Have you removed blown on ceiling (popcorn)? What would you suggest to keep the mess at minimum or contained?

Answer 1

There are chemicals available at Home Depot or Lowe's that are especially formulated to remove textured ceilings. I have found the best solution is a mixture of Simple Green and Windex with hot, hot water and use a sprayer to apply. Let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes, get a flat edged scraper (metal) and start scraping. Be careful not to gauge ceiling, if you do gauge ceiling you can easily spackle and paint.
This is the most awful mess ever. I wear a swimsuit! But it does come off fairly easy. For areas that are resistant, Spot Shot (a carpet cleaner/dry cleaning solution found at the store) is a miracle!!!! The solution should be 50% hot water, 35% Simple Green and 15% Windex. I don't know why it works but I renovate homes for a living.

Answer 2

i do a ceiling just about every month and if the popcorn hasn't been painted it scrapes right off with just a little effort i use a 10 inch taping knife i do suggest you wear a nose mask and eye protection from the dust and make sure everything is covered really well. lay plastic onn the floor then once done you can just fold the plastic and the popcorn to the middle and then carry it out

Answer 3

as a drywall finisher of 16 years i suggest you mask off youre walls with painters plastic & 14 day blue tape.plastic the floor really well. now use a garden sprayer filled with water and spray the popcorn lightly,let it soak in for a few minutes and scrape it with an 8" taping knife,letting it fall on the plastic on the floor.

Answer 4

Use a fruit sprayer to spray it with water, and then scrape it down with metal putty knives. When we did it, we put the cheap drop cloths on the floor (they come in a box) and then wiped stuff down with a damp cloth after. It makes a pretty gigantic mess, but you can carry most of it out (while it is still damp) on the drop cloths and throw it all away.

Answer 5

Wow! 2 great answers. Let me add that the more care you use on the scraping, the less work you will have repairing the tape joints after the fact.

Been there and done that!