Acoustic (Popcorn) Texture Removal Process
The following is the normal process for removing acoustic texture. If the texture has been painted (depending whether it was latex or oil base paint) this process may not work and may require much more intensive methods. We can determine what course to take when we examine your ceiling.
Before We Arrive
Remove all fragile items from the room(s), such as vases, tabletop framed photos, light fixtures and anything breakable or that could be knocked over. Please remove all items from mantels, top shelves, table tops, etc. If your closets are included, please be sure to have the shelves empty. Please remove all furniture items from the rooms for protection and worker safety such as sofas and tables. If an item cannot be moved it is possible to leave an item in the room but it must be well protected and wrapped in poly. Keep in mind we will be working with water and then drywall dust which tends to travel and penetrate during the process with anything left in the work areas no matter how well they are wrapped. Keep in mind that you and your family will not have access to the work area during the process. At the end of the day we can safely lift some poly above door openings for limited access. Make any arrangements necessary for your convenience (toilet, necessary belongings, telephone, etc.) We recommend you make arrangements to leave the home during the work if your entire home is being done.
Removal
We cover the floors with drop cloth and plastic. Plastic sheeting is hung from the top of the walls all the way around each room, from the ceiling to the floor, and secured in place with masking tape. This tape can cause peeling of the underlying wall paint and cannot always be prevented due to the nature of the strong adhesives needed. Once the masking process is complete, each room will resemble the inside of a large garbage bag, with only the ceiling exposed. This protects the walls and floors and expedites the clean up at the end.
We then wet the ceiling with water, sometimes combined with wetting
agents, and use drywall knives to scrape off the acoustic (popcorn)
texture. The water must be used in order to soften the existing texture
and control the dust. It also helps to keep the drywall from being
damaged by the scraping process. We then repair any damaged sheetrock,
and re-coat the tape joints and nails where needed.
Weather and temperature does effect the drying time. Please keep your
thermostat set at 66°F or more in the winter, and about 75°F in the
summer. Air conditioning does help in removing moisture due to this
process. We also ask that you keep a few windows slightly open
throughout your home for good ventilation. These precautions are to
insure good adhesion of the skimming compound or the new texture to the
sheetrock and allow us to complete the job in a timely fashion. The
ceilings will need to dry for a minimum of 24 hours. Once dry, your
ceiling will be sealed (if needed due to water staining) and
re-textured in the style of your choice or skimmed and sanded smooth.
You will need to prime and paint skimmed, orange peel, or knockdown texture
ceilings in a color of your choice.
Please feel free to email or call with any further questions.