Popcorn Ceiling : remove or not remove

[living_in_hell]

I am really conflicted on this, for a variety of reasons...any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

[Mr Downtown]

Really hard to get it all off.

[needscoffee]

We've removed our living room popcorn. I've known many people who have done it. It was not hard per se, but working overhead is a bitch. You should get it tested first to see if it contains asbestos. To remove it, you spray it with water a small area at a time and then scrape it off. Then wipe any residue off, repeatedly. It's hard to remove every last bit so that new primer paint will adhere. There may be a reason the popcorn was sprayed, such as cracked and uneven ceilings, which would need to be addressed.

[TriPolar]

I've seen those in other people's houses. They just get dirtier and uglier over time. Better to do it now instead of regretting not doing it later.

[living_in_hell]

I have a feeling it contains asbestos which in itself means I will probably have to hire pro$ to do it. It definitely is not the chic-est of looks though it does absorb sound and cover crappy work (which I can see--who knows what it looks like under!) Butttt...it also reminds me of my youth in some weird way. Those were big in the 70's.

[miss elizabeth]

I am considering doing this as well. Mine contains asbestos, but this is considered to be one of the easier asbestos removal jobs there is, and a homeowner can do it (if they're careful). I really really hate the way the popcorn looks, but ours is clean and nicely painted... I don't know if I hate it enough to do all that work.

[living_in_hell]

There's a great YouTube of one coming down in almost an alien-monster type of way that makes me really want to take it down! I hear ya though about maybe leaving it--and freshening it up with a new coat of paint, but that in itself may be hard because getting it saturated is how to remove it!

[Typo Negative]

My mother had her's removed in the whole house. I was staying there at the time.

I really wish I hadn't. The mess! the stench!

[thelabdude]

Maybe rip it out now before regulations get tougher.

[Twoflower]

I have a feeling it contains asbestos

If it's a 70s vintage house, 99% chance you're right. If it was built 1980 or later, probably not asbestos.

[miss elizabeth]

My ex-husband just took out the popcorn in the bathroom of our old house (his current house). It is a VERY small room, but he said it was a pretty big pain in the ass. It took a few hours, and in places it was a lot of work to get it off (but in other places it was a breeze). However, it is done, and it looks much better.

So, I'm still undecided, but it's good info. Harder than he thought (and, to be fair, he is a complete home improvement wuss), but far from un-doable. Oh, he said the mess was outrageous though. Just a nightmare of dust everywhere.

[living_in_hell]

It will be a nightmare project if I take it on--I have limited cross-ventilation and 3 pets. I think I will get it tested (I am guessing its asbestos) and then a quote for removal of the bathroom and hallway--small areas. Depending on how that goes I may go bigger.

What a nightmare.

[Top Hat]

Okay well I just removed this stuff from a room in my house and it was actually pretty easy to get off. I used a spray bottle and a scraper and it came off pretty easy.

My issue now is that I just read this thread and had no idea about the asbestos issue. My house was built in 1973 and now I'm totally paranoid I've inhaled a bowl full of asbestos... there was a house down the road that had an "Asbestos Abatement" sign in front of it for the past month that was built around the same time as mine. I did wear a mask while scraping but the dust was everywhere and I didn't cover vents or anything like that and I didn't always have a mask on during cleanup. Arg... I'm hallucinating having chest pains now as well.

What should I do?

[living_in_hell]

I think that it would be worth getting checked out, for your own peace of mind.

[thelabdude]

Okay well I just removed this stuff from a room in my house and it was actually pretty easy to get off. I used a spray bottle and a scraper and it came off pretty easy.

My issue now is that I just read this thread and had no idea about the asbestos issue. My house was built in 1973 and now I'm totally paranoid I've inhaled a bowl full of asbestos... there was a house down the road that had an "Asbestos Abatement" sign in front of it for the past month that was built around the same time as mine. I did wear a mask while scraping but the dust was everywhere and I didn't cover vents or anything like that and I didn't always have a mask on during cleanup. Arg... I'm hallucinating having chest pains now as well.

What should I do?

I wouldn't worry about it. Only a very few of those with long term, heavy exposure on the job get cancer from it.

[Eliahna]

My brother died June 8th 2010 from Mesothelioma he did not think there was any risk either it took him 5 months to die screaming in pain.
Surprised he had the breath to scream.
Asbestos is out there. Some people die from mesothelioma after minimal exposure; some people never develop it after multiple exposures. It's the luck of the draw. Get professionals to remove it safely and cleanly and your risk should be minimal.

[bot3]

I did our kitchen. Turned out very well. I did not wet it first. With the right scraper you can get it off dry. A lot less mess. I covered the entire kitchen with plastic.

[Yllaria]

I think that it would be worth getting checked out, for your own peace of mind.

I don't think that there's anything that you can get checked out. It usually takes years to develop, and as mentioned, it usually takes more than one exposure. Now if the ceiling had been damaged and you were living in the house for years while the oatmeal crumbled and floated through the air, you'd have more to be concerned about.

[Sattua]

If you're worried about the dust in your house, you might consider having your forced air ducts cleaned.

My husband removed popcorn ceiling in the hallway of our house; as others have said the overhead nature of the work was the hard part.

[razncain]

I’ve removed a few of my own popcorn ceilings before. Most of the work is the prep of laying plastic down if you already have carpet in. Use your garden pump sprayer to wet the ceiling with water. Wait just a little while, then go back and scrap it down with a wide drywall blade. I had my own aluminum stilts, which made the job that much quicker. Use an air mask, I used a twin-stage painters mask and are not that expensive.

If the popcorn ceiling was put in during the sixties and up to late seventies, there’s a good chance it’s asbestos. Anything in the eighties onward, I doubt has it if my memory serves me correctly. I’m still not sure why this would require a professional to remove it, but that’s just me. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, then don’t.

But using a good air mask, and especially wetting the ceiling down, really keeps any dust to a minimum. There really isn’t anything to it. I’m sure youtube would have plenty of videos on how to do this. They have on every other do-it-yourself project it seems.

[campp]

Could you bury it under another layer of sheetrock? That would cost some money but may be easier and healthier in the long run.

[razncain]

^^^
Sure, I have before, but not for the reason of asbestos. Just had some rough looking sheetrock that was easier just to put another layer up. Just use longer screws to reach the wood beams. Do-it-yourselfers would still save a fortune compared to having someone else come in to clean up the asbestos if they still don’t think they can do it.

I did check too, there are plenty of youtube videos showing how easy it is to do this. For asbestos, there’s a little bit more prep work, with plastic covering everything, including wrapping it around your shoes, and using disposable coveralls. It shows a really good two stage air mask. I think another excellent choice would be an air mask that is air fed in from another room. Hobby air makes one of those for painters and others using more harsh chemicals, but there are others. E-bay is a good place to look for them. At Van’s Air Force MB, there are plenty that buy their mask with hose attachments, and then make the rest out of certain vacuum cleaners. They can then spray all kinds of nasty chemicals onto the metal which prevents corrosion, and they don’t have to breathe the fumes. They also use it for painting their aircraft.

[aruvqan]

Could you bury it under another layer of sheetrock? That would cost some money but may be easier and healthier in the long run.
I was going to suggest this... just use a good quality of quarter inch sheetrock, get a nice clean paintable surface.