Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions?

Worker-B · 08-21-2009, 12:36 PM

I'm renovating a bathroom and I gutted the walls, but left the existing popcorn ceiling, and I will be hanging drywall (green board) up to the finished ceiling and I'm wondering the best way to finish the joints were the new green board meets my popcorn ceiling.

Do I need to scrape 1" to 2" inches of popcorn off the ceiling and tape it or is there some easier way to finish the seam?

HandyPete · 08-22-2009, 01:29 AM

I have no idea of what you really want to accomplish but,..

Don't round any corners, do the most professional job you can and make your ceilings look like they belong in the White House!

__pete

ps.....popcorn is for theaters!

PaliBob · 08-22-2009, 02:32 AM

It will take 15 minutes to pull down the popcorn ceiling and hours to make an overlay look 'right'
As Dr Laura says "Now do the right thing"
.

Paragon · 08-22-2009, 08:54 PM

Worker B,

Yes, you will have to remove the popcorn so that you can tape the corners.

Handy Pete, what he is talking about is he is leaving a ceiling in and replacing his walls only. However when he butts the wall drywall up to the ceiling he will have to tape the corners where the wall and ceiling come together.

WorkerB you will have to scrape more than just a couple inches though because the tape alone is about 1 - 1 1/2" after being folded. This is also a spot where you will be taping out at least 6" or more depending on how the tape lays and how smooth the transition so as Pali Bobn pointed out just go ahead and remove the exisitng popcorn from the ceiling all together. You will probably be quite effective by scraping it off with a 10" or 12" broad knife however the determining factor of how easy it will come of will be how many coats of paint is over it. Sometimes (once again depending how much paint is on the ceiling) spraying water ahead of scraping can penetrate and make the popcorn come off like frosting.

After removing the texture you will more than likely have some ceiling repair to do because during the removal of the texture you WILL pit the ceiling in spots. Also another justification for removing the texture is that a lot of times it is difficult to match the existing texture even if you were the one who origionally sprayed it. Environmental conditions change and can effect the final outcome and look enough to make you regret not removing 35 ot 50 square feet of texture.

I hope this has helped and if it hasn't please feel free to post some follow up questions.

Good luck and be safe!

davethebuilder · 08-23-2009, 09:36 PM

As a tradesman, I am great fan of getting the correct trade to the correct job!

Okay, you want to do this yourself AND LEARN SOME NEW SKILLS, GET SOME SATISFACTION ETC... Why not then!

Let me get this right? You have installed nice new walls but now you want to try and bodgey the nice new walls into the crappy old ceiling! Is that about right?

PUT IN A NEW CEILING AS WELL and you will finish up with a nice job.

Try and marry into the existing crappy ceiling and you'll still have a crappy ceiling! NICE.

Amra · 08-24-2009, 10:40 AM

Since noone has actually given you an option besides basically replacing the ceiling, I might as well throw /something/ out there, even if its not your best option. =)

Obviously you WILL have to remove 1-2" of the popcorn ceiling around the border of the bathroom to make the proper union between the walls and the ceiling...

However, if you cut that 2" of popcorn off and do a good job (meaning your inside edge is straight, you could seal your wall/ceiling union properly, then add some PVC crown molding, mating it with the edge edge of the popcorn ceiling. It would hide the corner, and you will not need to do additional work to the ceiling besides removing the ~2" of popcorn ceiling around the border.

Still, as the others have stated, replacing the ceiling is ultimately the "best" option, though will add additional costs.

Personally, my biggest fear would be accidentally damaging the work you have already done up to this point if you try replacing the ceiling.

08-21-2009, 12:36 PM	#1
Worker-B Newbie Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 5	Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions? I'm renovating a bathroom and I gutted the walls, but left the existing popcorn ceiling, and I will be hanging drywall (green board) up to the finished ceiling and I'm wondering the best way to finish the joints were the new green board meets my popcorn ceiling. Do I need to scrape 1" to 2" inches of popcorn off the ceiling and tape it or is there some easier way to finish the seam?

08-22-2009, 01:29 AM	#2
HandyPete Advice worth 2 cents! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 229	Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions? I have no idea of what you really want to accomplish but,.. Don't round any corners, do the most professional job you can and make your ceilings look like they belong in the White House! __pete ps.....popcorn is for theaters! __________________ ---pete

08-22-2009, 02:32 AM	#3
PaliBob Tool Geek Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Pacific Palisades CA Posts: 2,447	Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions? It will take 15 minutes to pull down the popcorn ceiling and hours to make an overlay look 'right' As Dr Laura says "Now do the right thing" . __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & Stay Safe .....Bob Lavery

08-22-2009, 08:54 PM	#4
Paragon Renovation Contractor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Moorhead, MN/ Fargo, ND Posts: 226	Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions? Worker B, Yes, you will have to remove the popcorn so that you can tape the corners. Handy Pete, what he is talking about is he is leaving a ceiling in and replacing his walls only. However when he butts the wall drywall up to the ceiling he will have to tape the corners where the wall and ceiling come together. WorkerB you will have to scrape more than just a couple inches though because the tape alone is about 1 - 1 1/2" after being folded. This is also a spot where you will be taping out at least 6" or more depending on how the tape lays and how smooth the transition so as Pali Bobn pointed out just go ahead and remove the exisitng popcorn from the ceiling all together. You will probably be quite effective by scraping it off with a 10" or 12" broad knife however the determining factor of how easy it will come of will be how many coats of paint is over it. Sometimes (once again depending how much paint is on the ceiling) spraying water ahead of scraping can penetrate and make the popcorn come off like frosting. After removing the texture you will more than likely have some ceiling repair to do because during the removal of the texture you WILL pit the ceiling in spots. Also another justification for removing the texture is that a lot of times it is difficult to match the existing texture even if you were the one who origionally sprayed it. Environmental conditions change and can effect the final outcome and look enough to make you regret not removing 35 ot 50 square feet of texture. I hope this has helped and if it hasn't please feel free to post some follow up questions. Good luck and be safe! __________________ James D. Van Raden Owner, Paragon Renovations Moorhead, MN/ Fargo, ND To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. "Committed to providing the finest renovation services available"

08-23-2009, 09:36 PM	#5
davethebuilder Newbie Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 16	Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions? As a tradesman, I am great fan of getting the correct trade to the correct job! Okay, you want to do this yourself AND LEARN SOME NEW SKILLS, GET SOME SATISFACTION ETC... Why not then! Let me get this right? You have installed nice new walls but now you want to try and bodgey the nice new walls into the crappy old ceiling! Is that about right? PUT IN A NEW CEILING AS WELL and you will finish up with a nice job. Try and marry into the existing crappy ceiling and you'll still have a crappy ceiling! NICE.

Hanging Drywall to a finished Ceiling, Seam Questions?