whats the best way to remove the popcorn ceiling in an old house???

Answer 1

Tools:
Water sprayer bottle - filled with water.
Wide-blade putty or scraper knife
Goggles
Ladder
Plastic drop cloths - you can buy the inexpensive ones.

Cover everything under the area you will be working immediately over.
Put up ladder, climb up, goggled, with water bottle and scraper at hand.
Spray area you can reach while on the latter.
Begin scraping. Some of this will come off in large chunks - you will make cleaning easier if you toss these large chunks in one pile -- if you can as aiming from that height might be difficult.
Careful not to gouge the ceiling just under this popcorn texture or you will make more work for yourself patching and sanding it.
If stubborn areas, spray and scrape again.

Enjoy - note: Arms and Neck will tire -- you'll likely feel this for a couple of days.

btw: Old House - popcorn ceiling was probably put there for a purpose >> Hide cracks.
You will likely need patching compound to fix these.
Note: you must scrape back these now exposed cracks to a solid surface -- need something hard and sharp like an old screwdriver if you don't have a specialized tool.

Answer 2

There are environmental issues that come up with popcorn ceilings. Houses built prior to 1975 the popcorn could have asbestos, and has to be removed by a professional asbestos abatement company. You need to get a small sample of the popcorn and have it tested. If the popcorn is asbestos free, the easiest way to remove popcorn ceiling is to wet it and use a scraper. A simple garden pressure sprayer will do the trick to wet it. Don't over wet the popcorn or it will leach water into the sheet rock used in the ceiling, and could promote mold growth.

Answer 3

Put plastic down on your floor and anything else you don't want covered with popcorn junk and water. Start spraying your ceiling with water. Using our gardern hose and sprinkler gun set at a fine spray, worked for us. Use a wide scraper to scrape the popcorn off your ceiling. You might have to be inventive with reaching it. We used, of course, a ladder, but also connected a scraper to a long wooden pole, the kind you buy to put a rake head on. With one person spraying the water, it's easier for the other person to scrape while it's soft. Use just enough water to make the stuff soft. Too much water just makes it a bigger job because you have to worry about the water damage you're creating. It actually came down quite easily. Watch for cracks that the popcorn might be hiding. It's a very messy job, but not nearly as hard as we anticipated! Oh, and face masks, though uncomfortable, were really helpful. Good Luck. Yep, I forgot, ya gotta make sure there's no asbestos. If you start scraping that stuff it will stay for years!

Answer 4

You can buy a scraper but I have used a device that looks like a straight hoe and can do it from the floor. No need to get up to the ceiling level. Check in the garden department and remember it is not angled like a regular hoe but looks like a trowel on a stick. Be careful or you will wind up replacing the sheetrock.

Answer 5

A scraper

Answer 6

my guess is to heat it up and to remove it like that. or call a home improvement person and ask them.

Answer 7

spray a little water and use a scarper. seen it on DIY