1. Home
  2. Home Repair
  3. Covering popcorn ceilings

Covering popcorn ceilings

HELP,

hired a contractor to remove old popcorn ceiling (tested no asbestos)

for some reason, the ceiling has drywall then a layer of plaster then a layer of compound then the popcorn ceiling. The contractor is now telling us that it's too difficult to remove the popcorn ceiling and that if removed the plaster would be damaged to a point that it would be difficult to make a flat smooth surface. Instead he has just put compound over the plaster.

Question:

  1. putting joint compound/plaster over popcorn ceiling kosher?
  2. what's the longevity of this process, prob bad if ceiling gets wet.
  3. will removing popcorn placed over plaster really that bad to remove or is contractor full of it?
  4. he already covered about 1/4 of ceiling, any recommendations on what we should do?

Thanks

T
Reply to
smhouse
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Anonymous

Popcorn is very soft, air intrained, softer than compound and likely will have future cracking and adhesion problems. Was he to lazy to scrape it off with a scraper before skimcoat, Scrape off and skimcoat or drywall is the norm. he sounds like a hack.

Reply to
m Ransley

It seems like popcorn ceiling usually went over drywall, but in our case it went over plaster. Is this truely more difficult to remove as our contractor claims? can't find any reference on the internet regarding removing popcorn from plaster.

Thanks to all for the much needed advice.

T

correction: The joint compound is going over the popcorn ceiling

Reply to
smhouse

I did my own home removal, $0.50 a foot seemed to much to me.

Yes there will be gouges. I had to completely re-float the ceiling. Because it was coming out so bad I paid a contractor to do it. They spent 3 days, not counting drying time. Getting it flat. I painted with 2 coats of paint. Certain light conditions I could still see the joint lines. When I was getting ready to move and had my back surgery, I paid a painter to do the inside of the home. He had to put 2 more coats of paint on the ceiling. It did come out nice finally.

Sounds to me like the contractor has figured out that he under bid the job.

It is time to get your negotiating hat on and make damn sure you do not pay him any more until you get the issue ironed out. Best of luck

Reply to
SQLit

That may be, but if it's a sprayed accoustic or vermiculite as most is and it was sprayed over painted plaster, I think it would scrape off as easily or easier than over raw drywall. Your next statement makes me a bit leery of the guy you hired.

Are you/he sure it's sprayed accoustic or vermiculite and not some other harder finish you have? Even when it's been painted over, I've seen the vermiculite stuff scraped off fairly easily with the water treatment others mentioned.

Reply to
G Henslee

You'll will get sagging if you use the thin stuff. 1/4" drywall is a little too light for a ceiling. Try 5/8" or even 3/4".

Reply to
Clark Griswold

Take a wide 3-5" exterior paint scraper the ones with the long 12-14" handle, replaceable razor sharp blade, and knob to hold onto at the blade, put on glasses and a mask and scrape away, Keep a file handy and keep it sharp. Ive had my guys do a few houses that way. Then we skimcoated. What did he bid for what sq ft. Scraping with the right razor sharp tool is quick but dirty work. What he already did, skim over popcorn will fail. You only plaster over hard sound surfaces. Popcorn is soft it can pull off eventualy from drywall compounds added weight. And skimming over compound will take 4x more compound 4x more work

Reply to
m Ransley

I'be be concerned about how well it adheres as the popcorn is easily flaked off.

Yes, but why would it get wet? If it does, you have more serious problems.

Over plaster as opposed to over sheetrock? Mine came down easily by wetting it with a spray bottle with a few drops of detergent in it. Then scrape, sponge, done. By the first half you have found a good techinque and no gouging. Some older homes could have has some asbeston in the popcorn, but not after 1978.

I don't know abot that.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

It had likely been painted.

can't find any reference on the internet

Ouch.

Reply to
3rd eye

I think the previous poster was referring to screwing a new sheet of

1/4" over the existing drywall plus skimcoat. Wouldn't this then be stiff enough as long as he put in enough screws?
Reply to
blueman

Again, Thanks everyone for all the great information and support.

Met with the contractor on Monday and he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw and found. so happens that the acoustic ceiling is not really the acoustic ceiling that's everyone usually has, but it's actually joint compound sprayed.

So my ceiling has drywall, then a coat of plaster with chickenwire, then a coat of compound, then a coat of sprayed compound that looks like acoustic ceiling.

Contractor said that putting a skim coat over this would be fine but we insisted he remove everything to the plaster and use 1/4 drywall to cover.

now everything looks great!

Thanks Everyone!!

T

p.s. found or made some cracks in the plaster so the drywall will definately cover these up!!

Reply to
smhouse

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.