The Basics About Acoustic Ceiling Removal

Acoustic ceiling removal is known by another term which is popcorn ceiling removal. It is necessary for your home to undergo acoustic ceiling removal at times, because you may want to update the style of your home and increase equity if you are able to get rid of the old popcorn ceilings and retexture your ceilings. It also becomes necessary for your home to undergo acoustic ceiling removal because the surface of your popcorn ceiling can attract dust particles. These dust particles will then accumulate so that the health of people breathing your indoor air will be imperiled (particularly if the room occupants are asthmatic or allergic to dust.)

So out with the old , in with the new. But do it right – when trying to remodel your home, start with the roof, and proceed to the ceiling before trying to upgrade other parts that are lower down or nearer eye-level. The process of acoustic ceiling removal is called ceiling scraping.

Before the contractor proceeds to tell you “how we scrape your ceilings”, it is necessary to have him explain first “how we protect your personal belongings and furniture”. This is because there is a right process and a wrong process in trying to undertake ceiling scraping. And the right process means all the personal belongings and furniture of the homeowner has to be removed from the affected room first before ceiling scraping can proceed.

There are also two products that the contractor has to have to conduct ceiling scraping properly – a ceiling texture scraper, and a popcorn ceiling texture removal solution. In addition, you should inform the contractor if your acoustic ceiling was installed before 1979 because popcorn ceilings dating back to those years may have asbestos in them.

When that concern has been gotten out of the way, the ceiling scraping team can proceed to seal off the affected room with plastic sheeting stretching from the crown molding and extending to the floors. It is necessary to provide ventilation to the team with a window fan at the window.

A drop cloth featuring waterproof backing must be laid out over the floor. The team will then start spraying the acoustic ceiling surface with a standard garden sprayer to allow the surface texture to soften and allow ceiling scraping to proceed at a much easier pace. Be careful that the ceiling does not get sprayed with too much water though. The top layer of water allows dust to be contained as well so that it doesn’t get in the eyes, nostrils and other body parts of the ceiling scraping team.

The ceiling texture scraper will then be used to remove the wet surface of the acoustic ceiling. You may employ a putty knife instead for the ceiling corners, as well as the crown molding areas. As you can see, it is a relatively easy process though special care must be taken not to damage the underlying wallboards as the team proceeds in this home makeover project.