Popcorn removal on concrete ceiling

Submitted by egyptianking304 t3_11ehmk6 in DIY

I would like to remove the popcorn ceilings in my high-rise condo. The popcorn was sprayed right on the concrete.

I ran my hand on the ceiling and it started falling off so to my understanding that means it’s unpainted.

I have a good idea of how to dry/wet scrape it off. Might even be able to sand it off.

After it’s off, I will need to skim coat/mud with drywall joint compound before painting. Plan is to skim coat and sand twice, based on what I have read. However, as I’m reading, some people say that the mud may not bond to the concrete as nicely and may fall off in the future. Someone suggested using bags of quick dry before skim coating.

Questions:

  • Can I skim coat directly on the concrete? Or will it fall off in the future? If it will fall off, would quick dry solve it?
  • other than the dust, is there any benefits of dry/wet/sand methods of removing popcorn off of a concrete ceiling?
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Comments

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aug_aug t1_jae59fs wrote

Some popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them, so you wet it down to avoid creating and breathing the dust. Soak it with a weed sprayer and it slops right off onto a tarp below.

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jnp2346 t1_jaej5as wrote

Asbestos stopped being used in commercial and residential construction in 1979. I usually say if it’s built after 1983 (some builders continued to use the products they had stockpiled), it’s highly unlikely to contain asbestos.

Additionally, most cities and even some towns have testing labs. You bring in a sample and they’ll test it for $30-50.

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fogobum t1_jaetr41 wrote

I fearlessly face your downvoting.

If you get a positive test, you become obligated to deal with asbestos in accordance with the law. If you use an effective respirator, use enough drop cloths, and thoroughly wet down the work area, you can claim a lack of mens rea, AND, there's no record of your iniquities.

WHEN ignorance is bliss, THEN it's folly to be wise.

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jnp2346 t1_jaeuqrp wrote

I used to work for a company that does asbestos abatement. The thing about asbestos is that the particles are ultra fine. Like pass through any filter that isn’t HEPA with ease.

So, if you try to abate it yourself without complete saturation of the media, you will end up with the particles hanging around for a long time.

Mesothelioma from asbestos comes about from long term exposure. Most people do not have a problem with short term exposure.

Point is, if you’re going to remove any material that might contain asbestos, you better make damn sure it’s really wet all the way through.

Odds are the OP’s building was built after 1979-83 anyway, so it’s probably not a concern. Side note, asbestos has not been phased out in some parts of the world. So that assumption is not necessarily valid outside the U.S. or Europe.

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kmpdx t1_jaevxn9 wrote

Also, protect yourself not to ingest asbestos into your GI tract. Don't get it in your mouth and swallow it because it can also provoke GI cancers

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NotAvailableInStores t1_jae47cb wrote

Consider using very thin drywall instead. Much easier to get a clean finish.

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loganab13 t1_jae9ks6 wrote

Drywall mud can be used to skim coat concrete, it’s done fairly regularly in commercial construction.

Also, I don’t know how old your condo is, but it never hurts to test for asbestos.

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KamaKairade t1_jaekuu7 wrote

This is the way..... that I did it once in the past and it worked well for me. I believe I used the Ace branded green cap. Notes are: break-up the work into 1h increments due to arm fatigue. It's a real mess, so prep with plastic, including runners outside of the work area for wet/white bootprints. Wear a hat when removing the wet popcorn.

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FairDoughnut3689 t1_jae5u7x wrote

I've use pump sprayer, sprayed water on popcorn a couple of times, it will soften up. I made a pole scraper out of a wide plastic Spackle blade, cut a notch in a PVC pipe and screw clamped it together. Sticky clumps come off and yes many tarps but no dust with this step.

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aaahh_wat_man t1_jaef7vi wrote

First, check for asbestos! After that, use a sprayer to put water on the popcorn, it will soften. I taped a 6” scraper to the end of my wet/dry vac hose. Throw down a drop cloth, get to spraying and scraping. You can do that from a ladder if needed. Then run on the wet/dry and get to scraping. The vacuum sucks most of it up easing the cleanup. Then after it is all clean and dry, sand/patch any spots that need it.

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Partly_Dave t1_jaeqnfp wrote

I made the mistake of painting a popcorn ceiling. I didn't want to remove it because I could see the formwork lines on a damaged part. I managed to fix that by scraping some off elsewhere, which I mixed with drywall mud and patched it.

It soaks up paint like a sponge. I was using a spray gun, but even then, I had to use a roller to force it into all the little craters.

It took 120L of paint to get decent coverage.

Would not recommend.

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