# Painting popcorn ceiling



## rocco (Oct 17, 2005)

Hello

I know this topic has been discussed before but I cannot find it anywhere. I am probably not looking where I should but anyway do you guys roll or spray popcorn ceilings? I once rolled one and the ceiling started coming down in sheets. I despise sraying interiors but am not sure how to approach this ceiling. Comments please. Thanks again


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## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

I'm not a painter but have an apartment building that I have popcorn ceilings in many of the rooms. When it needs to be painted/redone, I use a wide blade scraper and knockdown a lot of the existing and respray it, I mix that popcorn stuff with latex paint and shoot it up there, been working good for for many years. To me it seems as fast as painting, I'd be interested to hear what the pros do as well.


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

I've rolled it. I've sprayed it.

I don't like spraying in a finished house but sometimes you've gotta do it. 

Rolling is a pain. You get one run, one direction. bring your roller back and you will bring the ceiling with it on your roller. Spraying is easier and looks a lot better when it's done. Empty the house then mask the hell out of it.

A better route may be to remove the popcorn and replace it with brocade.


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## Workaholic (Feb 3, 2007)

I have done both as well. Usually spraying is not practicle in most repaints. To roll a popcorn ceiling you do not want to back roll much at all. if you do it will pull the texture off. Once it has been painted though you will be able to paint it like any other ceiling.


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## Mandrake (Jul 25, 2007)

Rolling is risky since it often comes off in sheets. Spraying is less risky but is often difficult to set up. I have had success with selling the client a popcorn removal and then a skip-trowel type of finish. Did it a few times with great success. Since the popcorn is likely to come down anyway you might as well get paid for it.

Mndrk


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## Flikka (Feb 22, 2006)

What I always do is check to see if it has been painted before and if not paint it with oil. As the popcorn ceilings are water soluble it will absorb the latex paint and if over worked the slightest will come down. I have managed to overwork even an oil application and have some come off but never ever in sheets as you describe. Just little bits here and there. Once it's been done in oil it can be painted in latex in the future. I have heard that if your quick enough and don't backroll you can use latex which would be ok if you're painting white over white but as I almost always use a tinted paint on the ceilings using latex just wouldn't work for me.

Cheers
Mary


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## Flikka (Feb 22, 2006)

Mickey, If your mixing your popcorn crap with latex paint you should be able to just paint the ceilings without have to knock it down and re-apply. Yes? Guys? I thought that if it was mixed with paint , any paint, it wouldn't fall off when painted.


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## jackrabbit5 (Apr 30, 2006)

rocco said:


> Hello
> 
> I know this topic has been discussed before but I cannot find it anywhere. I am probably not looking where I should but anyway do you guys roll or spray popcorn ceilings? I once rolled one and the ceiling started coming down in sheets. I despise sraying interiors but am not sure how to approach this ceiling. Comments please. Thanks again


I roll popcorn ceilings all the time with no problems using a 2 coat system. The first coat is BIN pigmented shellac. It's alcohol based so it doesn't rewet the texture and it's thin enough that cutting in around the edges is relatively easy and it doesn't have the suction that a latex paint has, so it doesn't pull the texture off the ceiling. Then I second coat with flat latex. You can usually do both coats in 1 day. If the walls are not being done at the same time you'll need to drape the room in plastic because you get quite a bit of spatter.


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## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

Flikka said:


> Mickey, If your mixing your popcorn crap with latex paint you should be able to just paint the ceilings without have to knock it down and re-apply. Yes? Guys? I thought that if it was mixed with paint , any paint, it wouldn't fall off when painted.


I just knock it down a bit so there's no build up with another application, keep in mind I'm not a professional painter. I just do it between renters, it's just as fast for me to scrape and spray the whole ceiling versus painting it and the crap coming down. Right or wrong it works for me.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

jackrabbit5 said:


> I roll popcorn ceilings all the time with no problems using a 2 coat system. The first coat is BIN pigmented shellac. It's alcohol based so it doesn't rewet the texture and it's thin enough that cutting in around the edges is relatively easy and it doesn't have the suction that a latex paint has, so it doesn't pull the texture off the ceiling. Then I second coat with flat latex. You can usually do both coats in 1 day. If the walls are not being done at the same time you'll need to drape the room in plastic because you get quite a bit of spatter.


Rolling BIN on ceilings sucks, that stuff is like water, I have done it but I hate it. I might try your way one time just to see how it turns out, but BIN, I avoid that stuff whenever possible


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

rocco said:


> ...do you guys roll or spray popcorn ceilings? I once rolled one and the ceiling started coming down in sheets. I despise sraying interiors but am not sure how to approach this ceiling. Comments please. Thanks again


I roll
It's not a big deal really, I don't fear the popcorn
BUT (<-and it's a big butt)
I do test/check them first (before any bids), and ask the history if known
Any sign of trouble I'll waiver it (do it but have them sign a 'popcorn waiver'), or bid it as one coat oil-based primer, two coats ceiling white


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## jackrabbit5 (Apr 30, 2006)

ModernStyle said:


> Rolling BIN on ceilings sucks, that stuff is like water, I have done it but I hate it. I might try your way one time just to see how it turns out, but BIN, I avoid that stuff whenever possible


Man, what's in your water that makes it so thick. Rolling BIN on textured ceilings really isn't that bad. Sure it's runny and if you use too much pressure it's going to drip, but you learn in a hurry not to press too hard and the texture is like a sponge so it soaks in pretty good. And I'd rather roll BIN on an upainted textured ceiling ANY DAY over anything else.:thumbsup:


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## Mandrake (Jul 25, 2007)

Whew! I hope you open the windows and turn on a fan. That denatured alcohol is potent stuff. lost far too many brain cells back in the day. 

Mndrk


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## jackrabbit5 (Apr 30, 2006)

Mandrake said:


> Whew! I hope you open the windows and turn on a fan. That denatured alcohol is potent stuff. lost far too many brain cells back in the day.
> 
> Mndrk


Not nearly as bad as Kilz or Cover Stain or any of those other fast dry oils. I'll take alcohol fumes any day over those others. Once it's dry they're gone, nothing but clean air :thumbup:


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## woodbutchr (Jul 31, 2007)

I spray ceilings quite often, mix in some ceiling white & go to town with it. I just hate the prep time, an hour to prep & 10 minutes to spray, then another 30 minutes to clean up & remove staples. I also paint on a primer first if there is bare drywall, that way the texture don't have to be so thick.


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