Removing Popcorn Drywall Texture
Popcorn drywall texture is not very popular anymore. Most people looking for information about popcorn texture are more interested in its removal than application. If you are interested in doing it yourself please read some of the following recommendations.
Most acoustic popcorn drywall texture applied before 1978 contains asbestos. Even after 1978, some companies continued to use asbestos in popcorn texture material.
Asbestos is extremely hazardous to your health. Asbestos has been linked to Mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects internal organs, most commonly the external lining of the lungs. Many construction workers who have worked in the construction industry before the mid-1970's have been affected by this life-threatening disease.
Some professionals claim that construction materials containing asbestos do not present a serious hazard if they are left in their current state and not disturbed. If you have any questions about whether the texture in your home contains asbestos you should consult with a licensed professional that is trained to test for asbestos and provide recommendations.
If you have confirmed beyond a doubt that the acoustic popcorn texture used in your home does not contain asbestos, you may be able to remove it yourself. Popcorn texture is made primarily of drywall mud which is water soluble.
Scraping popcorn ceiling texture creates a dusty, sloppy mess. Before beginning, remove all furniture from the room and protect any finishes that will remain.
Flooring should be covered with a plastic barrier and then with red rosin paper or craft paper. A product called carpet shield™ works well as a plastic barrier. Carpet Shield™ sticks firmly to the carpet like a screen protector on a cell phone to create a plastic barrier that will not slide around.
As long as the texture has not been painted, popcorn texture will soften quickly when sprayed with warm water. Once softened it can be scraped using a wide drywall knife or another type of metal scrapper. Hand pump pressurized water sprayers with long hoses work well for spraying water on the ceiling.
Acoustic popcorn texture that was not painted will be easy to remove. If it is painted, however, you may be able to scrape the texture while dry to remove some of the painted layers. Once some of the painted layers are removed water will be able to penetrate more easily to soften the texture.
Once the texture has been carefully removed from your ceiling, it can be finished as desired. Care should be taken when scraping drywall mud with a metal knife. Be careful not to gouge the surface. Any gouges in the underlying surface must be patched, by a drywall finisher. Applying another type of texture will require less preparation work than trying to create a level-five smooth wall finish.
Another option to consider for acoustic popcorn textured ceilings is laminating the entire ceiling with a new layer of drywall. Installing a new layer of drywall eliminates the need for time-consuming scraping and associated cleanup.
If installing a new layer of drywall over an existing texture you must ensure that the fasteners used penetrate all layers to grab in the rafters or floor joists behind. Because of this, you must first locate this backing and use screws long enough to sink to a sufficient depth.
