ceiling, but I wouldn't recommend this. I suggest you put up firring strips (1x3's) that run perpendicular to the ceiling joists, and fasten and glue your new board to these. This will ensure proper fastening to the joists and help balance out any uneveness in your ceiling. At the wall you can tape or put up crown molding.

There are also metal strips available specifically for this purpose, USG, Chicago metal, etc. Good luck Don C.

Thanks, Don

What if the "popcorn" has been painted over with latex paint? Can you still spray and scrape the stuff off? Our living room ceiling looks very uneven due to the paint layer that was put on before we bought the house. I'd like to get rid of the stipple and go with a flat, white ceiling.

The best thing to do is just try it. Take a broad knife and try scrapping it off, if it's hard, try spraying some water. As a last resort, go to a tool rental and rent a porter cable drywall sander, buy a sheet of 20 grit floor sander paper and a can of 3m adhesive. Cut a disc out of the sand paper and glue it to the sanders regular paper. put some weight on it, and give it a half hour to dry. Then hit the ceiling. Be careful not to let it sit in one place. It will go right through your ceiling. This is what we do for hard textures. Took us about 45 minutes to take of a hard splatter in a 18 x 20 room last week. Good luck, Don C.

I am in the middle of doing this to the home I bought two weeks ago. Three rooms are done and by far, the most difficult part is applying the texture.


1 - Naturally you'll want to tape/plastic off the walls and ceiling. If you do a real good job, the plastic will remain while you scrape/texture/prime and paint. The weight of the topping mud can pull the plastic sheets from the tape. Also, be sure to have the acoustic (popcorn) tested for asbestos first.

2 - I used a 2 gallon garden sprayer. Soak the ceiling. It should be dripping to the floor. Take a 12" drywall knife and attach it to a pole/stick. 45 degree angle works best. Nice smooth strokes.

3 - After the ceiling is free of the popcorn, let it dry.

4 - Now patch all the scrapes/holes etc. Really need to smooth the entire area out.

5 - Get a texture gun, a compressor and a few boxes of topping mud. Thin the mud so it will flow through the gun.

6 - Once you begin to shoot the texture, you'll likely have to bounce the texture gun with your arms to force the material out, past the air. Worst part of the job.

7 - For splatter texture, shoot it evenly and let it dry. For knock-down, shoot it very thick, wait 10-minutes and very lightly drag your drywall knife (12") across the mud. This takes a little practice. So start in a closet or light traffic area so your friends wont see where you screwed-up.

8 - Let it dry overnight then prime/seal the texture. It's very porous and will absorb your paint.

9 - Paint. Run a razor at a 45 degree angle where the ceilings meet the walls. You just put up a lot of material and you don't want to break it up after finishing the job.

Moto guzzi,

Topping for a number of reasons was not the best choice for a texture material. Probably why you had to "bounce" the gun. Next time try a dedicated texture material like USG tuff tex. I think you will appreciate the difference. Cost about the same, buck or two difference at most. Don C.

Don, I tried to take you advice (as I still have a living room to shoot - 14' x 40') and am unable to get USG Sheetrock texture or Tuff Tex. I called USG at 888-874-6903 and they indicated that none of the texture material has been shipped to California in the last year. I could special order a pallet of the product (60 bags) but that isn't realistic.

Please let me know if there is another material you suggest I shoot with.

Thank you.

moto guzzi,

Is there a lowes near you? They carry a product called QT. Not quite a durable as tuf-tex, but not bad. If that doesn't work, ask for any "dry, powdered" texture material. If you can, get one designed for walls in high traffic areas or commercial applications. The dollar or two more this product will cost is well worth it. Don C.

HELLO
NO ONE HAS SAID ANY THING ABOUT ASBESTOS IN THE POP CORN NEED TO BE CHECKED AND DISPOSED OF BY A HASMAT TEAM..SOME REAL HEALTH ISUESS HERE THAT EVERY ONE SHOULD BE DOING FOR THE SAFTY OF THERE FAMILYS AND THIS IS A HEALTH CODE VIOLATION UNTIAL YOU KNOW DO NOT REMOVE ANY OF THE POPCORN..

You are absolutely right. I did mention it in step one of my earlier post but it is well worth its own message.

There are three types of asbestos that can cause rather serious problems. It is not safe to assume that if your eyes don't burn or your hands don't itch that the material does not contain asbestos.

The primary concern is that the asbestos fibers will go airborne, be breathed in, settle in the lungs where, in 15-40 years, problems such as asbestosis can develop.

Again, you have no way of knowing whether the acoustic material contains asbestos unless you have it tested. It is cheap to test and well worth the time.

Where can you go to test the ceiling???? Orange County, California...Thanks

I have a friend in the industry, so it was no problem.

Try 714-730-6239 and see if they'll take a walk-in customer (they normally perform testing for companies and state/local governments).

If not, I hope they can forward you to a source. Also, you could try going through the city government - they should know of someone.

Thanks for number...I have a handyman business...so I shouldnt have any problems????Yeah right...will call and see what I can do...ZIP
Originally posted by MotoGuzzi
I have a friend in the industry, so it was no problem.

Try 714-730-6239 and see if they'll take a walk-in customer (they normally perform testing for companies and state/local governments).

If not, I hope they can forward you to a source. Also, you could try going through the city government - they should know of someone.