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what is popcorn ceiling?

4K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  Sir MixAlot 
#1 ·
It would attract birds wouldn't it?
 
#2 ·
Nerd. Not sure if you are just looking for an audience for bad humor but I will assume the best in you...

Popcorn ceilings are the unholy work of the devil. They were---still are unfortunately---popular for surfacing ceilings because they do not require skim coating of drywall seams and do not require painting (so long as boring white ceilings are alright with you). In most cases, a slurry of finish with little polystyrene (or something plastic) beads is sprayed directly on to unprimed drywall to leave a textured look that among other things, hides uneven joints and crappy drywall taping.

When ceilings develop water leaks or poorly taped seams give loose, you not only have to make repairs but you have to try and match the texture.

Also, because the stuff was sprayed on with no primer to adhere to, it tends to come off in large chunks (especially if it has dried out) if you put any surface tension on it at all---say from a paint brush or roller. As a result you cannot count on being able to paint it and more often than not you end up with pieces of a ceiling stuck to your painting tools.

There are cludges for this but no real fixes that are at all fun or practical. More often than not, we end up scraping the entire textured ceiling, skim coating, sanding, priming and painting. As should have been done in the first place.
 
#5 ·
In most cases, a slurry of finish with little polystyrene (or something plastic) beads is sprayed directly on to unprimed drywall to leave a textured look that among other things, hides uneven joints and crappy drywall taping.
Just one comment on this - most manufacturers of popcorn spray texture highly recommend using a white primer on the ceiling prior to application to avoid the texture falling off and to ensure even and consistent color.

Even further to that, many people mix in a cup of white latex paint in their batch to brighten the texture and increase durability.

However, in the real world of the trades I have little to no experience and I'm sure anyone in a hurry since the 1970's easily got away without a prime coat.
 
#12 ·
Thatt is so true in my case, but only for my ceiling, as I had to cut the drywall into 3 pieces in order to get it up there, so I had soooooooo many seams to cover that I did a hand textured ceiling. I did tape and do a first coat though.

But my walls came out very good, in fact, even better than the upstairs that was done by a pro about 6 years ago.
Mind you the pro took a few days and I took six months.......:laughing:
 
#6 ·
Speaking from 35 years in the trade, I can say that the only time I personally have primed a ceiling before spraying with acoustic is when the mfgr's. first removed asbestos from the formula. The new spray didn't cover well so we "flash" coated with the cheapest white latex we could find (priming didn't pay any extra). Price dictates the amount of prep. Builders don't want to pay for primer. A sprayed acoustic ceiling is a done deal, no primer before and no paint on top. Same with "stipple", it is a finished product over raw sheetrock. The builder doesn't have to pay the painter to prime and finish coat with paint.......
 
#10 ·
We have similar stuff in our country.
My last palce had this sprayed ceiling. it was like slurry sprayed on and it comes off if you graze it. It DOESNT resemble pop corn in any way shape or form.
It used to have asbestos in it years ago but they don;t do that since the 70s.It actually looked okay , was sound proof and needed no maitenence, because it was done right , the joins didn't open up after all these years, and it also had glitter in it.
but usually that stuff is a night mare to deal with .
But y would anyone call it popcorn?
 
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