Popcorn Ceiling - Good, Evil or Indifferent?

I'm going to be "nicifying" a room over the next year or two that will eventually house my DAW, monitors, etc.  It has popcorn ceiling which aesthetically sucks, and I'm considering removing it (it's non-asbestos ... at least that much has been determined).  But I'm wondering if it doesn't have some positive qualities insofar as room treatment goes.  Any expert opinion on this?

It is sound absorbing, but it doesn't have enough thickness to absorb mid to lower frequencies.  Think of it as a filter that rolls off the high end.

You would be better off to remove it to get the look you want, then do a proper broad-band treatment of the space.

BTW - it's NOT a fun job!!!

removing a popcorn ceiling very much sucks...
i left mine and built a really nice cloud.
sounds much mo' bettah

It's cheaper/easier  to just laminate 3/8 sheetrock right over it. Crown mold the corners and you don't have to worry about anything but taping the field. Couple of hundred bucks and you're done.

It has popcorn ceiling which aesthetically sucks, and I'm considering removing it (it's non-asbestos ... at least that much has been determined)

You determinied it how?

When I bought my house, the whole thing had the popcorn ceiling. I had it tested and it came back positive for chrysotile asbestos. After some research on hazards and safety, I decided to remove it myself and it wasn't a big deal. I covered the floor with plastic, put on my hazmat suit and breathing mask, got a water squirt bottle and scraper. When it was wetted down it scraped right off with very little effort.

I even bought the proper "asbestos bags" to store the waste in and when I took them to the dump, the guy laughed and said "wow, you actually did it right."  Stupid me, trying to follow the rules.

i've always heard that if you remove a popcorn ceiling then be prepared to redo the floor beneath it as well.
the stuff goes everywhere.

a buddy of mine removed all the popcorn ceiling in his house.
what was originally just a ceiling project quickly turned into a flooring project as well.

ohhey

tcm123


a buddy of mine removed all the popcorn ceiling in his house.
what was originally just a ceiling project quickly turned into a flooring project as well.

Forget the plastic did he ?

that's what I was thinking...

tarsier

It has popcorn ceiling which aesthetically sucks, and I'm considering removing it (it's non-asbestos ... at least that much has been determined)

You determinied it how?

I live in a "subdivision" of houses all built at the same time by the same developer.  Over half the houses even have the same floor plan (or mirror reverse), but the facades were differentiated in clever ways to make the homes not look like clones.  Anyway, a neighbor had her popcorn ceiling professionally removed.  The removal included an asbestos test which indicated the material was of the non-asbestos variety.

tarsier

Forget the plastic did he ?

And the water?

Really, when I did mine, it was simple. Put down plastic, spray water on, gently scrape off with a nice wide scraper. The water prevented any dust from flying around. At the end, I rolled up the plastic put it in the "approved" packaging and took it to the landfill. Paid my "fine" and that was that.

Maybe I got lucky.

I was reading user postings on a web site devoted to this topic yesterday.  Some guy said his daughter suggested holding a dust pan right beneath the scraper to collect the material as it separated from the ceiling.  He said it saved a huge amount of cleanup.  Brilliant! 

I think just hanging a good cloud and leaving the popcorn alone is your best bet.
I had an old friend that was planning on dragging the hose into the house and wetting the ceiling down to scrape the popcorn off. He asked if I would help him.
Haven't seen him since.

just a spray bottle is all you need.

Yeah, I was surprised how little spritzing was needed to loosen the stuff.

Crg

Beagle


HAHA - that would be disasterous (garden hose to wet the popcorn)!!!

just a spray bottle is all you need.

I tryed to tell him that and his response was that I didn't show him the proper amount of respect.
Okay buddy!

well then I guess he's just "all wet"!!!