Popcorn patch tube

[gplantam]

Does that patch for popcorn ceilings that comes in a tube work well?

I have a about a 2 foot square area at the apex of my 15 foot high cathedral ceiling, surrounding a vent. The popcorn keeps flaking away, maybe because of moisture from the vent? I'd hate to have to repaint the whole ceiling, since it's quite big. Also, I wonder if I should rent a scaffold or a big ladder to do the job.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Greg

[Nate Nagel]

I have no idea; the only good repair I've done was actually done with a roller, but the guy wouldn't let me watch him mix the paint.

I hate popcorn ceilings BTW for exactly the reason you are discovering - they're a PITA to paint and patch.

nate

[Robert Allison]

Although it is possible to make a reasonable looking patch with the tube product, if you want to go that route, I would suggest buying five tubes. Practice with four, and change their output rate by cooling them or heating them with water until you have something that you feel you can control. It takes about that many to get a good feel for them.

You would be better off using a real texture gun, or even one of those hand pump type. They are around 20 bucks and come with enough texture for a patch or so. Again, you will need to practice with differing pressures on the hand pump and differing viscosities of the texture mix to get what will match your ceiling.

If you want to go a cheaper route, buy some of the dry medium acoustic texture (you can probably get a whole bag for about

10 bucks). Mix it up and dip a whisk broom into the mix. Holding the broom parallel to your surface, bend the straws back with your other hand and let it fly. Keep adding til it looks good. This technique works well for small areas. Messy though. Well, it is ALL messy. Make sure you have plenty of plastic over everything, or make a bubble around the patch with plastic. Work inside the bubble.

Rent a 12' step ladder for this kind of work.

[SteveB]

My experience exactly. My first can of goop was wasted in 1.3 seconds. I had no idea it came out that fast.

So, I cleaned up that mess, and tried another.

I eventually got a pretty good looking repair on about six square feet.

I have learned how to do retexturing of small areas with drywall mud and spray cans of popcorn but it has come at a price of a lot of hours and a lot of practice and a lot of failures.

Now, I can confidently take on most small repairs.

However, here's the rub.

Popcorn is a bigger PITA than hemorrhoids. Clean it all off when you can, retexture, and be done with it. If you don't agree, climb up there and closely examine the stuff. It is definitely a cottage cheese biohazard. Messy to remove, but not hard to do. Not that expensive if you want to hire a couple of Julios to do it. Worth every dime no matter which way you go.

Popcorn has gone the way of lath and plaster, and if your home is old enough to have it, it's time to clean it up and be done with it. You'll be glad you did, and the new look will make the room brighter and bigger.

Steve

[Art]

I bought a tube, may have been made by Dap, and it had a sponge applicator at one end. It worked well for medium size holes I fixed (about 6 inches wide). But obviously the texture are your ceiling might look different and it might not work for you.