Patching and Plastering - Need Ceiling Repair advice

I began a Handyman business a year ago. I have a potential client who has a popcorn stucco ceiling in his livingroom. A piece of drywall tape is showing through the stucco, followed by a crack about 12 inches long followed by a small water stain. The owner said the leak was fixed but now he wants the showing piece of drywall tape, crack and water stain fixed and that repaired area popcorn stucco patch repaired.

I have been told by a few people in my research that I should not attempt this job as I would not be able to get the popcorn stucco to blend in with the old and the whole repair job would show through. I was told this owner would have to call a professional drywall person and have his whole ceiling redone. The owner said all the drywall men in this area are too busy (?) and he is determined to attempt this.

My question to all the experts is can this job be done by someone with no experience? I have researched this for hours. It is my understanding that I would have to remove the popcorn stucco from the areas to be repaired. Cover the crack with a sealant, cover the drywall tape and crack with compound, sand and then cover the repaired area with a product such as Bondex popcorn ceiling patch. That would then need to be treated with an oil based primer before the owner repainted his whole ceiling.

Does this sound right and will the repaired area stand out like a sore thumb or will it blend in ? Or does this man need to have his whole ceiling redone. I need advice.

If the tape is loose, it needs to be cut out and replaced. Otherwise, I think you're on track.

For texture, we just buy the spray cans at the big box store. You can practice spraying on waste material like cardboard until you're able to achieve the look you want.

I have made these types of repairs before. As noted you need to remove any loose popcorn and smooth out the area you need to tape and mud. Use a solvent based primer either before taping or atleast before texturing. The primer should extend out in every direction a little to help the moisture in the texture from bubbling up the old texture.

I've always used a hopper gun [and compressor] to spray the texture. I don't know much about the spray cans but popcorn comes in 3 sizes; fine, medium and coarse. Medium is the most popular. I've never had any problem blending the new popcorn with the old.

I usually don't prime the entire ceiling but it can be a crap shoot..... but I can usually tell if there will be problems if you don't prime. It is safer to prime with oil - this will prevent the need to retexture any more areas.