Popcorn ceilings.... Remove or Repaint?

I am writing this blog to help you make a tough decision easy. What should you do with textured ceilings?
(AKA Popcorn ceilings) Remove? Or Repaint?

First- take a look at this photo..........  BEFORE.. you can see the stains and repairs....

Textured Ceiling skylight. This becomes a home for nothing you want to keep. Seriously, there were so many spider webs in this skylight I wasn't sure what was coming down when I scraped it, texture or spider webs.

Step 1 cover anything you do not want to get ceiling texture on
Step 2 put on a dust mask, spray your removal medium, either water or some mixture of water and tsp, or anything that will help break the bond from the sheetrock
Step 3 put on a dust mask, again.... quick sanding, remove dust and mud tape joints and nail holes
Step 4 dust mask please again!........ sand smooth with sanding pole or sanding pole attached to a vacuum, but never a sanding sponge... you could spend all day.... besides, it won't sand the ceiling flat. Only a pole sander works faster than anything else....

The removal process looks like this......  in a different part of the house..

 DURING........... texture removed, and tray being prepared for new tape joints......

Now for the AFTER photo of this skylight. With new glass! Looks like a new house. 

By the way-we did this entire house, removed ceiling texture throughout. What a terrible project this one was. They had several roof leaks which resulted in the texture being locked on to the drywall. We handled it the simplest way, but it was tough work.
This is the Great Room tray ceiling we stripped..... you can see the tape let go because it had 1 coat of mud on it. If you have a home that has a tray, do not be surprised if this happens. If you are planning to do this project yourself, I would leave the taping and finish work to a professional in the tray. This is very difficult and requires a lot of skill and patience. Worth every penny to pay a drywall specialist to do it. Even I pay them to do the tray ceilings! I do the flat parts because I really move pretty fast there. The angled tape joints you see here are brutal to work with.

This is what the tray looks like once we finish applying 1 coat of primer sealer and 1 coat of No VOC Glidden Lifemaster Flat paint.

Lastly, as a homeowner you decide when you buy a place, as to whether or not you want to do this. It is a lot less expensive to remove ceiling texture when the house is empty! So is painting! 

REMOVE: in an empty home...........

This project bid was on a 2000 SF ceiling space, which included re-taping the skylight, the tray, and 2 other areas of angled ceiling... The labor came to $3.00/square foot or $6000 labor. Materials were about $1,000.  $7000. Never worry again about the textured ceilings. In this area, smooth ceilings is an upgrade for your health and makes your home more attractive when listing your property. I expect your health will improve once your ceiling texture is removed.

REPAINT:

 Not including walls- the price for these ceilings to repaint after masking everything and the walls $1250 plus materials of $750. With the caveat that some texture may fall down during the process, which we do not know  until it happens. Also, you will still have texture ceilings and still have to deal with how little the light reflects off the texture.

This project compliments of Chip Collins of Collins Group Realty. If he didn't call me to repaint this home for his client before being listed, I never would have called my client to come and see it; and eventually buy it; and hire us to do this work and a few other projects. Thanks Chip! 

REMOVE?  or REPAINT?

You be the judge! Removing your ceiling texture will definitely get rid of years of cooking, dirt, and who knows what else?!

Don't forget to share this blog with anyone you know. If they are selling their home or buying a home and the texture looks pretty bad, this is the best option.......  Most bang or the buck in a house is removing texture and painting! Biggest impact!

Call me for more information about removing ceiling texture... Dave Cook, 843-298-3412. 

or  email me! at lcfhhi@gmail.com. 

You can also visit my website at Lowcountry Finishes Painting and Carpentry

Next Post..... 

Crown... It isn't just for Kings and Queens!  Will it cost me a fortune to have it installed and painted?

SHABBY WALL- GIVE ME A CALL! Wallpaper: remove, prep, and paint, surgery it ain't!

