Is there an easy way to remove the "cottage-cheese" ceiling from my living room?

Answer 1

I used a big wall scraper 24" wide. Some spots may need some additional sanding. It is a messy job and make sure you wear a dust mask and some safety glasses. Nothing feels better than drywall dust in your eyes.

You will have to re-texture your ceiling afterwards. I would recommend doing a knockdown texture since it will hide a lot of the imperfections and it looks nice when it is done. When you paint use a flat. This will also help hide any problem areas and is the standard for ceiling paint.

I have done this on a few jobs and have had good results but it is still a pain in butt.

Answer 2

Certainly it would help to know HOW OLD, and what the definition of STUDS is. Obviously, anything 19th century, might not be so precisely milled, and even effect a ROUGH look, as Beams, and or have Grain that can be accented/highlighted by stain. I suspect that ambience would be lost some, in usual 2 x stock. I'm not at all a fan of texture, primarily for the reason you mention, but HARD is a relative word in this case. Sand paint/ Knock Down, just requires a longer nap Roller. The issue with texture is the MAGNET sense of it, attracting dust, cooking/smoking residue, cobwebs, etc. Certainly any Drywall should be finished properly no matter. 19th Century architecture, often used embossed paneling on ceilings, Tin/plaster, etc. I want to assume you aren't leaning toward a Rustic cabin look. You can drop ceiling between studs. You can clad the studs with Pine to add the appearance of thickness, you can over install stock at the drywall seams offering an illusion of studs below the ceiling material. Overhead lighting in an Antique sense would be rare, and most likely Chandelier type. The lighting choice depends in part on the effect you want in the room. Overhead anything is a poor choice for reading/ TV/ etc., and unless it's strictly for ambience, I'd choose other options. Steven Wolf Just my two "sense"

Answer 3

Yes You can scrap it off which i doubt you will do. Another way is to stipple it. Stippling is nothing more than dry wall compound mixed with water to a soup like mixture. and applied by a stippling brush which is round fits on a screw handle so you can stomp it on the ceiling. doesn't take long a 18' 15' ceiling takes about a hour and a half. go to lowes or home depot. to get cost under 25 dollars. good luck. been at it for 25 years oldwitchdoc.

Answer 4

If you are living in a rented apt. or home, please DO NOT
remove it without your landlord's written permission.
He can sue you if you do.
This type of ceiling was used extensively as an insulation
and sound- proofing method. It has worked very well for
many years, but nowadays not so many people like it.

I have it in all my apt. rooms and I love it. My heating and
electric bill are only about 1/2 of what others pay for this
size apt.

Answer 5

Try spraying it with water and when it has soaked up quite a bit, it should peel right off with a scraper. If it has been painted, it will be necessary to scratch the paint to allow the water to penetrate.

Using a wetting solution such as you would for wall paper will help also.

Answer 6

Lowes or Home Depot have a solution for that. It is called "acoustic ceiling remover." Be prepared; it is a messy, messy job!

Answer 7

This texture is called a popcorn ceiling ect.I t may in fact be there for a reason...If the house is older.It may be camoflauging ceiling
problems.So be careful..

Answer 8

Can be remover in numerous ways, but how old is the house?
check to make sure it is not asbestics !!

Answer 9

i removed the cottage cheese on my biga$$ using lyposuction. That might work for you, too.

Answer 10

spray it with water then scrap it off seen it on h&g tv