Best way to patch popcorn ceiling

[younghandyman]

Out of all your experiences, what have you found as the best way to patch popcorn ceilings? I will have to make some cuts in my ceiling to run some wiring for potlights and wanted to make sure I will be able to patch it properly before making the cuts.


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[JamesW84]

I've tried those spray cans with little success. I got a hopper from harbor freight that hooks to your air compressor. I think I mixed powdered drywall and put in the hopper, but I could be wrong about that. Just be sure to move the hopper around a lot so as not to over-saturate the area, and it will help it blend also.

 

[Jazz1]

I’ve had a 4’ triangle on ceiling with no popcorn after moving chimney. I doubt I could match the rest of the ceiling. Screw it, does not bother me, some day I may remove the popcorn on rest of ceiling if I have absolutely nothing better to do

 

[bad_idea]

I vote for remove the popcorn. Be aware most popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them. If you keep it wet it won't kick dust up.

 

[greg13]

I had good results with Homex spray can when I removed my skylite. I would of had to remove popcorn from livingroom, kitchen & hall.
It takes some practice to get it right and I can see it, but just walking in you don't.

 

[jeffmattero76]

I also vote to remove it. Spray it liberally using a garden sprayer with water and a few drops of dish detergent, and scrape it off with a 6 inch spackle knife. It's like scraping icing off of a cake.

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[Leaflessshadetree]

Remove extra around the area you are patching to allow blending. Do not leave long straight edges.
Practice matching the texture using different techniques. I've tries brushes, sponges, rollers. Concentrate more on matching the texture than the pattern.
A little variation in the pattern can be blended, variation in texture will stick out like a sore thumb. You can practice on scrap material (I use cardboard) before you remove anything.

 

[younghandyman]

Removing it is not an option as that would require removing it in the entire house which is far too much work.




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[younghandyman]

Remove extra around the area you are patching to allow blending. Do not leave long straight edges.
Practice matching the texture using different techniques. I've tries brushes, sponges, rollers. Concentrate more on matching the texture than the pattern.
A little variation in the pattern can be blended, variation in texture will stick out like a sore thumb. You can practice on scrap material (I use cardboard) before you remove anything.

Any specific product you recommend? Can you provide a link to it. I'll stop by home depot this weekend to pick it up.

I am running potlights on the main level where there is no attic access, so I will carve out peices in the dry wall to make sure I don't hit any water or electrical lines. I will place the peices of drywall back in with a backer and just need to cover up the joints with this stuff. Does this seem like it will be challenging?


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[younghandyman]

So I patched up the first 4 inch hole. Wow was the mudding tough. And it's crazy how much of a mess sanding made on the floor. Overall the patching was terrible.

On the next patch spot, I will smooth the edges down with a wet sanding sponge about 30 minutes after applying the mud. I will also wet sand the mud so less dust is airborne. Just going to buy a sanding sponge from home depot. Will also paint with primer before applying the texture.

Question for you all though. Seems like the Lepage Poly Fill texture I used worked well to match the texture however it is a pure white and it seems my popcorn ceiling is slightly off white. How can I paint the popcorn to match? Do I need a spray can, roll on paint, what do I use? Also, how would I find which colour exactly it is. The texture used is white and the popcorn around is a beige colour almost similar to the walls.








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[fourbyford]

If you can get a smooth chip of paint at least the size of a nickel and take it to a paint store (HD or whatever) they can color match. You'll need to know if your paint is flat, egg shell, satin, semi gloss... etc. Then, armed with a gallon of paint and a LONG NAPPED roller, you can attempt to blend in the areas you repaired. My guess is that you'll end up repainting the entire ceiling. The newly repaired areas will require a minimum of 2 coats to cover, and may need 3 to cover well.
...D

 

[usa#1]

If you want to make the repair invisible it's pretty easy but takes a little work and a little messy. First patch sheet rock in ceiling like any drywall repair. Next get a bag of qt imperial texture; you'll also need a hopper gun. Once you mix the texture spray according to directions,spray a coat only on the damaged area to cover the repair. Next start at the other end of the ceiling furtherest away from damage area and respray the entire ceiling including the repaired area. Naturally you'll have to cover the floor and hang plastic to cover the walls. All of the texture I've used is white. You can mix paint in the texture to change color, but beware that if you mix in paint it will be a lot harder to scrape off if you decide to remove it at some later date.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I tried wetting the old popcorn and partially scraping off the high spots, kind of dragging the putty knife over and taking off most of the high spots so it looks like a knock-down ceiling. Then I sprayed the patch with a HF texture spray gun and knocked that down. I then did a light pass with the texture gun over the whole ceiling and you can either leave it or knock that down as well. It's really hard to see where I did the patch.

 

[jeffmattero76]

In my rental properties I always remove the popcorn for two reasons. 1 - it is very difficult to match if a ceiling repair is needed. And 2 - I find it impossible to paint using a roller, since the popcorn texture will come off of the ceiling as you attempt to paint.

Good luck!

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[younghandyman]

It is now the next morning and the patch has dried. It honestly looks good, the texture matches and looks like it's been there from before, all the issues I noticed last night are gone. I just need to match the colour. Someone suggested above taking out a chip of it and take to home depot. I will be using a roller to paint the ceiling, will there be issues with that?

I just sent an email to the builder asking what colour it was so hopefully I can get an exact match.


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[Norcal]

A 3/4" nap roller cover works. Spraying would work better but can be messy.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

It is now the next morning and the patch has dried. It honestly looks good, the texture matches and looks like it's been there from before, all the issues I noticed last night are gone. I just need to match the colour. Someone suggested above taking out a chip of it and take to home depot. I will be using a roller to paint the ceiling, will there be issues with that?

