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?
Comments (12)
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Popcorn 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 MoreGot paint on my popcorn ceiling - oops! Help!
Comments (8)I got it fixed! Lowes had quarts of the American Tradition ceiling paint for less than $8.00. It's that kind w/ the pink/purple color in it that dries white. I used some artists brushes and dabbed it on. I think the one coat's gonna work, but I need to look at it when I get home tonight to see if it needs more. I had thought about using the patch stuff because I had bought a tube of it to cover where sone nails have popped through in my MBR ceiling, but a guy (pro painter) at church said not to. He said unless you're highly skilled that you can always see the patch....See MorePopcorn ceiling texture - is contractor's work acceptable?
Comments (3)Matching popcorn ceilings is a very difficult job. I'm posting a pic below of a reposession rehab I did this year of a seven-year old townhouse. The painter patched the ceiling subjected to long-neglected leaks, then re-textured the area. In the photo, it stands out. In person, you'd really only see it if you knew what you were looking for. Respraying the entire ceiling in a new coat of paint would have completely disguised the repair. Similarly, when I've torn down partitioning walls and was faced with three different ceiling heights and different texturing, the plasterer levelled the ceilings with mesh and plaster, then applied new heavy texturing to the entire ceiling. Spending more, you can always get a more perfect job. This post was edited by worthy on Mon, Aug 18, 14 at 12:34...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 monthSince 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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