Acoustic ceiling removal overview
Acoustic ceiling removal, often referred to as popcorn ceiling removal, is a laborious and messy
process so homeowners often look to specialized crews to do the work. The process is 50%
preparation and 30% messy work with the application of texture the most important part of the job.
Whether a home is furnished or vacant, caution has to be taken to guard against the acoustic
scrapings from getting onto floors and furniture. The entire house needs to be bagged in plastic,
usually with multiple layers.
Popcorn acoustic ceilings come off better once wet. Too much water and the drywall beneath is wet,
not enough water and the acoustic dosen’t want to scrape off, so experience helps when wetting the
ceiling.
Most professionals find it useful to use a small blade putty knife rather than a large scraper. Often the
large scrapers will gouge into the wallboard causing additional repairs to be made before texturing
begins. Once scraping begins the word messy again comes to mind. Scraping acoustic from
overhead brings the wet gooey material down on the person scraping. Every square inch of the
acoustic ceiling has to be scraped. This often reveals areas that will need to be re coated or even
taped before texture begins.
Once the acoustic is on the floor it is time to clean up before texturing. The plastic that protected the
walls are taken down and the top layer of plastic containing the acoustic is removed. A bottom layer
is left to protect the floor during the hand texturing process.
Hand texturing, often called skip trowel, seems to be the most popular texture since the pattern
provides a rich aesthetic look while also hiding most irregularities found in large flat surfaces. Once
the hand texture is applied it will need to dry for at least 24 hours before having painters apply a
primer coat.
Having removed the popcorn ceilings and applying a hand texture will be a major improvement in
beautifying your home.
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