What is the best way to paint an existing popcorn ceiling? The room is
20x14. I can move everything out and I am 99% sure that it is NOT made with asbestos. It is yellowing and crappy looking but I really dont want to remove it. Im kind of hoping that you guys have some kind of new method for this nightmare other than priming then rolling. My fingers are crossed!!! Thank you.Tony C.
I've rolled them. Not the most fun thing but not all that bad. I used a long handled roller so I could stand on the floor. You could also spray it if you can protect the other stuff from the mist.
Er...why don't you want to remove it? Yes, it costs, but...
After years of hating mine, I finally got it removed, and gained several inches of height by doing away with the suspended frame that had held it. Room must have originally had a "normal" ceiling and previous owners had the popcorn installed.
Now much more attractive with "Spanish" style plastered ceiling.
Just a thought...
Aspasia
Butter and a basting brush?
: )
snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Tony Deb) wrote in news:26818-45299824-1415@storefull-
3315.bay.webtv.net:
I may get my ass reamed from others here for lack of "proper" prep but...
I've done quite a few. I just vacuum/sweep it off. Any stains or discoloration, providing the drywall is in good shape, I just go over with some white primer however many times it needs it. Get decent quality CEILING paint. I've used the Glidden with good results. Ceiling paint is thicker. The Borg puts Behr 2 gal buckets on sale for what Glidden costs at regular price. Get Purdy or equivalent covers. Cheapies are not gonna hold paint. The knap depends on how heavy the texture is. Use at LEAST the next step up from what you use on regular walls.
Before you do your first roller dip into the paint, dampen (not soak!) the roller with water to prime it to absorb paint. Sprinkle a bit on the roller and rub in with your hand. If you stop in the middle of painting for some time, cover the roller with plastic wrap. Paint won't dry. Not even overnight, not even for days.
So what am I gonna get chewed out for on this post? Said nothing about priming. Said nothing about using special roller covers other than heavier knap.
If that yellowing is some type of significant film like smoke or grease, that's not good. No paint/primer is gonna bond well to it.
Use common sense as always. Cover furniture, carpets, etc with plastic. Actually, for floors, a cloth dropcloth is far better than plastic. It doesn't get in your way, stays where you put it and doesn't tear. You don't have to buy a pro one from the Borg. I picked up one at Big Lots. Yea it has seams, unfinished edges, etc. It was 10 bucks for a 9x12. That's like half of pro Borg stuff. Only drawback I can think of is spilled paint will go through. Always keep the paint supply on the floor. Harder to fall on the floor if it's on the floor. But don't keep it behind you where you will step in or kick it over.
Not sure it's the best, but I had good results spraying. Bought from a family of heavy smokers and can't even start telling how badly ceiling and walls were stained. Was years ago, can't remember brand or grade, but I remember taking my time to prime twice and paint 3 times. The prep work was a killer...
If you don't remove it and paint over it by whatever method, you will make it at least four times harder to remove later. If you can indeed get everything out, then removing the existing popcorn will only take about an hour or two. A day to prepare the ceiling for whatever new texture you want and you're done with a much better ceiling than what you would have had with a crappy painted over popcorn ceiling.
Besides, the next guy may decide that you were an idiot who couldn't make a good shade tree mechanic and hunt you down and remove you from the gene pool. I know I feel that way about idiots who put wallpaper on unprimed wallboard.
"Carpenter" wrote in news:1160360217.177490.81100 @k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
And if you had used a flat oil on the ceiling you could have done it in one coat. :-)
I don't agree. I painted a couple of my popcorn ceilings a few years ago. A pro came a couple years later to remove one in the dining room and winced when he discovered it was painted. But it came down just as easily as if it weren't painted. Later, I removed the other one myself and it too came down easily.
That said, I too am glad to have got rid of my popcorn ceilings. That is, except for the living room. There, I have a cathedral ceiling.
Does anyone have any idea how to get up there to remove the popcorn and retexture? That's the last room I have to do.
Removed the "popcorn" from my ceiling in a few hours. Used a wide scraper and a good mask. Was easy. Just be careful not to gouge the ceiling with the scraper. If you have carpeting be sure to cover it well.
Al
Then you were very lucky or didn't use a very good paint. My experience is vastly different than yours and I can understand why he winced.
The Borg has a tool for scraping popcorn ceilings that attaches to a long pole. It has this contraption underneath which can hold a bag and allegedly "catch" the scrapings. My advice is skip the bag, as it gets real heavy and unwieldy; but the scraper part works like a charm.
After that its scaffolding. Good luck.
Maybe I got lucky. "The Borg"? What is that? Can't find it on Google. I can't imagine a long pole type contraption working well on a cathedral ceiling. We're talking 18-20 feet up. Even if it works well for getting popcorn down, it's not going to work well for putting texture up.
Not too hip on using scaffolding. I may have to rent a hydraulic lift of some type I guess.
"Sixeye" wrote in news:_8lWg.32242$tO5.28944@fed1read10:
One thread even got goofy about "We are Expeditor. You will be expedited. Resistance is futile.".
I rolled mine (1800 square feet)
It's asbestos but only a problem if you remove it.
Paint and leave well enough alone.
I did mine the first time years ago. Bought one of those cheap hand held electric paint sprayers. Took a lot of paint on the first painting. Been rolling it (twice) since then.
kHarry K
I use an airless spayer on a surface like that. they can be rented and even spray upside down! If you decide to remove it here's how: You use a pump style garden sprayer. fill it with warm water and spray the ceiling in the area that can be reached from you ladder or scaffold. It will then come off quite easily with a wide taping knife. Just cover your head and eyes and use a drop cloth.
There is a reason popcorn is used: It can be rather difficult to tape and mud the ceiling with your arms over head not to mention painting it. When you spray popcorn you can finish the ceiling right now without any time consuming and bothersom taping, mudding and painting. dont be surprised when you find that the drywall joints on the ceiling will be relatively unfinished and will require a lot of work to prepare for paint. At that point you may decide that the popcorn wasn't so bad after all. New popcorn is easy to install and requires very little prep. It goes up real fast with a hopper gun and air compressor.
I always use a "paint stick" roller and a high quality roller cover designed for the type of ceiling I'm painting. I have a cheapo no-name paint stick, and it holds just enough paint in the handle that you can get a lot of coverage before reloading, but it doesn't weigh a ton while you're holding it over your head. Plus, with the telescoping handle, you can stand on the floor and slowly walk the room. It seems to take about 25% of the time needed to paint with an ordinary roller and pan, and it only takes about 10 minutes longer to flush it out and clean up. As always, however, YYMV.
Hilary
You're really better off removing it. Most people are either wary about its contents/don't like it. Better for resale.
It's not as hard to remove as you may think. (I think we're talking about the same stuff) I removed mine with a shovel.
Get rid of it. The easiest way is to duct tape a 8" drywall knife to your shop vac hose/toolholder and scrape away. To mitigate concerns about possible asbestos fibers getting loose, a little pre-misting with a spray bottle will take care of it. Double bag the debris for safety. Odds are your popcorn was mostly styrofoam based anyway as anything else is a bear to apply. Good luck.
Joe
BORG == Big Orange Retail Giant, originally HomeDespot.
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