Popcorn Ceiling Removal: One of Our Messiest Services
One of the things people should know is that popcorn ceiling removal is one of the most – if not the most – messy services we offer. Dust gets everywhere, there’s water involved in getting the “popcorn” off, resulting in the popcorn becoming a kind of mud on the ground… it’s just a messy, dusty mess!
And so we cover, cover, cover! We wrap absolutely everything in plastic, protecting the furniture.
We cover the floors, sealing them off from the dust and sludge of the whole process.
What Makes This Such a Painstaking Process?
Our process for popcorn ceiling removal
In order to remove the popcorn texture, we lightly spray water on the ceiling and then scrape the popcorn off. You’re starting to see where the sludge comes from, huh? After all of the popcorn is gone, we clean up all of that mess on the floor. Then we take up the floor coverings that went down in the first step and lay new ones to minimize the next mess!
From there, we begin the tape-and-float process. You see, once you remove the popcorn texture, that ceiling will need repairs – normally on the tape and bedding. So we float it out and sand it, to make sure it’s nice and smooth.
Retexturing After Popcorn Ceiling Removal
For re-texturing before paint, people usually ask us to apply a light orange peel texture or something similar to what their walls already have. Following the floating process, we spray the texture on. Once the texture is dry, we prime and paint it!
Note: occasionally, a customer will ask for smooth, level 5 ceilings, rather than texture. In those cases, we charge more, as that requires even more meticulous work.
Wrapping It Up
Our process for popcorn ceiling removal
In most cases, we have to use a stain-blocking primer because those old ceilings have a lot of stains that try to bleed through. We sometimes even have to use an oil-based primer. To finish it off, we apply two coats of paint and there you have a fresh, new ceiling! Now the only popcorn you have to deal with is the one in your bowl.
~ Steven Montgomery, founder of That 1 Painter
