The Asbestos Question
Before doing anything with popcorn ceilings in older homes, you need to know about asbestos.
Popcorn texture was commonly mixed with asbestos for fireproofing until the late 1970s. Asbestos was banned from ceiling products in 1978, but inventory on shelves might have been used into the early 1980s.
If your home was built before 1980, or renovated with ceiling texture during that era, test before disturbing. Asbestos fibers are hazardous when airborne. Scraping releases fibers.
Testing is inexpensive. Home test kits are available, or you can send a sample to a lab. A small piece of texture, properly collected, tells you what you're dealing with.
If asbestos is present, you either hire licensed abatement professionals or leave it alone. DIY removal of asbestos is not recommended and may be illegal in your area.
Our house tested negative, which was a relief. Built in 1978 but apparently with non-asbestos texture.
Removing Popcorn Texture
For asbestos-free ceilings, removal is a straightforward if messy project.
Preparation
Cover everything. Remove furniture or cover it completely with plastic. Cover floors with plastic and drop cloths. Remove light fixtures. Tape off walls to protect them from scraping.
The texture falls everywhere when scraped. More prep means less cleanup.
Wetting
Dry popcorn texture creates dust clouds when scraped. Wet texture comes off in clumps with far less dust.
Use a garden sprayer or pump sprayer. Mist a section of ceiling and wait 10-15 minutes. The texture should be damp but not dripping. Scrape that section, then wet the next.
Don't over-wet. Water can damage the drywall behind the texture. Just enough to soften the texture.
Scraping
Use a wide scraping tool, 10-12 inches. A dedicated ceiling scraper with a blade guard helps prevent gouging the drywall.
Work in the direction of the drywall seams. The texture comes off in sheets or chunks depending on how old it is and what it was applied over.
Go easy near seams and screw heads. Gouging the drywall creates repair work. Let the tool glide rather than digging in.
Finishing
After scraping, the ceiling needs work. There will be residue, rough patches, and visible seams that the texture had been hiding.
Skim coat for smooth finish. At minimum, touch up seams and imperfections. Prime before painting.
This finishing often takes longer than the scraping itself.
Covering Instead of Removing
Sometimes it's easier to cover popcorn ceilings than remove them.
Install new 1/4-inch drywall over the existing ceiling. This adds a fresh surface without scraping. The old texture stays in place, sealed behind the new layer.
Pros: No scraping mess. Asbestos stays undisturbed. Potentially faster.
Cons: Lowers ceiling height slightly. Requires adjusting light fixtures and trim. Still need to tape and finish the new drywall.
This approach works best when the existing ceiling is in good condition with solid attachment. Sagging or damaged ceilings should be addressed rather than covered.
Applying New Popcorn Texture
Nobody really asks for popcorn texture anymore, but if you need to match existing areas or actually want it:
Popcorn texture is sprayed using a hopper gun with large aggregate in the compound. Commercial popcorn texture products include the aggregate already mixed.
Spray technique is similar to other textures but uses larger orifice and lower pressure. The goal is depositing clumps, not fine splatter.
Coverage should be heavy and uniform. Unlike knockdown, popcorn stays as sprayed without any follow-up tooling.
Drying time is long because of the thick application. Give it at least 24-48 hours before painting.
Modern Alternatives
If you want ceiling texture for acoustic or imperfection-hiding reasons but don't want the dated popcorn look:
Orange peel: Light texture that hides minor imperfections without looking like a 1970s basement.
Light knockdown: More interesting than orange peel, still contemporary.
Smooth finish: With proper technique, smooth ceilings are achievable and look modern. More work but better long-term value.
Acoustic panels: For serious sound control, dedicated acoustic panels or tiles work better than any texture anyway.
Painting Popcorn Ceilings
If you're keeping the popcorn, painting it freshen things up without removal.
Use a thick-nap roller, 3/4 inch or more. The nap gets into the texture valleys. Thin-nap rollers skip over the low spots.
Roll gently. Aggressive rolling can pull off texture, especially if it's old and loose.
Spraying works well too if you have the equipment. Better coverage than rolling and no risk of pulling off texture.
Two coats minimum. Popcorn is porous and absorbs a lot of paint. The first coat often looks blotchy until the second coat evens it out.