# Help Removing Mt. Everest Ceiling Texture



## captainehh (Feb 7, 2011)

Great forum here. Looking around I didn't find the exact answer to my question so here it is:

My house was built in 1938 and at some point in its history, someone added a "popcorn on steroids" texture to all the ceilings. The walls and ceilings are lath and plaster. 

The texture looks like stalactites you see in an underground cave. Many of these "stalactites" are 1/2-3/4" long as they hang from the ceiling. I'm sure there are many coats of paint on it.

I see 4 paths to having smooth ceilings again:

1) Scrape off texture (if possible) and re-mud

2) Mud ceilings to fill in gaps and eventually make smooth

3) Sheetrock over texture 

4) Sand off texture

What do people think? I will be doing the work and will be sure to test for asbestos. I'm not afraid of messy hard work. I just want to make it as "easy" as possible.

Thanks!


----------



## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

Welcome Captain, to the best DIY'r site on the wed.

Hmmmm cave dwelling, you could always get some bats, they like caves with stalagtites........

Is this kind of texture throughout the entire place? I would be looking at putting up furring strips and sheet rocking over the whole mess.

Mark


----------



## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Plaster and lath weighs 8# per square foot, add the heavy texture and the new strapping and drywall and texture..... Older house had 2x4 ceiling joists 24"o.c., which you may want to think twice about, especially when most are already over-spanned....What is the largest span and the size, on center spacing of yours?

Gary


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

If it has never been painted (good luck with that) then you could wet it down with a garden sprayer and scrape it off. Lot's of work but do-able.

If it has been painted I suppose a power sander is in order.

Getting firring strips up through the plaster without wrecking the plaster in many many places would be a challenge and even then how would you get them (firring strips) "on plane"?

To drywall over that mess wouldn't be feasible because you would be sucking the screws through the drywall and still wrecking the plaster.

If you want a smooth finish then filling what's there simply isn't the way to go either.


----------



## Jupe Blue (Nov 9, 2008)

If you end up going for the scraping method, consider pulling all the lath and plaster off and starting with fresh drywall. You can upgrade any electrical wiring at the time. Of course if you have blown in insulation this might not work for you.


----------



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

1/2" to 3/4"? Even if you could mud that, I doubt it would hold with cracking/falling off. 

Might try a closet. For the heck of it, if it was me, and it has been painted, I would cut into it with a blade then wet it, give it time to soak under the paint and try to scrape it. I'd be prepared to skim if this did work. In a closet or wash room maybe. Try not to cut too deep, just some slots so the water can get through the paint and get to the texture material.

Might be worth a shot in a closet to see if it would work and get an idea of how much time you are looking at. I expect it will be a slow process.


----------



## redmanblackdog (Jan 7, 2011)

Plaster has a life of about 50 years, give or take. Once it has run its course it will start cracking. If you are going to be there a while and want to do it right, I would strip all of the lath and plaster off. As Jupe Blue said, it then also gives you the chance to upgrade wiring and lights. It is a very messy and difficult project, but well worth it if you have the time, energy and money.


----------



## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

test for lead to. If it is painted, i think your best bet is to rent a power sander with a vacuum on it. That should take it off. It is still going to take time.


----------



## captainehh (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks for the great responses. Great group of people here.

I may have over-estimated the depth of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Looking closer, some have been sanded 1/2 way down already. I think I'm looking at closer to 1/4-1/2".

I think I am going to try filling with mud ;first in a closet. I don't plan to be in the house more than 5 years so am not worried a ton about cracking. With this in mind, what's the best type of mud to choose for the job?

If that doesn't work, I'm going to try the different scraping ideas. If option A & B don't work, I will sand. I'd prefer not to do this because of the dust factor. Even with a vacuum, I see sanding making a HUGE mess.

Thanks again.


----------



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

Man, I don't really know. Maybe you could clean strips out of the texture (4 t0 5") then strip with 1x4x3/4" perpindicular to the joists? Still alof weight.

Like was stated if it has never been painted strip all the texture off to a good even surface. Go from there. May have a couple of options then.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> I think I am going to try filling with mud....


Ain't gonna work!


----------



## SuperHans (Feb 11, 2011)

Ideally you would take down the whole ceiling and re-drywall. In my experience skim coating and sanding are both time consuming, tedious and messy. weigh your options, but you could locate the joists and and screw on some thin drywall over the texture. This would add negligible weight. 

I'm guessing if you're living in this house and all your possessions are in it you probably won't want to demo the ceiling. I hate layering new on top of old as much as anyone, but I've seen this method used and it's holding up a decade later. Screw the sheets in properly and mesh tape the joints. Let us know what you end up doing.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> ...you could locate the joists and and screw on some thin drywall over the texture.


That ain't gonna work either.
Maybe using Fender washers!!!!!!


----------



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

I just can wrap my head around thin dw on a ceiling and just attaching it to the joists alone, especially if the spacing is over 16". If the plaster keys are turning loose, at some point that that thin dw is going to be baring the weight of failed plaster. Right?


----------



## captainehh (Feb 7, 2011)

Bud, 

Why won't filling in with mud work? Guaranteed to crack?

