# Already asked 50 times today I am sure



## wolfenstien (Mar 18, 2008)

I have searched the forum and read the few threads i could find about removing ceiling popcorn..... What my questions are: Use Hot water or warm water? How saturated should I get the ceiling? I need to do sections at a time right? 
I got my sharp putty knife out tonight and scraped off some on the ceiling I want stripped and and it is messy, but I had to scrap the same area many, many times before I got to the drywall under the popcorn. The popcorn came off in a powdery form, not in strips. In my bathroom which I will be tackling next (and you fine folks will have your hands filled with questions for that room) parts of the popcorn is coming off in strips, not like in the other room I scraped.... After I wet with water, will it come off in strips like in my bathroom?
As an applicator what do you suggest for the water? I can use a regular spray bottle, or a chemical sprayer tank.... or maybe I should use something else....?

Thanks


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## triple D (Mar 19, 2008)

I'm sure you have been advised of the possibility of asbestos, and the years it was used in those ceilings????  So I use a spray bottle with hot tap water. If the ceiling has been painted, you can knock the tops of popcorn off with a board by scraping it across ceiling to expose inside soft material before you spray. This will let water in to do its job. Let water soak a good five minutes or so. Just heat room up for a few hours after your done scraping, this will help dry sheetrock. If you have asbestos questions, fire away. Good luck.....


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## Square Eye (Mar 19, 2008)

The temperature of the water doesn't make much difference.  As the water passes through the spray tip, the temperature of the water will drop dramatically. The water will penetrate the texture and will loosen it. It should come down in strips as you scrape your trowel across it. Don't get it too wet though, the drywall could soften and sag between the joists!


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## wolfenstien (Mar 19, 2008)

Yes, please tell me about the chance of asbestos. And how do I get it tested... where would i take a sample? I have cut holes in 2 of the rooms that did not have ceiling lights to install fixtures.... The ceilings all have double layer drywall, except the bathrooms, for ceiling heat (of which I have fully disconnected from the breaker panel). I have breathed alot of the dust from cutting the holes in the ceilings.... House was, I believe, built in 1964.
What all was asbestos used in? I thought it was just used in fiberglass insulation....


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## wolfenstien (Mar 19, 2008)

Also... if you would.... i have a tub of joint compound.... is this the same as the spackling I have been using to fill the nail holes and even out the wall paper I painted over? Can I use the joint compound to fix the ceiling once I scrape off the popcorn?


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## Square Eye (Mar 19, 2008)

The joint compound is perfectly suited to the smoothing you will need to do after removing texture 
It should actually be stronger when set, than the spackling.


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## wolfenstien (Mar 19, 2008)

how about the asbestos? what is the likely hood of this having asbestos in it?
How do I get it checked? I have been scrapping it down all day... 
One of the joints is all messed up, had staples holding the joint tape up before they popcorned it... I pulled the staples (there was a crack visible before I touched it) and the tape sagged, so i got under it to pull it down, and it shows abunch of crap under it.... I am wondering if I can just plaster it with joint compound to cover it up and it hold, or if I need to put tape back up on the joint before the joint compound....? 
Thanks


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## triple D (Mar 19, 2008)

www.naturalhandyman.com  They have what you need for DIY asbestos removal guidelines. Good luck, given the year of your home, its almost certain its there.


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## Square Eye (Mar 20, 2008)

When you have a very wide crack or a really rough or deep joint, a fiberglass tape will usually help stop the cracking. Use the fiberglass tape first (it's a mesh with a sticky side so it stays in place) then cover it with compound. 

Sometimes it's better to just cover and seal asbestos, or what you think may be asbestos, rather than do a complete abatement.


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## wolfenstien (Mar 20, 2008)

Ok, I talked to my uncle who i bought the house from, he said that his uncle is the one that did the popcorn ceiling in the mid 80s.... so from the info I read on the naturalhandyman site anything after 1980 should be free of asbestos... 
I went ahead and finished ripping half the ceiling down.... I want to paint half, move everything in the room to the other side and rip it down and paint it.
Thing is.... I have the walls painted in the area that I just did the ceiling in... so once I clean up the ceiling holes that I did with my putty knife and that joint I mentioned already... 
How would you recommend I paint the ceiling without getting the white paint all over my blue walls? I have a cloth down on the floor to prevent anything on the floor, but I am not a painter so i am not quite sure how to go about painting the ceiling without getting it all over the walls....


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## Square Eye (Mar 20, 2008)

Extreme caution and great care 

I suppose you could use a stapler and fasten lightweight plastic sheeting to your walls but then you'd have tiny holes everywhere a staple had been. Then, there's the possibility of a run getting behind the plastic... It would probably be easier to just clean up as you go. Go slowly with the paint roller to avoid "spin-off" but move quickly enough to minimize drips. A wet cloth can be a painter's best friend.


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## wolfenstien (Mar 20, 2008)

I opened that jug of joint compound... guess it was sitting in my garage too long, the water had separated out of the paste.... I could not get it to mix so i went to wally world and bought some more and while I was there I bought a roll of delicate painters tape and some .7 mil 12x9 sheets of plastic... I guess what I will do is tape the plastic as high up the wall as I possibly can to prevent any of the ceiling paint from getting onto the walls.... 
Can I use white primer (oil based) for a ceiling paint and not go back over it with an actual paint? I have a full un opened gallon of kilz primer I bought for the walls, but the walls only took one gallon so I have an extra, and dont really want to spend more on paint.... I figure I have almost 300 invested in this room not including my labor.... Or should I just go buy a cheap gallon of white latex and paint it without the primer....?


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## Square Eye (Mar 21, 2008)

Usually, ceiling paint is very reasonably priced. 
Primer will look ok, but it may actually not cover as well as regular paint. Primer seals and provides a good bonding surface but it's not the same as regular paint. You should be able to get a gallon of ceiling paint for 10-15 bucks 
Good luck with the tape. Be careful when you take it off. Pulling straight out on tape can tear the paint right off of the wall. Double it back over itself and pull steadily right against the wall.
For the best results, Prime and then paint. The new Drywall compound will absorb paint at a fast rate. The primer will seal it all and help hide the different surface textures.


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## wolfenstien (Mar 21, 2008)

Cool, thanks Square Eye.


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## wolfenstien (Apr 2, 2008)

Ok, new question on the same project....

Ok, that cracked seem I described before.... Well, I dug out the old mud and put in the grid tape and mudded over it all with joint compound, and then decided to go over the walls where there were nail holes and then I decided to do the center transition border on the wall paper.... the transition border that goes around the center of the wall where two different wall papers meet.... I then went to home depot and picked up a sander thing with a pack of first sanding screen and last sanding screen.... I hit it all with the first (rough) screen and then the last (fine) screen.... all this sanding kicked up a heck of alot of dust... I looked like I walked out of a flour factory after it exploded.... 
Now.... how do I go about getting the walls prepped for paint again? Do I just wipe everything down with a dry cloth? A wet cloth? a damp cloth? I dont know how safe it is to go over the bare joint compound with a wet rag.... so...

Also.... when i went to Home Depot, I found a neat tool that would have been great to have when I started to scrape the popcorn off... check it out here:







http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/[email protected]&ddkey=Search

It was 19.00 and all the clean up is done right in a bag.... I bought it but havent used it yet.... I will let you know what I think of it once I do use it.


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## triple D (Apr 3, 2008)

Just blow some air around walls and ceiling. Or if you don't have air just sweep with a broom. A little dust won't hurt. Then get ya some pba wallboard primer and prime everything with a good coat. Now your ready for paint. Good luck....


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