Painted Popcorn Ceiling Removal in Ardmore, OK

Removing a painted popcorn ceiling in Ardmore, OK takes more work than plain texture, because the paint seals the popcorn and keeps water out. Safe Choice Painting assesses the ceiling, tests a small area, then breaks the paint film, scrapes, repairs the drywall and finishes it smooth or lightly textured before priming and painting.

Why paint makes popcorn stubborn

Unpainted popcorn drinks water, softens and lifts off the drywall with a wide scraper. A coat of paint, or several, turns the surface into a crust. Water sits on top, and the texture breaks off in hard flakes that can tear the drywall paper beneath. On a painted ceiling we:

• score or sand through the paint film in a test area so water can reach the texture
• soften and scrape in smaller sections, keeping the blade flat
• plan extra time for skim coating the torn spots afterward

A city full of ceilings from that era

Census estimates put the median year built for Ardmore's housing at 1971, and about 15 percent of the city's homes were built in the 1970s alone. A ceiling that has hung over a room for fifty years has usually been through a few owners, and repainting a dingy popcorn ceiling has long been the quick fix. That is why so many of the textured ceilings we see here have been painted at least once.

We assess the ceiling first

We assess the ceiling first. Two things come before scraping: whether the texture has been painted, and whether it should be tested. Oklahoma's Asbestos Control Act defines an abatement contractor in a way that leaves out private residences and apartment houses of fewer than six units, and the Oklahoma DEQ says single-family homes are not covered under the federal asbestos air rules. The state's own fact sheet on asbestos in the home adds that those rules still describe work practices that reduce exposure. The EPA notes that you cannot tell whether a material contains asbestos by looking at it. For older textured ceilings, we recommend testing before any work, and our asbestos testing guide walks through how.

Scrape it or cover it

Some painted ceilings refuse to let go, or the paper underneath is already weak. Forcing the issue can turn a removal into a full drywall repair. In that case, laying new drywall over the old ceiling may be cleaner and quicker; see covering a popcorn ceiling. If you are weighing a fresh coat of paint instead, read can you paint over a popcorn ceiling first.

Finishing the ceiling

After scraping, torn paper is sealed, low spots are skimmed and the ceiling is sanded flat. Then it gets a smooth finish or a light texture, a primer and two coats of ceiling paint. For walls in the same rooms, see ceiling painting in Ardmore and interior painting in Ardmore.

How the room is protected

1. Floors are covered and walls are draped in plastic from ceiling to floor.
2. Vents and returns are sealed, and the HVAC is set so it does not pull dust through the house.
3. Debris is bagged as we go, and the room is cleaned before we leave each day.

Plain, unpainted texture is covered on popcorn ceiling removal in Ardmore. The general guide is painted popcorn ceiling removal, and more Ardmore services are on painting in Ardmore, with the full service overview at popcorn ceiling removal.

Nearby

• Painted popcorn ceiling removal
• Popcorn ceiling removal in Ardmore, OK
• Painting in Ardmore, OK
• Remove painted popcorn ceiling in Denton, TX