Popcorn Ceiling Removal: How to Prepare Your Home
In previous posts, we’ve discussed the many reasons to get rid of those old popcorn ceilings once and for all. Replacing these outdated, rough surfaces can improve your interior air quality, keep your home cleaner, and boost your property value. Before you can reap these benefits, however, you must ensure the job gets done properly. Like any other home improvement, a successful popcorn removal project begins with proper preparation. Here’s how to prepare your home for safe, efficient, and mess-free popcorn ceiling removal.
How to Prepare for Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Have Your Home Inspected Prior to Popcorn Ceiling Removal
When you decide to remove your popcorn ceiling(s), you must first do your due diligence and make sure that the material doesn’t contain asbestos. Indeed, older popcorn ceilings may contain asbestos (especially if the home was built before 1980), which may be released into the air during the removal process and create a serious health hazard. To play things safe, have your ceiling inspected by an EPA-certified contractor -- this may or may not be the same contractor that ends up taking down your popcorn ceiling. If asbestos is present in your popcorn ceiling, it must be removed as soon as possible with all proper precautions to mitigate the release and spread of asbestos in your home. Even if no asbestos is found, it’s still important to take all necessary precautions and prepare your home accordingly.
Plan on Not Using the Room(s) in Question for the Day
Unless you really know what you’re doing and have access to the necessary tools and personal protective equipment (PPE), it’s best to hire professional popcorn ceiling removal services to tackle this project rather than do it yourself. Whatever the case, this project can take up the better part of a day (pros will get it done faster, of course). As such, the room(s) being worked on will be out of commission for the duration of the project, so make sure you’re prepared to go without this space for a little while. If it’s your home office, for instance, plan ahead of time to take the day off or get your work done somewhere else inside or outside your home.
Clear Out Whatever You Can from the Area
Popcorn ceiling removal can get really messy considering the amount of material that must get scraped from the surface. While a dustless popcorn ceiling removal process is ideal, plenty of material will end up falling to the ground. To protect your assets from harm, you’ll want to remove every object you can from the room ahead of time. This includes moveable furniture, hanging artwork/pictures, accessories, monitors, and so on. If space is limited, you may end up clogging up other rooms and/or your hallways with this stuff, but it’s worth it to prevent bits of popcorn ceiling from landing on it all.
Thoroughly Cover Fixed Features
Not everything in the room will budge, of course. The heaviest items and fixed features like shelving units, ceiling fans, and lights will need to stay where they are. To protect these objects, cover and/or wrap them with plastic or fabric that won’t easily fall off.
Lay Down Drop Cloths to Protect Floors
It’s important to protect your floors from falling debris during this process, too, especially carpeting, which can absorb loads of dust from the ceiling. Just as you would in preparation for interior painting, lay down sturdy drop cloths all across the room so every inch of your flooring is covered. When the job’s done, all you or your contractors will need to do is carefully remove these coverings and discard them and/or the debris they’ve collected.
Ensure Proper Ventilation and Personal Protection
With so much dust and debris flying around during popcorn ceiling removal, the more you can do to cleanse the air and protect your lungs and skin, the better. Your popcorn ceiling removal contractor might recommend opening up doors and windows (if weather allows) to increase airflow. Additionally, these professionals will bring the right PPE to the job, such as protective gloves, face masks/shields, safety goggles, ventilators, head coverings, and so on.
Are you ready to tear down your popcorn ceiling(s)? If so, make sure you and your home are properly prepared. At Anderson Painting, our painting and popcorn removal experts will help you every step of the way and ensure that every inch of those popcorn coatings is removed safely and efficiently to make way for a better, brighter ceiling. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
