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AR15.COM
9/1/2013 7:02:43 PM EDT
I'm renovating my bathroom and would like to scrape off the popcorn on the ceiling.  How is the best way to do this?  Do I need to wet it first then just use a scraper?  Or dry scrape it?

What is the best paint to use on my ceiling after I scrape off the popcorn?   Just a white latex? Or latex with primer?

Thanks.
9/1/2013 7:44:12 PM EDT
[#1]
Wet scrape.

Latex prime with vapor barrier since it's in a bathroom.

Then a good latex paint.
9/1/2013 7:47:12 PM EDT
[#2]

How old is it?  Be careful...  

IIRC, some of the older popcorn texture can contain asbestos or some other nasty stuff.

9/1/2013 7:52:43 PM EDT
[#3]
Thanks for the help guys

The house is 19 years old, so its not too old.  Hopefully they didn't use asbestos, but I will wear a mask when i scrape it off.

I just looked at Home Depot website, would Kilz 2 primer have the vapor barrier?  It says it has sealer, but is the a vapor barrier?
9/2/2013 8:53:14 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote History
Quoted:

I just looked at Home Depot website, would Kilz 2 primer have the vapor barrier?  It says it has sealer, but is the a vapor barrier?
View Quote


No not a vapor barrier.

Ace Primer that is a vapor barrier
9/2/2013 1:08:50 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote History
Quoted:
Wet scrape.

Latex prime with vapor barrier since it's in a bathroom.

Then a good latex paint.
View Quote




This^^....as long as it hasn't been painted over. If it has, depending on the size of the room, you may be better off just covering it up with another thin layer of drywall.
9/2/2013 1:19:55 PM EDT
[#6]


Now that I got that out of the way... I just dealt with this.

Mine was put on plaster which makes it concrete hard for what ever reason? I wet it, and wet it, then added soap and wet it some more... That shit wouldn't come off in more than 1" jagged chunks. It was a very futile battle and the popcorn won.

I ended up doing a two layer skim coat and sanding it down to a nice even flat surface.

That shit is what nightmares are made of.
9/3/2013 10:52:33 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote History
Quoted:
Thanks for the help guys

The house is 19 years old, so its not too old.  Hopefully they didn't use asbestos, but I will wear a mask when i scrape it off.

I just looked at Home Depot website, would Kilz 2 primer have the vapor barrier?  It says it has sealer, but is the a vapor barrier?
View Quote



Damn, who was still using that stuff in the 90s?
The wet-scrape method has worked for me.
9/3/2013 6:54:00 PM EDT
[#8]
Wet scrape that stuff off and when you are done with that let it dry, then go over it with some drywall sanding screens to make sure you got it all off or else your paint could peel.  I learned the hard way.  
9/3/2013 11:22:50 PM EDT
[#9]
Actually scraping popcorn off bathroom ceiling may be trickery then you think. The bathroom in my house had popcorn ceilings, but the ceiling paint used was a semigloss/glossy finish.. Wetting it down did not do much and scraping after 20 minutes only yielded minimal results with very wet drywall. Instead of attempting further I just added another board over it and was done with it.  Now if your bathroom ceiling has flat paint, you are in the clear.. comes off easy with water.


Now trying to build a shower in place of what used to be a bathtub...talk about a headache.
9/4/2013 6:48:06 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote History
Quoted:
Actually scraping popcorn off bathroom ceiling may be trickery then you think. The bathroom in my house had popcorn ceilings, but the ceiling paint used was a semigloss/glossy finish.. Wetting it down did not do much and scraping after 20 minutes only yielded minimal results with very wet drywall. Instead of attempting further I just added another board over it and was done with it.  Now if your bathroom ceiling has flat paint, you are in the clear.. comes off easy with water.


Now trying to build a shower in place of what used to be a bathtub...talk about a headache.
View Quote



That's usually referred to as a cottage cheese finish.
9/5/2013 6:31:37 AM EDT
[#11]
I sprayed mine with a quick mist pattern then let it sit for a minute. I then took a wide scraper and knocked off the popcorn. I didn't want to take it down to smooth so I found the right amount of pressure that knocked the ball off but left some texture. Didn't turn out too bad.