Popcorn? ceiling

[sjthaxter]

Hi--
We have a double-wide (Skyline, 28' x 56') with what I believe is a roof over, since the roof covers car port/garage, patio area and front porch. There had been some leaks in the past since the ceiling is discolored/stained. The ceilings are textured with I think cellulose 'popcorn'. How hard is it to remove the texturing and paint over the existing ceiling? Is the ceiling the same type of thin (1/4") sheet rock as the walls? Is this a DIY deal or better to find someone with experience?
Thanks for the help and answers.

[JD]

Hi,

This could be a DIY project. The one thing that could make this difficult is I have seen some homes where the texture is sprayed on the older type mobile home ceiling panels. When this is the case, you have to be very careful when scraping off the texture, not to damage the panels. If your home was built originally with sprayed texture, then you would have sheetrock. I have seen both 3/6" and 1/2" sheetrock. When we install sheetrock, we always use 1/2".

As a precaution, on texture older than 1979 you want to have it tested for asbestos. Asbestos texture should be removed by professionals. It is good to set a square fan up to a window. Wearing dust masks and those $2 disposable painters coveralls is a good bet.

Removing the texture is fairly simple. An empty room is best. You want to cover everything with plastic. We use your standard garden sprayer and plain water. Spray a 5'x5' section. It only takes a couple of minutes for the texture to absorb the water. You want to use the least amount of water, and the shortest soak time necessary. Then scrape the ceiling with a ceiling texture scraper (available at all home stores). You can get the corner and edges with a stiff, thick putty knife. Make sure it is not too sharp, even if you have to round the blade with sand paper. The texture comes off very easy.

JD

[Greg]

You may want to try priming with kilz and repainting, It is a lot of work, since you may need to use a brush & dab the ceiling, a roller may lift the popcorn off. Painting that way is still easier than removing the popcorn and then painting. Greg

[mrfixit1]

About 15 years ago I had to paint over my popcorn ceiling. I first brushed it gently with an ordinary broom to remove the years of dust, removed everything from the room, put plastic drop cloths on walls and ceiling, and using an airless sprayer sprayed a latex ceiling white. This had to be done from different directions to cover well but it has lasted very well.

[PennylessZ28]

I normally use an airless sprayer on popcorn, I'll actually be doing this within the next two weeks.

While some novice users might not know how, you can actually go to Home Depot, rent one and get a quick how too from the rental sales person.

[kashton]

I have removed texture from ceilings. Like JD says is the easyway. I have to recommend something to seal stains. You may find this strange, but it works for me, and I don't like Kilz. It doesn't always cover(or hide) stains.

I work for a construction company, and do alot of renos on bathrooms with pot lights. They add heat to the ceiling around the light, and always discolor it. Hard to hide the dis-coloration. I use hair spray. Use when lights are off though. Spray over stains. Let dry completely. Paint over. It seals the stains in! It also works on walls over crayon marks!