What type of sander do you recommend?


----------



## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

You'd need to get it close to flat in order to skim (with regular joint compound) without cracking. Mud isn't intended to fill 1/4' to 1/2" voids. A setting type compound (the real Durabond, not lightweight) would probably work. You can find it at a drywall supply. A drywall power sander (Porter Cable is the most common you can rent) is what you need to try if you're going to sand. You'll need plenty of 80 grit pads if it's been painted. And as "Stoner" mentioned, you need to test for lead based paint. It's highly likely in a house of that era.....


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> Bud,
> 
> Why won't filling in with mud work?


OK let's get realistic here. First of all working overhead is fatiguing as hell. Nextly running a flat trowel over all of those bumps and humps will only result in more bumps and humps. Nextly that much joint compound will shrink terribly opening up cracks and more issues to deal with. Subsequent applications will be necessary and even then the surface will never get really flat even if at some point you try to sand it. This process just isn't easily do-able.

Why not wet the damned thing and see if it will scrape and stop waffling for now until we know what you are really up against?

If it has been painted one can still slash the finish with a utility knife then wet the surface. The water WILL soak into the material.


----------



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

> Why not wet the damned thing and see if it will scrape and stop waffling for now until we know what you are really up against?
> 
> If it has been painted one can still slash the finish with a utility knife then wet the surface. The water WILL soak into the material.


:thumbsup:


----------



## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

If the texture dates back to the time the house was built, it's likely plaster/vermiculite based, not your average acoustical spray. Water WON'T work unless you get it wet enough to affect the integrity of the plaster underneath.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> If the texture dates back to the time the house was built, it's likely plaster/vermiculite based, not your average acoustical spray. Water WON'T work unless you get it wet enough to affect the integrity of the plaster underneath.


There is an abundance of truth to that comment but I doubt that is the case here. The way it is described by the OP it sounds as if it is a home grown DIY project from years past.

The thing to do is test the theories and see what's there. This speculating isn't resolving anything.


----------



## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

captainehh said:


> I don't plan to be in the house more than 5 years so am not worried a ton about cracking.


So captain, if you arent worried about cracking, why are you even worried about the ceiling. 5 years is plenty for me to not deal with this issue if you are moving. Just deal with the ceiling. What you have on your hands is a huge pain in the , and not worth your sweat and injuries.


----------



## masterofall (May 27, 2010)

Curious what the stalactites are made of. Can you knock them down with a heavy concrete type scraper and then replaster?


----------



## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

First of all, I'd need to know what material this beautiful "texture" is made of. Is it drywall mud that's creatively glopped on? Or is it the popcorn texture that somebody got carried away with? It makes a difference in how it'll come off.

Here's my most recent experience:

Last winter one of my sons & his wife bought a house in Minneapolis. Built in the late 40s, some genius came along and drenched the ceilings with popcorn texture. And I do mean drenched.

I used a garden sprayer to wet the texture. Moist, but not dripping wet. 









I used 6" drywall knife to carefully scrape the stuff off. We had to take off several layers.










It was a royal pain in the butt, and very fatiguing. But in the end we got almost all of it off. The remainder we touch-up sanded, skim-coated, and called it good. It is not perfect, but it's pretty darned close!


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

This is from post number 4:



> If it has never been painted (good luck with that) then *you could wet it down with a garden sprayer* and scrape it off. Lot's of work but do-able.


----------



## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

Bud Cline said:


> This is from post number 4:


Have you ever scraped off ceiling texture made with drywall mud (as I suspect this crap is)? I'd think that'd be very difficult - much more difficult than dealing with the popcorn texture.


----------



## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

I have and it is. Especially if it has been painted. Same for popcorn, you won't get if off by wetting if it has a coat of paint on it.....


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> Have you ever scraped off ceiling texture made with drywall mud...


Any number of times.


----------



## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Is there any more constructive help we can offer the OP? 

Is there anything we haven't covered? 

Gary


----------



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

bjbatlanta said:


> I have and it is. Especially if it has been painted. Same for popcorn, you won't get if off by wetting if it has a coat of paint on it.....


I won't say never, I will say, I doubt I would attempt it.

I was helping a couple of others guys once on one that had been painted. We made a little headway hwile we were there, but it was very slow. The main contractor had some rpoblems with his company about this time (went out of business), and we did not get to finish it. I was glad to get away from that one.
The ho did say we did more in a couple of hours than he or someone else had in some sort of t ime.

I have removed some with ...not to much problem, but, for whatever reason, most of it had come off over the years.

I would not attempt one that was still tight to the ceiling and glued on with paint soaked throught it to the substrate. Well, maybe if it was mine, doubt it.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

This thread has served its usefulness. The OP seems to have lost interest also.


