ceilings from hell

[dseabaugh]

Our house will be 25 years old in December and we decided to paint the ceilings... ... ... . Only problem is that they were sprayed texture ceilings. When I try painting them the texture peels off in sheets and patches all over the place. I asked a friend how he did his ceilings and he told me that they hired a company to come in and spray new texture all over again. I asked another aquaintence and he told me that they scraped the ceilings bare and then had them resprayed. I've tried the Kilz stuff and that seems to make it worse. . Any Ideas?? It is just making it a bigger problem to try to fix the patches where it peeled off down to paper. :{ :--) They need to hang the bozo that came up with the idea of spray on texture ceilings.

 

[Peter Campbell]

Saw an idea in fine homebuilding. He used a modified dustpan with a hose to a shop vac and a scraper. He scraped the stuff into the dustpan and the hose hooked to the dustpan ( hole in bottom)sucked it to the shopvac. This cut way down on the mess of removing the finish. If you have ever taped a ceiling and sanded so the seams are invisible, then you know why "production" builders texture ceilings. Finding good tape men is like finding gold. They can have three rooms done before your done sanding out your first coats mistakes.

 

[CFast]

IF you want to paint them you need to rent or buy an airless sprayer. I tried to roll mine, came right off like you said. Went down, paid 75bucks for 24hour rental. I could have painted the whole house inside and out. Those airless painters paint as fast as you move your arm. I wish i had just bought one. they run 300 bucks and up at home depot. It you do a lot of painting it's the only way to go. The only drawback is the fine mist gets everywhere and everything. were clothes you're ready to get rid of, and wear a dust mask. if you don't you'll blow your nose and paint will come out for days. Cover everything too, if you do it outside tell you neighbors to move their cars or cover them.

 

[dseabaugh]

I have an airless paint sprayer but I just didn't want to get into all that. I guess I will though.

 

[Big P]

You have a couple options. Like what has been said you can paint it with an airless sprayer, or remove the texture by spraying water on the ceiling and scraping it. It would be very difficult to just "patch" the damaged sections. You would be better off scraping the whole ceiling and respraying. If you respray yourself or hire someone, make sure the add plenty of paint to the spray mixture. If that was done the first time you wouldn't be in this mess.

 

[PJereb]

FYI, older popcorn may contain Asbestos.



I have removed the popcorn from the ceiling in my house and re textured it.

It is pretty easy; all you need to remove the old stuff is a pump style yard sprayer. You just fill it up with warm water and a little bit of TSP. Start in a corner and work in small areas (2’x2’). All you do is spray it down (not too much, not too little) then use a large putty knife to scrape the popcorn off (plastic is OK). I used a cardboard beer flat lined with a plastic bag, with a few holes cut in it for my fingers and thumb, then with the other hand I would use the scraper and just let the stuff drop into the box. You want to be careful not to be too aggressive and dig into the mud and tape underneath.



After it is all dry, you will probably have to go back and clean up the corners, and give the ceiling a very light sanding to knock down any goobers (with a fine sanding screen on a stick).

Next, you may have to get a large knife and some spackle to feather out the tape job to your liking. Usually ceilings that are popcorn textured have poor mud and tape jobs, because the contractors know that they don’t have to make it perfect when they are just going to spray that crap up there.



Next spraying new texture…



This is SUPER messy, mask everything…all walls, floor, EVERYTHING



Either call in a drywall contractor, or do it yourself. You can rent a texture gun for about $15. 00 a day, or just buy one for about $65. 00. The best thing to do is to practice on sheetrock scraps outside, adjusting the air pressure, the nozzle size and the thickness of the mud until you get a close match to your walls. Most homes have a spatter texture that was made with a pretty thin mud, a smaller orifice and higher air pressure. Then it is knocked down with a trowel after it starts to set a bit to make the surface flat. It is a soft science, and is something you need to practice yourself to get it right.



After the texture is dry, you give it a very light sanding to knock down any goobers, then primer it. Then you will most likely pull down the masking, and go about re-painting the whole room.

