Removing a Painted Popcorn Ceiling in Wichita
If someone painted over your popcorn texture at some point, you probably found out the hard way. You sprayed water, waited, and nothing happened. That is normal. Paint seals the texture, so water just beads up and runs off.
How to tell if it is painted
Spray a small spot with water and wait ten minutes. Unpainted texture turns soft and scrapes off easily. Painted texture stays hard, or only the very top layer softens. A lot of older Wichita homes have been repainted once or twice, especially rentals and flips.
Your options
- Score and soak. Lightly scoring the paint lets water get in. Slow, and it works better on one coat than three.
- Chemical stripping or removal gel. Helps on heavy paint, but adds cost and cleanup.
- Dry scraping. Fast but dusty and rough on the drywall. Never do this before an asbestos test.
- Cover it. Skim coat over the texture or hang 1/4 inch drywall right over it. Sometimes this is the cheapest path to a smooth ceiling.
What it costs
Expect painted ceilings to run toward the top of our usual range, and sometimes above it, because there is more drywall repair afterward. In a lot of cases covering the ceiling with new drywall ends up close in price and skips the mess. We will tell you which way is cheaper for your house when we look at it.
Do not skip the asbestos test
Paint does not make asbestos safe to scrape. If your home was built before about 1985, test first. Our asbestos guide covers how.
Wondering whether to tackle it yourself? Read DIY vs hiring a pro.