Patching a popcorn ceiling
My house was built in the early 90s, and I bought it in the early 2000s. It's a split level, and has popcorn ceilings throughout.
A few months ago a guy dropped a tree on my house. The roof has finally been repaired, but now it's time to work on patching the holes in the ceiling of the kitchen.
The largest hole is about 18" x 36":
The others are much smaller, less than 12" x 12":
I seriously considered stripping the popcorn ceiling and painting it white, but once you start there's not a graceful ending point! It's way too much for me to do myself, and paying someone becomes too expensive to be feasible. The insurance is only paying $350 :-/
I can patch the drywall myself, no problem. I'm guessing that I need to sand it nice and smooth before applying popcorn?
And I'm also assuming that I need to prime the drywall before the popcorn?
The real question is, HOW to apply popcorn and make it match the rest of the ceiling? I've done small patches by just spreading a little on and poking it with a cheap broom to texture, but is that the right technique when I'm covering a 2' x 3' patch?
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Comments (2)If there's a stud behind it, you can try screwing a drywall screw into it and see if it pulls it up if it's sagging drywall, but you'll need a stud-finder to know if that's an option. That's really the only hope other than patching it (just like you do on a wall, but it has to be PERFECT). Ideally, cut the whole area out (half sheets of drywall are easier to blend in than small patches). You can sometimes put in cross studs by toenailing them in to the existing studs to attach a smaller patch piece. That's a good solid fix. Or you can float in a long piece between studs (second video, hard to describe). Here's the right way to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NYcnjTPunk Here's a cheating way you MIGHT be able to pull off if it's less than a 2 foot area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQIWXf5BtaE...See MorePopcorn Ceiling
Comments (10)Christophern, Thanks. I did have ours tested, though, and it is well above the limit for asbestos. Also, we did start scraping it off and it was NOT easy. I am not a quitter, but I just couldn't finish it. It was too hard to keep it wet, and also the fact that the ceiling had been spray painted made the stuff harder to remove. I know that when it's never been painted that it comes off really easy, but ours was not like that, and working overhead was so hard. Sometimes I think about trying again, though. I have removed it from the ceilings inside our closets where it hadn't been painted. It came off really easy, but what a mess. Despite my best efforts to keep it wet, and also with having it drop into a baking pan that I'd filled with water, it still got everywhere. I HATE THE STUFF ! :0(...See MoreCeiling tile OVER popcorn ceiling? Anyone tried this?
Comments (13)Hey there -- I'm not a ceiling person but I have tackled stucco and popcorn ceilings two different ways. #1: The drop ceiling grid (as people have mentioned and you mentioned) is relatively easy, affordable and not messy. You will loose anywhere from an inch to two inches for the drop grid and of course you have to buy the framing and tiles you want. I've done one ceiling with black frames and high-end marbled acoustic tiles (also including lighting) and I've done a huge basement with silver framing and tin tiles -- both fabulous. #2: Cheapest and quickest way to cover popcorn is paint, paint and more paint. I would use a large nappy roller and lather it on, two heavy coats and maybe a third. The popcorn effect will diminish with each coat. New drywall is the absolute best and most comprehensive fix. I would investigate, however, why the popcorn finish was used in the first place (very important). Often this technique is used on uneven surfaces, really large areas, commercial use areas, track subdivisions, etc. I'd advise you against knocking off the points with either scraping or sanding. You will experience chips and clumps falling down. Popcorn finishes have a composite mixed in with the paint for adhesion to its primary surface (either vermiculite or polystyrene). Once you start the chipping or sanding you will have to go down to the bare, bare surface and then patch, paint anyway. Going completely over what is in place now with a drop ceiling or paint -- or pulling the primary surface down and dry-walling is they way to go. Even nailing into that textured surface or trying to "glue" something to it will cause the cracking, chipping, clumping and it will not be secure. My two cents -- good luck....See MoreCeiling repair/patch
Comments (2)For $100.00, I'd go pro as that sounds way too reasonable. You might want to check this persons references first. For a saw buck, it's not worth the headaches, tool purchases for you to d.i.y. Make sure, in writing, that this person will back their work if it doesn't match up to your satisfaction. Matching textures is more involved than it seems to make a decent repair look like it never happened. Depends on your expectations!...See MoreJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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cat_ky
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last yearSince you only have a limited amount to repair it, you may want to just have a layer of sheetrock put over the top of the entire thing.
I considered that, @cat_ky. The problem I have is that there's no good stopping point, so I'd end up having to do the kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway! That becomes cost prohibitive. And honestly, doing that much mudwork and sanding over my head is pretty daunting! LOL
I have never seen a patch, done on it, that you couldnt spot if looking at a ceiling.
Well shoot, that's disappointing :-/ Maybe it would be best to strip the popcorn from the kitchen and dining room (stopping at the ridge), then put new popcorn just on those two rooms. In theory, if the color isn't a perfect match then it won't be noticeable using the ridge as a divider.
Pic taken just now so you can see the ridge and how the rooms are separated:
You can see how that ridge isn't lined up perfectly, which is another reason I'm hesitant to permanently remove the popcorn. That flawed line would be a LOT more noticeable with a flat ceiling!woodbutcher_ca
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