 

[ACoyle]

You could cover the existing cieling with quarter in sheetrock. Take a stud finder and locate teh studs to screw it up. A little taping and you start fresh. P. S. If there is asbestos up there it will be contained.



AC

 

[Mr.Goat]

This is my best suggestion; first remove all the old crumbling textured ceiling coating by wetting and scrapping it off. If you don't mind messy labour this will save you some bucks. Next ask around and hire a good contractor to respray your ceilings. These guys know what there doing and have all the toys to do it with. They should be in and out in a day with a minimum amount of fuss and muss to you. As previously mentioned make sure they add a good percentage of bright white latex paint to the mud mixture. This prevents it from crumbling off later as you are presently experiencing, and it makes it nice and white.



In later years you will be able to paint this new textured ceiling with a heavy napped roller without the plaster crumbling off.



Be patient, have fun, and drink a little when frustrated, this not the end of the world. It will look great when done. Pete

 

[Duluth Diesel]

The material you are working with could contain asbestos. I would have it tested or at least treat it as asbestos containing material. You will do your lungs a favor and live longer. I am a licensed Asbestos Building Inspector in the state of Minnesota. I ask you and warn you, please don't work with this stuff carelessly. Do your homework, make sure that it is not friable asbestos containing. The only way to do this is have a sample of the material tested by a certified laboratory. If you do not want to pay for testing, the only route is to treat the material as asbestos containing material. Asbestos fibers pose a very real health threat. They will damage your lungs. They are too small to see and too small for your nose and sinuses to filter out. Asbestos fibers are 1/400 the diameter of a human hair. If you are concerned about your health, check out the links below as a starting point. If you want more information from me, I will happily spend the time to help those with serious concerns and questions. email me at -- email address removed --.



http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1995/environ/ENV170.HTM



http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/



http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/22013/24103/289422.html?d=dmtHealthAZ

 

[fkovalski]

Originally posted by ACoyle

You could cover the existing cieling with quarter in sheetrock. Take a stud finder and locate teh studs to screw it up. A little taping and you start fresh. P. S. If there is asbestos up there it will be contained.



AC

I was going to suggest this, but go a little further: the 1/4 rock applied directly to the popcorn could take on an uneven finish. I would attach 1x (3/4" actual) furring boards to the underside of the ceiling joist where the original rock is attached. Scrape just enough of the popcorn out of the way to get a good flat surface for the furring strips. Heed pervious advice about asbestos. Attach new 1/4 or 1/2" sheetrock with a knock down finish texture. I would use 1/2" rock as it will be more stable overtime and insure a smoother finish. One thing to consider, though I doubt it will be a problem: If the original structure was realy cheap constuction, consiter the extra weight of added componets before making this decision.

 

[Un-Hemi]

Oil-based paint.

 

[Duluth Diesel]

Originally posted by fkovalski

I was going to suggest this, but go a little further: the 1/4 rock applied directly to the popcorn could take on an uneven finish. I would attach 1x (3/4" actual) furring boards to the underside of the ceiling joist where the original rock is attached. Scrape just enough of the popcorn out of the way to get a good flat surface for the furring strips. Heed pervious advice about asbestos. Attach new 1/4 or 1/2" sheetrock with a knock down finish texture. I would use 1/2" rock as it will be more stable overtime and insure a smoother finish. One thing to consider, though I doubt it will be a problem: If the original structure was realy cheap constuction, consiter the extra weight of added componets before making this decision.

Let me just say again, by "scraping off popcorn," you are making the asbestos (which this material potentially contains) airborne. Asbestos left alone CAN BE harmless in most situations. Asbestos disturbed is a real hazard.

If you don't want to deal with removal of the asbestos material, you can do what is called encapsulation. Seal it in with a latex or oil-based sealant.

 

[MGordon]

I repainted all of my ceilings about 20 years ago when we first moved in - with a roller. Use acrylic ceiling paint and a roller with at least a 3/4" nap. Put an extension on the roller so that you can stand on the ground as you roll. Make sure you have good bright lights pointed at the ceiling so you know where you've been. The key to success is to never roll over the same spot while it is wet. If you miss a spot, wait until the ceiling dries before painting again. Once you get your first coat on, future painting is easy.