Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 12/2/2008

Question
QUESTION: What is the best way to do it your self popcorn ceilings or should I just bite the bullet and hire it out.

ANSWER: Hi Patty , you can rent a texture machine and buy the texture at your local building supply store, mix up the texture, pour it into the machine hopper and spray it on the ceiling.  Be sure to cover everything or it will get spray on it.  Figure the cost of the machine rental, the material cost, how much of your time is going to be involved, what kind of job you(an inexperienced texturer)is capable of producing and then call a professional for a bid.  You will probably find that you can barely buy the materials for what it costs for a pro to do it.  If you have a pro do it?  Make sure they mix the material and use it the same day.  No exceptions.  And, as silly as it sounds, smell it before it goes on.  Trust me, I get a lot of letters from people whose home was textured with sour mix and the smell was permanent. I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com

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QUESTION: Sorry what I meant to say is I want to remove them.  I must edit before sending again my apologies

Answer
Hi again Patty, sorry.  I thought you wanted to do the popcorn.  If the ceiling hasn't been painted too many times you might be able to do this yourself witha spray bottle of water and a 12" drywall knife.  The popcorn spray by itself is water soluble so by spraying water on it and letting it sit for a minute or so will loosen it up and it can be scraped off using the wide bladed knife.  Be careful not to tear or gouge the drywall while doing this and you should be fine.  Once you clean the popcorn off an area take a big damp sponge and wipe any streaks off the ceiling before moving on to another area. I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters,
sincerely,
bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com