# Popcorn ceiling made of plaster



## strungoutfan78 (Jan 25, 2011)

I bought a home a couple years ago that was built in 1954. The majority of the walls/ ceilings are still plaster. Unfortunately it still has popcorn ceilings. I made an attempt last summer to remove them and smooth them out. I scraped a little bit off before I got started and took it to get analyzed for asbestos before starting. The results were strange. They told me it was 100% gypsum plaster. I went home and tarped off a section of the living room and soaked the heck out of the ceiling with a hudson sprayer. When I went to start scraping it was all still hard as a rock. Apparently my ceilings were textured using plaster. I've never heard of this and know one I know has either. I decided to try one of the bedrooms because the texture was much softer and came off when I ran my fingers across it. No luck. In the bedroom they had actually used a soft material to texture ON TOP OF the plaster texture!

I'm wondering if anyone has advice as to either how to remove this stuff (keep in mind I took a WOOD FLOOR SCRAPER to this stuff and it barely made a dent) or, cover it up. I've already started covering the section I started on in the living room with 3/8" drywall, but should I just remove the ceiling altogether and start from scratch? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Welcome to the forum! I would check the size and span of the ceiling joists before adding more weight if it has plaster and lath. 
How thick is the base before the popcorn? Is it sheet lath or wood lath? 

I'm moving this to "Drywall" for better response.....

Gary


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

That older type of popcorn is next to impossible to remove.:surrender:
We always' skim coat those types of ceilings with all purpose joint compund.:thumbsup:


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## strungoutfan78 (Jan 25, 2011)

Thanks. I was wondering if that was a valid option. Any particular type of joint compound you recommend? I don't know much about the stuff.


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

strungoutfan78 said:


> Thanks. I was wondering if that was a valid option. Any particular type of joint compound you recommend? I don't know much about the stuff.


Your welcome.
This is the type I use. I'm don't know where your located and if it is available there though.:confused1:


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## strungoutfan78 (Jan 25, 2011)

Great. Thanks again. I was hoping this could be done as the task of ripping out the plaster and starting from scratch, or even drywalling over the surface just seemed like to much work. This will be a lot simpler. Not to mention cleaner.:thumbup:


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## strungoutfan78 (Jan 25, 2011)

I found this at Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/SHEETROCK-Brand/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ5nz/R-100321606/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Would the lightweight version be OK or should I hunt down the regular stuff. That's all they carry as far as Sheetrock brand.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

strungoutfan78 said:


> I found this at Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/SHEETROCK-...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
> Would the lightweight version be OK or should I hunt down the regular stuff. That's all they carry as far as Sheetrock brand.


Home Depot carries both the blue and green joint compounds in 5 gal plastic containers.
Ron


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## strungoutfan78 (Jan 25, 2011)

Huh. Strange. That's all they show on the website. I'll go check tomorrow. Thanks for everyone's input.


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

strungoutfan78 said:


> I found this at Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/SHEETROCK-...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
> Would the lightweight version be OK or should I hunt down the regular stuff. That's all they carry as far as Sheetrock brand.


The light weight is to thin. The all purpose is more dense and would be best for this application.:yes:
-Paul


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## jzpeach (Oct 26, 2016)

I have a house built in 1961 with plaster walls and ceiling, there is also the popcorn covering over the ceiling. Would the joint compound be the best option to be rid of the popcorn texture? And If we do this in the bathroom, would the joint compound be anti mildew/mold?

Thanks in advance for your replies! :smile:


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

Most popcorn ceilings can be scraped, this thread was based on a less common situation.

Don't worry about the joint compound and mold, that's why you cover it with quality enamel paint.


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## SPG43 (Jul 17, 2016)

I know this is an old thread, but I ran into this on the walls of the first house I bought many years ago. Apparently it was a common technique after WWII when talented plasterers were hard to come by in the post war building boom. 
I chipped off the high spots with a combination of scrapers, chisels, grinders...a real mess! Then I used a bonding agent and plastered over with joint compound to fill in the low spots and get an even smooth wall. Sand it down a bit here and there and voila! Walls that won't scrape you when you brush up against them. 
It was a messy, time consuming job, but I'm really glad I did it. Thankfully I was able to do this all before we moved in so I just had to cover the floor.


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