We bought a neglected house: Sheetrock refinishing?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - We bought a neglected house: Sheetrock refinishing?

Posted: 7/29/2017 8:41:54 AM EDT

I've got a kitchen/dining area combination I am going through.

First order of business was to scrape the popcorn off of the section over the dining area. I'd like to end up with either a smooth or a knock down texture over the entire ceiling surface. Since the previous owner painted the popcorn with gloss paint I had to cut through the nubs of the popcorn before any water would penetrate to ease the scraping. It took a good 4 or 5 cycles of wet/scrape to get it all removed.

With the popcorn gone, I now have bare sheetrock over the dining area and gloss paint covered orange peel texture over the kitchen.

Any suggestions on how to address the gloss covered texture? Will new texture or mud stick to the gloss, maybe prime then texture? Do I need to cut through the paint with some 36grit paper then wet and scrape like the popcorn? Sand till I hit paper? Skin with new rock?

Posted: 7/29/2017 12:50:29 PM EDT

[#1]

The only thing I can advise is to seriously consider getting the texture done by a pro.

I've seen a few DIY texture jobs after popcorn scrapes lately that just looked like total shit. Leaving the corn would have been a better choice.

Posted: 7/29/2017 1:04:55 PM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
The only thing I can advise is to seriously consider getting the texture done by a pro.

I've seen a few DIY texture jobs after popcorn scrapes lately that just looked like total shit. Leaving the corn would have been a better choice.

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I agree. Especially the knock down texture. I can't match that for the life of me.

Posted: 7/30/2017 6:21:15 AM EDT

[#3]

Thanks for the input. I'm not saying I can pull it off, but I have 3 bedrooms to practice my technique. If I can't get it even by room #3, I'll skim-coat it flat.

Posted: 7/30/2017 11:53:49 PM EDT

[#4]

When I took my popcorn off I went smooth.

Posted: 8/4/2017 2:41:49 PM EDT

[#5]

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Quoted:
When I took my popcorn off I went smooth.

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Yup, me too. I can't even see the point in going through the trouble of removing an ugly texture ceiling just to re-texture it? Women should have curves, ceilings should be flat

Posted: 8/5/2017 4:33:19 AM EDT

[#6]

Sometimes it's easier just to hang new rock.

Posted: 8/5/2017 11:10:19 AM EDT

[#7]

What's with the hate for popcorn ceilings? I understand some likely contain asbestos but it's trapped. Do you just walk around looking up getting worked up about it?

Our current home has them in every room except the kitchen. The acoustics in there pretty much suck. Definitely don't want that in a room where I watch tv or listen to a radio.

Protect that preban popcorn!

Posted: 8/5/2017 8:29:06 PM EDT

[#8]

I prefer smooth drywall for ceilings and walls. Done correctly I think it looks classy.

Posted: 8/6/2017 4:23:32 AM EDT

[#9]

I like flat to very light texture, unfortunately I have heavy orange peel and dirt encrusted popcorn. I can live with the orange peel, though, eventually I'll find myself waking up in a pile of sandpaper and dust after a night of drinking.

...the corn has got to go now.

Yesterday I had to chop a 2'x4' hole in the wall. I will not be able to match the orange peel so the room gets refurb'd.

Posted: 8/6/2017 6:07:21 AM EDT

[#10]

I would just rerock the rooms with antimold drywall

Posted: 8/7/2017 10:22:50 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Sometimes it's easier just to hang new rock.

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Time vs. money if you are looking to go smooth and flat.

Also, allows you to inspect wiring and other possible defects. Downside is it could add more cost than original budget.

Another option is to hide some of the defects created during the scraping process with a fine sprayed texture. Thinly mixed mud and primer sprayed through a texture gun with the smallest tip covers a lot of minor sins. I went with this option on a 100+ year old house to blend plaster repairs into the original walls.

Posted: 8/9/2017 2:42:52 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Sometimes it's easier just to hang new rock.

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This.

If I ever buy a house with popcorn, I will hang new rock for the first thing I do.

Posted: 8/10/2017 3:20:33 PM EDT

[#13]

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Quoted:
Sometimes it's easier just to hang new rock.

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It is often faster to just pull down the old surface and install new drywall.

I have seen multiple attempts to remove texture that reveled a lousy installation job that had been covered up.

And then it takes a huge effort to try and finish it again.

Days of wetting and scrapping or one day of removal.
One day to hang new.

A couple days to finish.

Faster with setting compound on a small job.

Posted: 8/15/2017 11:21:20 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

This.

If I ever buy a house with popcorn, I will hang new rock for the first thing I do.

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This.

Lets you check upstairs plumbing, wiring, move lights, etc. super easy.

Posted: 8/19/2017 8:23:20 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:

This.

Lets you check upstairs plumbing, wiring, move lights, etc. super easy.

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I'm now leaning toward re-rocking. It's a single story ranch but I'm finding electrical issues.

What do I do with the blown in insulation? Bag it, rake it and reuse it, toss out window on windy days?

Posted: 8/20/2017 5:33:33 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
I'm now leaning toward re-rocking. It's a single story ranch but I'm finding electrical issues.

What do I do with the blown in insulation? Bag it, rake it and reuse it, toss out window on windy days?

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:

This.

Lets you check upstairs plumbing, wiring, move lights, etc. super easy.

I'm now leaning toward re-rocking. It's a single story ranch but I'm finding electrical issues.

What do I do with the blown in insulation? Bag it, rake it and reuse it, toss out window on windy days?

when I did the bathroom and office in my house, I just suited up with goggles, dust mask and a hat, pulled it all down from below, shoveled the whole mess up and pitched it. Mine is an old "fixer-upper" house in the country, though, so that insulation was nasty... mouse skeletons, dirt dauber nests, etc. If you have clear access to the attic and your insulation is relatively clean, it might make sense to try and salvage it... but I'm guessing it wouldn't really be worth the trouble. The stuff's pretty cheap.

Posted: 8/25/2017 5:00:31 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:

I'm now leaning toward re-rocking. It's a single story ranch but I'm finding electrical issues.

What do I do with the blown in insulation? Bag it, rake it and reuse it, toss out window on windy days?

View Quote

Depends on the condition and if you have any plans on adding insulation in the future.

On smaller re-models I have raked back the section over the ceiling I am tearing down then just raked it back when done.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - We bought a neglected house: Sheetrock refinishing?

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