----------



## justran (Nov 4, 2018)

except GREAT interest to ONE, being ME.. that has a plaster house from 1940, Sears kit home that has massive meringue pie 'style' texture. Anyone that comes in my house comments on this heavy texture of 2 room that have it. PLEASE.. if I can see lathe in an opening, can this be scraped off one big garbage bin at a time with me on top of a ladder? I'm here for the long haul and won't mind doing it, if there is something I can nail to the lath underneath. I do worry about weight on old joists, so I am planning on reinforcing joists in my stand up attic and rewiring the attic/ceiling lights before permanently putting a faux coffered ceiling of bead board and 2x 4 trim. 
Ya'lls comments have enlightened me (Gary in WA)!! and some have scared me a lot...bud cline that seems very doom and gloom &#55357;&#56875;
I need real HELP and am on a budget. I know... Who isn't.


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

I removed all the plaster and lath in my whole house. While living in it. And on a VERY tight budget.

It is messy. But it's not terribly hard, and it's SO satisfying to go back to a clean slate, have access to do any structural, electrical and plumbing work needed, and put up new, clean sheetrock. No more popcorn! No more plaster cracking!

Tearing out plaster and lath is kind of fun, too. I helped a friend do a room in her house years ago. We had a great time. It goes pretty quickly, and by the end of the day you can really see the results of your efforts. Those are the kinds of jobs I like.

I don't know why this job seems to frighten people. It's well within a DIY skill level. Anyone can swing a hammer, pry down lath and collect the debris.


----------



## justran (Nov 4, 2018)

CaptTom said:


> Anyone can swing a hammer, pry down lath and collect the debris.



Thank you CapnTom! I love that can-do determination and I wish I had a friend like you around right now!!


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

justran said:


> Thank you CapnTom! I love that can-do determination and I wish I had a friend like you around right now!!


A case of beer can fix that...

Seriously, I'm not really sure HOW I did it. I guess I had a lot more energy, and a lot fewer options, back then. You just do what you have to do for your family to survive. And don't let people scare you out of doing what is really some pretty straightforward work.

None of this is rocket science. Some very poorly-educated people do great things with a bit of practice and experience. Don't let the "guild" mentality and secret-handshake jargon intimidate you. Just figure out what needs doing, and do it!

And ask here, if you're not sure!


----------



## justran (Nov 4, 2018)

CaptTom said:


> poorly-educated people do great things with a bit of practice and experience.


I love that ya mentioned this ... That's WHO I had hired to do a lot of work, bc their costs were cheapest... all had jail backgrounds, no teeth or really bad ones and addictions. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I have learned not who to hire if I want a job done well and timely! 
Pay more, because ya will get what ya pay for. But..back to the point. I did realize .. "if THEY can do it, so can I!". 
Thanks, CaptTom... I will surely remember ya as the plaster chips away! Thanks for believin' I can do this.. bc I have no choice if I want it done. Too much other costlier things await.

I'm gonna do it one hefty size garbage bin full at a time. 
Take care! 
ran


----------



## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

If your plaster ceiling is sound & not failing you can remove the stipples with the use of this tool Scrapper Mortar ToolPro catalog page # 99 Item # AP14 also known as an ANGLE PLANE .
Can also find it in the Kraft Tool catalog page # 114 Item # PL300.
Cost about $ 15.00 each.
It will remove the texture material and leave a substrate ready to receive a finish coat. Also you will be removing weight with the removal of the existing material so there will be very little weight added to the ceiling.


----------



## justran (Nov 4, 2018)

You are such a fantastic help to me. Can't thank you enough!! I'll stop staring up at what seems an endless task and start tackling it til it's down!! 

No one has mentioned one single tool, til you just did. I'd never have known! You're my reno-hero! xoxox


----------



## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

My house was built in 1895. We bought the house in about 1973. I removed the lath and plaster in the kitchen. I pulled the dropped tile ceiling first, then the 2 x 4 grid. I did not remove door and window trim, nor did I remove the wood 4' on the lower part of the walls. I insulated the ceiling & outside wall and sheet rocked the interior walls and ceiling. The ceiling was painted and the walls were papered. The white Ward's metal sink and counter top was installed in the 50's and was left for later. The job took longer than I thought, about twice as what I estimated. But, we used the kitchen while most of the work was being done. The last week, we did take-out meals. But, when the job was done, I got lots of compliments. 

About 20 years ago, I did the same in a bedroom. I pulled the lath & plaster off the ceiling and walls. I reused some of the trim & had some new trim made. I had a new wooden window made, & installed. The The ceiling and exterior wall was insulated, and new sheet rock was installed. That room is now my office. 

Last February, we hired a contractor to redo the bathroom on the main floor. The job was to take 3 weeks or so. It is now mostly done. The contractor is expected to be back next week. A typical job, change orders, I wanted new molding to match the old, & new doors to match the old doors. The floor was rotten and needed replacement. Removing the original chimney and finding shingles that almost matched took a month. HD cabinets did not show up, or were not was what we ordered, the HD shower stall took a month, & 3 trips totaling 800 + miles. We had new molding made, using old molding for a pattern, plumber took a week off & did not tell us.


----------



## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

I did not read all the answers - 

I do hope someone mentioned that this popcorn could contain asbestos and you may want to encapsulate it, rather than scrape it off and contaminate the entire house.

Get it inspected and tested before you kill the next tenants or your family, please.

No joke about this.


----------

