Popcorn Texture Asbestos
Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Fix/Remove Popcorn ceiling?
We have ugly popcorn ceilings in our house and I was trying to think of alternatives. I am unsure if they contain asbestos, but fairly certain they do so I don’t want to scrape them. Putting up new drywall is a little more work than we can do on our own. And the tin panels look nice but not practical for the whole house.
1. IF I DO scrape them, can we do it with minimal asbestos exposure, or just forget it?
2. Is there some other texture product I can spray up and then smooth out over the surface with a flat mop or something so it isn’t so lumpy? Will that expose us as well?
Thanks!
EDIT: I know all the procedures to remove the popcorn texture, don’t need that info. I need to know if there is any way to do it safely if it has asbestos or another option to just coat over it and smooth it out.
If you want a smooth ceiling you are going to have to lay new sheetrock over it because you can never get all of the popcorn off. However, if you are going with another texture on the ceiling, it can be done.
While remodeling my house, I came across the same dilemna. I was told to take a spray bottle and spray the ceiling, not soaking it but giving a good layer of moisture. This softens the popcorn and helps settle some of the fibers from flying. Let the ceiling soak for about 15 minutes or so, then with a mask on, scrape the popcorn. Some areas may need to be redone, depending on the thickness of the popcorn. Then paint it with a sealer, like kilz.
I ended up doing a more modern ceiling that is called “stomp” ceilings. It is is done with a certain brush (which costs about $15.00) and covered the popcorn residual nicely. You dont even know that popcorn was once there.
You can do a goodle search to see how stomp is done and what mixture of paint that you will need. I used kilz as my paint additive. Its soooo easy!
Nor did I feel any ill affects from the asbestos that was or wasnt there.
Ceiling Master – Ceiling in Santa Ana, CA