A recent project I came across was with a client asking me to remove wallpaper which had been painted over 3 coats and sealed to the wall. He asked for the least expensive solution. Asking me to price new drywall over the top, removing the painted over wallpaper, and skim coat over the existing surface of painted wallpaper. We went over the heavily patterned wallpaper again and at a cost much greater than if he had spend the extra money initially to remove the wallpaper and then paint. This can not be done all the time.

So addressing the question, which is more cost effective? Remove wallpaper or paint over it?

When faced with this decision as a homeowner,  the best money spent, one time, is to remove the wallpaper, with one caveat.  Be prepared to allow the contractor to do a test area of 2 or 3 pieces wide by the hour to make sure the paper will come down without pulling the paper off the drywall. This would only take 1 hour if the wallpaper comes down without a problem.


When not installed correctly, wallpaper will become one with drywall. Even the best wallpaper removal concentrate and most skilled tradesmen, may have problems. You also run into the problems if the paper starts to fall off in some areas. You may also trap mold behind the wallpaper. This could cause health problems later.

Once I remove wallpaper, I use Gardz Problem Surface Sealer. It is a low odor water clean-up product. But you do have to allow it to dry completely before the next step. This will seal ripped drywall paper, and wallpaper glue you may have missed, without having to use an oil base offensive product like Kilz or Cover Stain. It can also be used as a primer. Last time I used this was as an initial primer,  I skim coated walls, and primed with it again to lock the drywall mud to the first coat of sealer. I finished the walls with 2 finish coats of a no VOC flat wall paint to help hide imperfections.

DIY Alert:   Save wallpaper removal for the professionals. You can do the prep and painting yourself, but  let a pro remove the wallpaper and handle the intial removal of glue before applying a skim coat and a sealer.

Removing wallpaper can become ovewhelming as a DIY project. Painting that wall area later, once you let a professional remove and prep the area is easy. Hire a professional to do it for you.

Spoiler Alert: While removing the wallpaper- have the crew take down that nasty, smelly popcorn ceiling too! This is the easiest time to do it and chances are, in that space, they will do it for half the normal cost because they are already in there working on the walls, and the floors should already be covered and prepared in the work space.

Next Topic: Removing textured ceilings.......... wait until you see the difference!

Remember: IF you've got a SHABBY WALL, GIVE ME A CALL!
Dave Cook
843-298-3412

A step into the Remodeling Culture!

As my first blog, I have to consider, who will read this and what do they want to learn? I am open to suggestions and for the first week- I am opening this BLOG to the public and their curiosity. The topics you want to learn about may be
1 Painting-interior and exterior
2 Carpentry=framing vs trim work
3 additions and renovations
4 windows and doors
5 DIY Coaching- help me, I am stuck!

I am confident my experience in construction will create a local demand for information relating  handling renovations, how to talk to and work with their contractor, and how to get the most from their remodeling dollar! We ALL want that! Including me! As I am currently looking to add a bedroom and a nice laundry room with a toilet and shower, so I am able to come home from work and leave dirty clothes in the laundry room, instead of our walk-in closet.

If you have questions you want answered, there are many ways to reach me
I am available to be a DIY Coach. A DIY Coach helps you move through your own work at your home which you want to provide the labor and are capable, but need some guidance. The best way to reach me is email at lcfhhi@gmail.com, explaining what your goals are and what you are working on.
I am a licensed South Carolina Residential Builder if you have a project you would like me to review, consult, design, or work on for you. It is best to reach me at 843-298-3412 on my cell phone.


This would be very helpful during your preliminary stages of renovation, before you have a definite plan.
You can see a very large photo gallery on http://www.facebook.com/lowcountry.finishes.

Please contact me if you ever need anything! I look forward to hearing from you.
Next Post: Aug 25th, 2012

Kindest Regards,
David Cook
Owner, Lowcountry Finishes Painting & Carpentry
www.lowcountryfinishes.com
843-298-3412