Texture out of a can doesn't hold very well when rolled with a long nap rolled (as previously mentioned).

Over the years I've made plenty of popcorn repairs- I use bagged material and a spray hopper- color is mostly white when new. Old popcorn will "yellow"; but there's always the ceiling that's been painted also. Determining if it's been painted is hit or miss- multiple coats of paint make for easy diagnosis.

If you don't want to have to re-texture/popcorn, I strongly suggest renting an airless sprayer and paint the entire ceiling.

 

[bwringer]

I've always found that ceilings yellow over time. The yellowing is very inconsistent, so matching or blending the resulting color is close to impossible.

So you have to decide whether to repaint the whole ceiling, or whether you can just do your best to blend the repair and leave it at that. No one besides maybe a home inspector would ever notice because no one walks into a room and stares directly into the lights.

Popcorn ceilings suuuuuuuuck.

 

[blacksporty]

So, Younghandyman....I know an oldhandyman that will not quote a job to do a patch on a ceiling, all his quotes are to redo the texture on the entire area because that is the only way you cannot tell it was patched, FWIW

 

[Hobbit]

You can buy popcorn textured ceiling paint in buckets, HOMAX brand I believe, and just small patch size containers that either roll on or you can dab small areas for repairs. I have had great success with this product. I have been able to apply this on repairs so that you cannot tell it was ever done. For best results paint the whole ceiling and then apply the popcorn to the repaired areas to make sure of a full color match. Both the Depot & Lowes have it.

 

[younghandyman]

You can buy popcorn textured ceiling paint in buckets, HOMAX brand I believe, and just small patch size containers that either roll on or you can dab small areas for repairs. I have had great success with this product. I have been able to apply this on repairs so that you cannot tell it was ever done. For best results paint the whole ceiling and then apply the popcorn to the repaired areas to make sure of a full color match. Both the Depot & Lowes have it.

I have bought a variation of this by LePage Polyfila, however I found that the texture within is too fine, is there a way to make it more coarse? Is there somethinng I can add to it?


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[younghandyman]

Now I'm stressed, I just called someone and they told me $700 to patch 14 small holes in the stucco ceiling. I need to find a way to do this for cheaper.


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[CraigStu]

How large is this ceiling? Do you actually like popcorn? Why not do your electrical install and then screw on new drywall right over the existing popcorn?

 

[finn]

Opportune time to remove the popcorn. If and when you sell the house, it should be removed anyway, so why delay the inevitable.

 

[SGKent]

Removing it is not an option as that would require removing it in the entire house which is far too much work.




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cost me $1500 to have 1400 sq ft removed and the ceiling cleaned up - loose tape etc. then textured and painted to match the walls. Looks so much better.

That said you can match the texture of your ceiling now with a hopper from HF, HD, or Lowes and a compressor but getting the color to match the rest of the house will be a PITA. Those ceilings discolor over the years, some get grayer, some get yellower. If you paint the popcorn it will be a really hard job to remove it in the future, and you will want to if you plan to sell your house someday.

 

[younghandyman]

cost me $1500 to have 1400 sq ft removed and the ceiling cleaned up - loose tape etc. then textured and painted to match the walls. Looks so much better.



That said you can match the texture of your ceiling now with a hopper from HF, HD, or Lowes and a compressor but getting the color to match the rest of the house will be a PITA. Those ceilings discolor over the years, some get grayer, some get yellower. If you paint the popcorn it will be a really hard job to remove it in the future, and you will want to if you plan to sell your house someday.

I think I will buy the Wagner Power Texture Sprayer, anyone have experience with that?


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[Git]

Yep. Bought one about 10 years ago when I was finishing up my garage. It actually did a pretty good job. Keep in mind, a lot is going to depend on the mix that you use, so you probably need to play around with it beforehand. I was going for a slight 'knock down' texture and used a 'squeege' type trowel. Since it doesn't have a hard edge, it is more forgiving and won't dig in as much

 

[Turbo]

I am working with popcorn texture right now. I tried painting virgin popcorn, and once it gets wet with paint it peels off the ceiling in spots. I resorted to scraping it off, its really easy to scrape, and then skim coat , prime and paint. If you have to keep the popcorn, paint it with a sprayer. Terry

 

[greg13]

Homex spray cans, takes a little practice but it does a good job.

 

[Fatboy148]

I have bought a variation of this by LePage Polyfila, however I found that the texture within is too fine, is there a way to make it more coarse? Is there somethinng I can add to it?


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Not sure about that brand but USG used to sell their spray texture with three sizes of beads, fine, medium and course. I used to add in a dry paint that came in bags to my "popcorn" mix, again it was a USG product called First Coat. It helped with coverage when working on an unprimed ceiling.

 

[Bruce 993 SEA]

I also vote to remove it. Spray it liberally using a garden sprayer with water and a few drops of dish detergent, and scrape it off with a 6 inch spackle knife. It's like scraping icing off of a cake.

This ^

This thread is 4 month old and you are still messing with it?

A couple of facts:

Popcorn ceiling is a detraction from the value of the house.

Removing is not that tough.

Removing is the only way to patch holes in drywall and match up finish.

You are a younghandyman, I am 63 and scrape every popcorn ceiling in our rentals and our new to us house. It is hateful stuff...it looks bad, collects dust and does not age gracefully.

I could have had a room done in the time you have spent typing your efforts. Probably the whole house done including your trips to the home center and fussing with matching up new to old work.

Anyhow, there is good advice here...listen to it!

Cheers!