7 Reasons Why You Should Consider Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Popcorn ceilings have many names – from textured and stucco to cottage cheese. Regardless of what you call them, there are 7 reasons you may want to invest in popcorn ceiling removal in your home.

You’ve moved into your new home and everything is perfect… apart from the dreaded popcorn ceilings. These textured ceilings, named after their similarity to the cinema snack, went out of fashion a long time ago, and you don’t know what to do with them.

Here are some reasons why you may want to look into popcorn ceiling removal.

Why Were Textured Ceilings So Popular?

Popcorn ceilings started becoming a fashion in the 1970’s. The reason why they became so popular? It’s all thanks to the fact that they hide so many sins. Getting a drywall surface perfectly level is a difficult and time-consuming business.

Once the drywall has been put up, it needs to be leveled off perfectly so no imperfections show.

• This is done by taping the joins between the sheets of drywall, and ‘mudding’ the gap with a joint compound.
• This is a long process and takes skill to master.

Spraying on a popcorn effect instead is much easier, and hides all kinds of imperfections.

Why You Should Try Popcorn Ceiling Removal?

As the years passed, the truth about acoustic ceilings started to emerge, and it was shocking. There are quite a large amount of issues that come with textured ceilings. Unfortunately, these ceilings had already taken over in popularity by the time these facts came out.

There are numerous reasons why you may want to remove popcorn ceiling and replace it with something more appealing. These include:

1. To Remove Threat of Asbestos

It’s true that in many cases, popcorn ceilings were created with asbestos. The practice was stopped in 1978, by the Clean Air Act. If your ceiling was installed before then, it’s very likely that it contains the substance.

Asbestos is very much a safety hazard, but you may not actually need to remove it because of that. The EPA states that if the ceiling is still intact, then you’re not in danger of inhaling the substance and so the ceiling should be left as it is.

You are going to want to do popcorn ceiling removal throughout your house:

• If the ceiling has been damaged at all
• If the interior of the ceiling exposed

It’s best to do this as quickly as possible, ideally before you move in. This should keep everyone safe while it’s removed.

2. To Create Better Lighting

One of the problems with popcorn ceilings is that they affect the lighting in the room. Thanks to the bumpy surface, light bounces off it and causes some harsh shadows in the room. It’s less than ideal when you’re trying to create a relaxed atmosphere in the room with the popcorn ceiling, and so you may want to remove it.

If you don’t have the budget to remove it, then you can mitigate the effect with the right type of lighting. Rather than using recessed and flush wall lights, stick to table and floor lamps. These create a softer glow, making the room much more relaxing.

3. To Stop Discoloration

The problem with popcorn ceilings is that they discolor over time. It really dings the appeal of a room, as you can make it as clean and inviting as possible, but the ceiling will still make it look dingy. If you’re sick of dealing with the look of it, then you can remove it and replace it with something better.

If again, you’re not able to remove the ceiling right now, you can simply freshen it up with a coat of paint. This is a simple fix that will help get rid of the dinginess and make the room look fresher.

4. To Stop It Catching Dust

Keeping your home clean is a challenge on its own. You clean and clean, and you still feel like you can never keep up. It’s annoying when you have a popcorn ceiling, as it is a magnet for dust and dirt in your home.

As well as having to polish and dust your furniture, you’ve got to take a broom or brush and dust the ceilings, too. It’s time consuming and annoying, so if you’re bothered enough by it you can have it removed.

It’s worth remembering that removing the ceiling in itself will cause a lot more dirt and dust around your home, at least while the work is being carried out. If you’re okay with that, then removing the ceiling is a good idea.

5. To Stop It Disintegrating

Like any other renovation in your home, a popcorn ceiling just won’t last forever. No matter how hard you work at maintaining it, eventually, it will start to disintegrate. In most cases, you’ll see white flecks start to fall from the ceiling onto your floors and furniture.

If not caught in time, they can actually damage surfaces. If this is happening, it’s very much time to replace or remove the ceiling altogether.

6. To Fix Damage to the Ceiling

No matter how careful you are, accidents happen:

• Holes get punched into the ceiling
• Something scrapes it
• There is a dent, hole, or mark on the ceiling

The problem with a popcorn ceiling though is that you can’t really patch it up, not without redoing the whole ceiling to match.  That’s expensive and time-consuming, when all you want to do is repair the damage.

If you really want to make life easier for yourself, you’ll have to replace the whole ceiling and get rid of that popcorn effect. Then, if there’s any damage in the future, you’ll be able to patch it up much more easily.

7. To Make a Room Feel More Modern

When decorating a room, you need to take a look at it from every angle. Everything about the room will affect its final look of it. Have you done everything to make that room look modern and inviting, but the popcorn ceiling is affecting it?

No matter what you do, that ceiling is going to look dated, and cramp your style.

In these cases, it’s much better to remove the textured ceiling entirely and replace it with something much more with the times. It’s amazing how much of a difference it’ll make, replacing that ceiling and making it look better in the process.

Popcorn Ceiling Removal Conclusion

These are just 7 reasons why you would want to look into popcorn ceiling removal. We also covered why and how to remove popcorn ceiling to enhance your space. You don’t have to deal with a dated ceiling, you can replace it and get a fresh whole look for your home.