Popcorn Ceiling gets Creative Makeover in Hamden, CT
Challenge
Popcorn ceiling has many nicknames: textured ceiling, cottage cheese, stipple, stucco ceiling or formally, an acoustic ceiling. It comes as a spray or paint-on treatment used on the ceilings. It was a great option to hide imperfections and add a finishing touch to any room with its bright white appearance. Textured ceilings were popular before the 1970's as it often contained white asbestos fibers. After this mixture was banned by the Clean Air Act in the United States, the cottage cheese effect was created using Styrofoam and paper-based materials. As time has gone on, fewer homes opt into this dated coating and use more modern-looking clean lines, preferably with moldings for trim. Due to this shift in popular culture, the issue becomes how to remodel these ceilings in the safest way possible, without destroying the integrity of the structure.
An option that most companies and DIY homeowners have been leaning towards in the idea of blending the existing texture on the ceiling. This is accomplished with a drywall taping knife and through lightly scraping the previous popcorn texture. Then primer and new compound are applied to the liking of the homeowner. To remove popcorn ceilings, it is recommended to start with a small section before attempting the entire room. If the texture is on the older side, it may come off-dry with the scraping method. If it's stubborn, try to add water to the texture before scraping. It's a messy process that could end up requiring a lot of clean up.
When it came to MDF's client Nicole P. she wanted to add a more creative twist. She requested the textured ceiling removal as part of her ongoing interior painting project. Nicole collaborated with the painters on the project and her field supervisor for a festive addition to her ceiling that was less texture and more sparkle!
Solution
To add interest to her ceiling, glitter was mixed into the paint Nicole picked for her ceiling. Painters used a Glitter Paint Additive so they could control how much glitter was going to be on the ceiling. Our client had more of a subtle sparkle look in mind, instead of wall to wall glitter coverage. Most glitter paints do not come in color shades, just clear ready to paint cans, so it was not a good pick for this project. Two coats of the glitter-infused paint were added to the ceiling to get the best paint color consistency and get the exact right shimmer effect. After the field supervisor made sure it looked right in all lighting variations, Nicole was happy with her sparkling ceiling! The popcorn texture is completely gone, and her home is looking more fabulous than ever!
