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S_A_N_D_ t1_j2460a1 wrote

Reply to comment by aZamaryk in New painter questions about old paint on walls, unpainted popcorn ceilings and primer! by thatoneguyovertheres

Seconded. DO NOT PAINT OVER POPCORN CEILING OP.

Popcorn ceiling is not hard to remove. It's just messy and time consuming. Popcorn ceiling that has been painted over is a whole different story because the paint is now acting as a layer of glue over top.

Easier to remove does not mean easy to remove. Any paint will make it much harder to remove in the future.

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lisalys t1_j24gb6q wrote

Ouch. My parents painted over their popcorn ceilings multiple times. Assuming it has asbestos in it, getting rid of that is going to be expensive.

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falderol t1_j25ff63 wrote

test it, why assume.

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lisalys t1_j278fua wrote

When I ever inherit, I will. But judging by the year, I’m pretty sure there’s asbestos everywhere.

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falderol t1_j28z9lj wrote

Then you also need to be testing for lead. Asbestos can nail you after a long time. Lead can hit you much quicker.

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lisalys t1_j2a3fum wrote

Thanks! I hadn’t thought of that!

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belleandhera t1_j265fx9 wrote

Because it's not necessary? If you are gonna make it your job to remove popcorn ceilings, that's one thing. If you are removing a single one, you're fine no matter how asbestosey it is.

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falderol t1_j26jfxf wrote

I dont think that is true. If you are mobilizing asbestos there are (maybe) laws about doing it. I think I have heard that if you find asbestos anywhere, you are required to use approved contractors to control and remove it. They use plastic doors and negative pressure enclosures to keep the fibers from contaminating the neighbors. The stuff kills people...eventually.

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DepartmentNatural t1_j24xfk9 wrote

Only expensive if a removal company does it

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Epic2112 t1_j251j60 wrote

I'm pretty sure cancer can end up costing a pretty penny.

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Coffeedemon t1_j26d45r wrote

It isn't something that's going to give you cancer over the weekend. Get a proper respirator and disposal gear and clear the house out. This stuff gets you from working with it over a career and without proper PPE.

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DepartmentNatural t1_j25emy3 wrote

True but cancer from one time exposure is highly unlikely and with proper ppe & mitigation safeguards, which both are easily obtained and used in a home remodel cancer risk is zero

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Rikiar t1_j26az9g wrote

Cancer risk is never zero.

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Coffeedemon t1_j26dag3 wrote

There's probably gas coming from your basement or drains that will get you faster than fixing the ceiling.

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Rikiar t1_j26e1hg wrote

I didn't say the cancer had to come from the ceiling cleaning. It's never zero though, it's just close to zero.

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Allidoischill420 t1_j26xowi wrote

And bananas give you radiation too but that doesn't mean we go directly touching radiation because we can have bananas

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skydiver1958 t1_j2bh0ix wrote

No it's not that bad. I've done two house renos with bad painted popcorn with patches and we had a guy that troweled on drywall mud (2 or 3 coats) and sanded and painted. Smooth as silk. It's messy but not nearly as messy as scraping and turns out 100%. Too often people take the hard way when there really is an easier solution.

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lisalys t1_j2cs2e2 wrote

That’s awesome!! I will definitely keep that in mind!!!

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ClumsyRainbow t1_j2d6dld wrote

Yep, I had this done before moving to my current place and am now finally getting around to repainting each room in turn. I got quotes for a few options, this skim coating over the popcorn, putting new drywall below it, and full scraping/removal and then skim coating. This was the cheapest option, though adding an extra layer of drywall wasn't much more - but it would have lowered the ceilings perceivably, whilst the skim coat is really only taking off maybe 10mm from the total height of the room - totally unnoticeable.

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thunderstricken t1_j261khb wrote

I tried painting over popcorn ceiling once. The damp from the paint made it flake in a bunch of areas. It looked awful and I ended up having to have it removed anyway. And it was harder because it was painted and water wouldn’t dampen it as well.

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crspycantlop t1_j27eyoh wrote

Can only do thin coats if it’s not already falling off

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Old_timey_brain t1_j250st7 wrote

> Seconded. DO NOT PAINT OVER POPCORN CEILING OP.

I must completely disagree. When I took possession of my home, the first tradesman in was the painter who sprayed all the ceilings with flat white enamel. Twenty four years later, they are still looking good.

The ceilings are sealed though. With a thin layer of paint as I have, I can tell by one area of inadvertent damage (oops) that a putty knife would take it off easily while dry as the paint offers a slight crust to give leverage.

EDIT: The paint was oil based.

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S_A_N_D_ t1_j252bbz wrote

My point wasn't that it won't look good. My point was that if ever you decide you want a flat roof or some other texture, removing the popcorn becomes a real PIA after it's been painted. OP specifically made a comment about removing the popcorn later. If that's in the cards at all, they should not paint it.

I'm also guessing OP will be rolling and not spraying which will possibly have poorer results. Rolling an uneven surface can be tricky and may not work well.

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Old_timey_brain t1_j259757 wrote

> I'm also guessing OP will be rolling and not spraying which will possibly have poorer results. Rolling an uneven surface can be tricky and may not work well.

Having attempted to roll a ceiling, I'll vouch for that, and promise to never do it again.

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