The Benefits of Getting Rid of Your Popcorn Ceiling
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Photo credit: My Modern Met, Mario Mankey
How a Foot Through a Floor Led to a Smooth Ceiling
We all make mistakes! We're human! And we're the first to admit our weaknesses! We never try to cover up a mistake or a problem with our work. We have more integrity than that! So, when one of our team members accidentally misstepped and put his foot through the open floor of the ensuite bathroom we were working on, we immediately told the client about the issue and proceeded to execute the repair.
Now here's the complicating factor: the hole that was left was in a stucco/popcorn ceiling that stretched from the very large living room out into the hallway and through to the front entrance. The hole itself was small, maybe 8" x 8", but the area we would have to deal with to correct this mistake was HUGE! Aside from the kitchen, this was much of the main floor of the house. Now, a normal hole in the ceiling would be quick and easy to repair, but stucco? That's a different story!
You know that horrible popcorn ceiling that everyone hates!? We always get asked to scrape stucco or popcorn ceilings and skim them smooth! It has such a dated look and traps dust, no matter how clean you keep your home.
We were fortunate to have Rob as a full-time professional taper, so we had the best in the business working on this repair. However, when the stucco has been sprayed on mechanically by the original builder, no matter how good you are, you will never match it perfectly! And we knew that!
There was no question about what we had to do! We were scraping all of the stucco off the main floor ceiling, skim coating everything, and priming and painting the ceiling on the main floor of the house! All at no charge to our client! We were going to fix our mistake and fix it properly!
Our client had always hated her stucco ceiling, so she was thrilled we made this mistake! She loves her new smooth ceiling and was so pleased that we were an honest company that stood behind our work ... and our mistakes!
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Our Most Requested Renovation Project
Next to requests for quotes on kitchen and bathroom renovations, our most requested quote is to remove the stucco or popcorn off of ceilings. Most of our clients want this done for aesthetic reasons, but there are some important health hazards associated with stucco ceilings.
What is a Popcorn Ceiling?
Many homes built in the late 1930s through the 1990s have popcorn ceilings or some type of texture applied overhead. It was used to cover up a lot of flaws in the ceiling. It was time-effective and cost-efficient. Often called an acoustic ceiling, it also served the purpose of absorbing sound and reducing noise. These ceilings resemble cottage cheese. You'll essentially have bumpy stuff stuck to your ceiling. Some even have 1970s-era sparkles embedded in them.
Health Hazards: Asbestos
Some popcorn ceilings contain asbestos. Asbestos is a generic term used to describe any of six naturally occurring fibrous materials. Because of its positive qualities, such as its strength and heat resistance, it was widely used in building construction beginning in the late 1800s. It was commonly used for things like fireproofing material for steel beams and columns, added to concrete, asphalt, floor tiles, and pipes, and as a component in mixtures for sprayed-on ceilings and walls.
It was a common ingredient in popcorn ceilings, but because of its health hazards, it was banned in 1977. However, many companies still continued using left-over materials containing asbestos for another year or so.
Asbestos fibres can cause lung disease, scarring of the lungs, and lung cancer when inhaled in large quantities. But asbestos isn't dangerous if it's undisturbed or contained. Also, not all asbestos is created equal. Of the six types, some are far more dangerous to your health than others.
You might not want to run the risk in your home all the same. You can't tell if a surface contains asbestos unless you test it. It's not visible to the naked eye. You'll have to obtain a sample of the ceiling and send it to a laboratory that specializes in identifying asbestos.
A Dust Trap
Popcorn ceilings also trap a lot of dust! You can't see it easily, but if you look closely, you will see lots of dust particles trapped in the bumps on the ceiling. It's not easy to dust or clean a popcorn ceiling, so this area often gets neglected. A smooth ceiling will not trap the dust, and even if it does get dusty, it's easy to clean with a dust rag or even a mop. That's not the case with a popcorn ceiling.
We often hear clients comment on how much easier they can breathe after the popcorn is removed. One client always had a stuffy nose and sounded congested. He put it down to allergies. About one month after the stucco was removed from his main floor, he noticed his breathing was about 60% better. He called us and asked if that could be because of the stucco removal. When I explained the potential issues with dust, he had us remove the popcorn from his second floor as well. Within two months of that, his breathing was 100% normal. He has never had a problem since. Many other clients with asthma or children with asthma have reported similar results.
Increasing Your Home’s Re-Sale Value
Removing the popcorn ceiling also increases the value of your home. Today’s home buyers much prefer the look of smooth ceilings, and if the home they purchase has popcorn ceilings, they often have them removed prior to moving in. By getting this project done in your home, you are increasing the value of your home and making it much more attractive to potential buyers, which helps it sell faster.
Once you remove the popcorn from the ceiling, you may even find that your room looks brighter. The popcorn on the ceiling makes rooms appear darker as the texture absorbs shadows from the light.
The upkeep and maintenance of a popcorn ceiling are pretty high. If you have a crack in your ceiling or water damage from a room above, it will be next to impossible to match the popcorn perfectly again. It WILL be noticeable no matter how well you match the existing popcorn, and your eye will always be drawn to that spot. As well, when you are selling your home, it draws attention to an area where there might have been water damage and raises questions about whether the issue has truly been resolved.
Want to hire us to put our foot through your ceiling?
If you have popcorn ceilings in your home, the benefits of removing them and creating a smooth, elegant ceiling surface are numerous. Although it's a messy process, by hiring a professional such as Multi Trade Building Service to complete the project, we will ensure your furniture, flooring, and valuables are covered and protected. Rooms we are not working in will be closed off with a protective plastic covering, minimizing the dust dramatically. And because our professional taper is so good at his job, we will only be sanding once, after all necessary coats of drywall compound have been applied.
So do you have some popcorn you need scraped off in your home? Click the button below to hire us to put our foot through your ceiling!
