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Many homes built prior to the 1980’s have their ceilings covered with an acoustic spray commonly referred to as “popcorn” ceilings due to their appearance.  Many homeowners would like to remove this material to give their home a more contemporary appearance.  There are several things to be aware of regarding this process –

Typical acoustic ceiling surface

•  Some acoustic ceilings applied prior to 1979 may contain asbestos.
•  There are several different types of acoustic ceiling materials.
•  Removal is not always necessary to resurface a ceiling.

Steps for deciding what to do

    1. Determine the type of material you have.  This requires lab testing from an authorized site.  You can search for an accredited lab at the state by state approved list.

     2.   If you find that the material has more than 1% asbestos content, then it is considered a “hot” sample and should only be removed by a qualified abatement contractor.

     3.  If removal is too expensive, another option may be encapsulation.  This is a method that requires the asbestos contain material to be fully enclosed, but not removed.  The most common method is to install thin sheets of drywall (usually 3/8″ to 1/2″) over the existing ceiling and then texturing the new ceiling as desired.

     4.   If the material is not asbestos, then the material can be scraped off using standard methods and tools including a light sprayer and scraping tools available at the local hardware store.

The removal job is a very messy and time consuming.  It is usually necessary to seal off the work area to avoid spreading the material to other areas.

The fixtures that need to remain such as lights and smoke detectors should be protected from damage.

Don’t be surprised to find “hidden” surprises as one of the reasons builder’s used acoustic was to conceal minor defects in workmanship.

Start with a small area or room to make sure this is a project that you wish to take on.

Good Luck!  More information on asbestos can be found at the INSPECTPROS website.

Removal of Acoustic Material