Removing Cottage Cheese Ceilings

Everyone has seen those old 1970's cottage cheese looking ceilings. I'm going to show you how to remove. But first of all I'm going to give you a little background. Why was this stuff invented? Back in the 1960's homes were built in tracks (square blocks) Whole neighborhoods had houses that looked exactly the same. There may be 3 types of home layouts and every 3rd house would be the same. This allowed contractors and carpenters to work quickly and effectively in an assembly line like production. First foundation, the framing, exterior, drywall and then paint work. A fast and cheap way to complete the ceilings was this cottage cheese type ceilings. Tapers and painters saved a lot of steps by simply spraying the ceilings. It helped insulate the ceiling, skipping the steps of preperation for paint, and it also provided a decorative look. Just take a look at some houses that have glitter included in their ceiling!

But now it's 2009 and how do we get rid of this crap. First of all, you have to be careful. You don't want to just get up there and start scraping away. It could be messy, dusty and dangerous. Dangerous? Yes, it could have asbestos in it. Asbestos helps control heat. Remember when I told you that it was used for insulation? But asbestos could be dangerous when broken up and has been linked to cancer. Depending upon the year that your house was built, you could have asbestos in your cottage cheese ceiling. Any house newer than about 1972 probably doesn't have to worry about it because the use of asbestos in cottage cheese ceilings was banned in 1972. So, if your house was built before 1972 you may have asbestos in your ceiling and you might want to check it out. It's easy to do. Just scrap off a little 1 square inch piece and have it tested. There are companies out there that specialize in testing for asbestos.

If you've decided that you do not have asbestos in your ceiling here are a few simple and easy steps to help you remove the unsightly cottage cheese look.

Step 1 - Gather your materials. The materials that you will need for this process are: a hepa sprayer, a scraper, a broom (don't forget the dustpan), and a sanding paddle with a stick on it so you don't have to use a ladder, and sunglasses so you can look cool doing it! lol...

Step 2 - grab your hepa sprayer...don't forget to smile! Smiling keeps you in a good mood.

Step 3 - add water to your hepa sprayer and pump it up real good

Step 4 - Spray on to that popcorn ceiling. Don't spray too much! You don't want it to get too wet and get the drywall underneath wet. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. HINT: You'll know it's too wet if when you begin to scrape the ceiling, the paper from your drywall begins to come off.

Step 5 - After waiting about 5 minutes to let the water soak in...go ahead and begin scraping it off.

Step 6 - After scraping let the area dry then sand the area lightly with 120 grit sandpaper.

Step 7 - Now you're all done! A little touch up work and you're ready for paint. Did you notice the spots where I sprayed it with too much water? Try to avoid that.

Okay...now go for it! If you have any questions leave me a comment and I'll answer back as soon as I can!