Cleaning Popcorn Ceilings?

[Ben]

Anyone have good tips for cleaning damn acoustic ceiling? I'm getting ready to sell one of my rentals, and the tenant who was in there for the last 11 years, while not dirty, didn't ever clean the ceiling from what I can tell. Besides the spiderwebs and dust bunnies, it looks like there's significant dirt buildup around the ceiling fans that has a slight sticky/greasy component to it.

I'm going to first try with just a duster and maybe the shop vac. Also thinking of taking the air compressor to the place and trying the high pressure approach. I'd love to avoid repainting them. I'm repainting the whole inside with rollers, but don't want to do all the masking that would be necessary to spray the ceilings. In fact I wouldn't even do it myself because it would be worth it to me to hire that out. But it would be more worth it to me to just be able to clean them enough to be good enough for the sale and save the $800 or so that a painter would probably cost me.

Any neat tricks appreciated.

[Scout26]

Replace them. Especially if they are the ones with "holes" in them.  If they are smooth then the duster and/or shop vac should work.

[Ben]

Replace them. Especially if they are the ones with "holes" in them.  If they are smooth then the duster and/or shop vac should work.

Replacing is exactly what I want to avoid, as scraping off the popcorn and resurfacing would be at least a couple grand, which is money I'll never recover in the sale. Repainting also loses me money, but not as much, so that can still be a last ditch plan, but I'd like to avoid that as well if possible.

[K Frame]

Most important question is what is the base composition? Older mineral board? If so, difficult to clean of sticky stuff without ruining it.

[Ben]

Most important question is what is the base composition? Older mineral board? If so, difficult to clean of sticky stuff without ruining it.

I haven't poked into it yet, but I'm 95% sure it's drywall. I think that was kind of a "standard" for the late 60's - early 80's stuff around these parts: Drywall everything, then texture walls and spray the crappy acoustic onto the ceilings (except kitchen and bath).

[vaskidmark]

OxyClean out of a hand-pump spray bottle.  Have a drop cloth down.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

stay safe.

[Brad Johnson]

A broom with long, soft synthetic bristles will get the general surface fluff/dust. Go easy... those nodules are more fragile than you think. You can also use the bristle attachment on a vacuum. Again, soft touch.

Greasy residue is odd. Is it in a kitchen and they were heavy on making fried food?

Painting acoustic is easy. 1" heavy knap roller and paint with it's own sealer/primer covers nicely if you take care to keep the roller loaded. Think Behr Premium Plus Ultra or other mfgs equivalent. Use a drop cloth and cover everything. Rolling acoustic creates tons of paint speckles. I learned the hard way when I had to scrape every square inch of my kithchen and dining room tile with a razor.

Brad

[Ben]

Greasy residue is odd. Is it in a kitchen and they were heavy on making fried food?

"Greasy" was probably the wrong word, but it doesn't seem completely like "dry dust". It's kinda like the buildup you might see in HVAC filters that haven't been replaced when they should. No Acoustic in the kitchen, but if they were cooking lots of greasy / smokey stuff, I could see it drifting out to the living room since it's a somewhat open floorplan.

[Brad Johnson]

If it's not actual grease then you're good. Dust what you can and paint over the rest.

Brad

[Hawkmoon]

Replacing is exactly what I want to avoid, as scraping off the popcorn and resurfacing would be at least a couple grand, which is money I'll never recover in the sale. Repainting also loses me money, but not as much, so that can still be a last ditch plan, but I'd like to avoid that as well if possible.

Popcorn?

A popcorn ceiling isn't "acoustic," it's just a decade out of style. Can't be cleaned, can't be easily refinished. You're hosed.

[Scout26]

Acoustic. Ceilings are made of 2x4 or 2x2 tiles and have a lattice framework they're generally used in commercial buildings or in basement called like the suspended ceilings if you have drywall and popcorn sprayed onto it or otherwise done somehow to look like a lot for something you've described that's a textured ceiling. So which one do you have because its a textured ceiling then Hawkmoon nailed it.

[Ben]

It's textured but everybody always called it acoustic around here when they were still using it, probably because it limits echos in a room.

I'm not hosed, I would just have to pay for painting or paint it myself. It's a common practice. I just don't want to do it myself because I painted the ridiculously high (non-popcorn) vaulted ceilings in my condo on the coast before I sold it and my neck still hurts from that. This one has the vaulted ceilings too. Plus the thing about I don't want to toss any more money into it than I have to. If I can make it look presentable with just cleaning, that's what I'm shooting for. If I end up having to bite the bullet for a painter, that's just the way she goes.

[Hawkmoon]

It's textured but everybody always called it acoustic around here when they were still using it, probably because it limits echos in a room.

I'm not hosed, I would just have to pay for painting or paint it myself. It's a common practice. I just don't want to do it myself because I painted the ridiculously high (non-popcorn) vaulted ceilings in my condo on the coast before I sold it and my neck still hurts from that. This one has the vaulted ceilings too. Plus the thing about I don't want to toss any more money into it than I have to. If I can make it look presentable with just cleaning, that's what I'm shooting for. If I end up having to bite the bullet for a painter, that's just the way she goes.

Rent an electric spray gun and shoot it yourself. Much faster and easier than a roller, and no stiff neck.

[Brad Johnson]

Rent an electric spray gun and shoot it yourself. Much faster and easier than a roller, and no stiff neck.

Tried that and it sucked donkey wangers. Not sure if it was me or the equipment, but it was faster to tape and roll than to cover, seal the room, and prep for spraying.

Brad

[K Frame]

Wait... this is a ceiling?

I thought you were talking ceiling tile.

[Ben]

Wait... this is a ceiling?

I thought you were talking ceiling tile.

Yeah, it's this crap:

[K Frame]

Ugh...

http://www.amazon.com/Homax-6100-Ceiling-Texture-Scraper/dp/B0002YSQSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442156212&sr=8-1&keywords=popcorn+ceiling+removal+tool


Either that, or a highly suspicious "lightning" fire.

[Ben]

Ugh...

http://www.amazon.com/Homax-6100-Ceiling-Texture-Scraper/dp/B0002YSQSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442156212&sr=8-1&keywords=popcorn+ceiling+removal+tool


Either that, or a highly suspicious "lightning" fire.

Ha! Yeah, if it was a house I was living in,  that crap would be gone.  I don't know what the hell was going through the heads of architects and builders in the 70s.

[cordex]

Ha! Yeah, if it was a house I was living in,  that crap would be gone.  I don't know what the hell was going through the heads of architects and builders in the 70s.

"Hey, you know what would be a great way to cover up shoddy work?"

[Ben]

"Hey, you know what would be a great way to cover up shoddy work?"

 

[K Frame]

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that popcorn on a ceiling does nothing to hide shoddy work. If anything, it can accentuate it.

I'm not sure what's worse... a popcorn ceiling, or a trowel textured ceiling.

[Sawdust]

I've sprayed and rolled them. 3/4" nap roller is much easier.

I'd paint rather than clean.

It will look much better, and make the room(s) brighter resulting in multiple offers the first day on the market. 

[Ben]

I've sprayed and rolled them. 3/4" nap roller is much easier.

I'd paint rather than clean.

It will look much better, and make the room(s) brighter resulting in multiple offers the first day on the market. 

Yeah, maybe I need to buy a Costco sized bottle of Advil and suck it up. :)

[roo_ster]

Yeah, maybe I need to buy a Costco sized bottle of Advil and suck it up. :)

Double up on the OTC naproxen sodium and chase with spirits of choice.

[AJ Dual]

Put a mirror on the roller-pole so you can look down?