Are you a DIYer curious about how to paint popcorn ceiling? While popcorn ceilings were once popular in previous decades, they are now seen by many homeowners as outdated and messy. Painting a textured surface like popcorn ceilings is a bit trickier than a flat ceiling, but with a few helpful tips from our professional team of painters, it doesn’t have to be a daunting (or expensive) task. In fact, painting popcorn ceiling is often cheaper, less messy, and less of a hassle than removing it or covering it up with building materials. Read on to learn helpful tips and the step-by-step process to follow so you can give your popcorn ceiling a fresh new look like a pro.
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Can You Paint Popcorn Ceiling?
While you may think that the only way to paint a popcorn ceiling is to remove the popcorn, you actually can paint over top of it without making a huge mess. This is also much cheaper and faster than removing it or covering it with drywall or wood.
It may also be safer, as some older homes may contain asbestos in the popcorn texture, and removing or disturbing it can put your health at risk of asbestos exposure. If you think your ceiling may have asbestos, especially if it was built before the 1980s, it’s always safest to test it first before painting, removing, or covering the popcorn ceiling.
Keep in mind, if you paint over top of the popcorn ceiling, it will be harder to remove the popcorn texture in the future. If you think you’ll want to eventually remove it, it may be best to wait on painting it.
If you’re not sure if your popcorn ceiling has already been painted over before, you can do a quick test to check. Flick a few drops of water onto the ceiling. If it absorbs quickly, the textured ceiling may not be painted at all, or it may only have a thin coat of paint. If the water beads up, it’s likely been painted before.
Considerations for Painting Popcorn Ceiling
Painting popcorn ceiling surfaces requires different materials than painting a regular flat ceiling. Interior acrylic latex paint is the best option. We recommend using a flat or matte sheen for popcorn ceilings to reduce the shine that is reflected off of the surface. If you need to protect the ceiling from moisture, such as in a bathroom or kitchen, opt for an eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss sheen.
Popcorn ceilings require two coats of paint to achieve the thick, even coverage you need to cover the popcorn texture. One gallon of ceiling paint covers roughly 400-500 square feet, so just remember to double the amount of paint when painting popcorn ceilings.
Oftentimes, popcorn ceilings have stains from water, smoke, cooking, etc. Once the stains are painted with latex paint, they tend to bleed through to your new paint job. Applying an oil-based stain blocking primer first will help seal all of those stains in and prevent this. We recommend the Sherwin-Williams Oil-Based ProBlock Primer that comes in a purple can.
If you use a water-based paint product with a paint roller, the popcorn texture can get wet when you apply it. Once the popcorn is wet, it tends to want to come off. This can lead to rolling up a lot of popcorn on the roller and making a mess. To avoid this, apply an oil-based primer first (which is the same primer you use on stains) and then paint it. You can also use a paint sprayer instead of a roller so that you aren’t rolling over wet popcorn with your roller. This can make the process smoother.
How to Paint Popcorn Ceiling With a Roller
Step 1: Prep Your Space
The first step is to prep your space by covering and protecting everything in the room. Remove all furniture, decorations, and objects from the room. Cover the floor and anything that must stay in the room with plastic sheets or drop cloths. Remove ceiling light fixtures or use frog tape to tape around them.
Step 2: Clean the Ceiling
Next, take the brush attachment of your shop vacuum to vacuum all of the dust particles, cobwebs, dirt, or other debris that’s settled in the popcorn texture. Do this gently to avoid having the popcorn fall off and make a mess.
Step 3: Seal Stains
If there are stains on the ceiling that need to be removed, this is where you’ll use that oil-based stain blocking primer we mentioned to seal the stains before moving on.
Step 4: Apply Frog Tape
Before you start painting, you want to create a clean line between the popcorn ceiling and the walls, which can be tricky since popcorn is an uneven texture. If you’re DIYing it, we recommend applying frog tape to achieve straight lines (that won’t damage your walls). If you have a steady hand, you can also use a two-inch painter’s brush to cut in the area where your walls meet the ceiling and around trim, light fixtures, etc.
Step 5: Prepare the Paint
To prepare your paint, pour 2-3 gallons into a large bucket and attach the roller screen inside. Add the roller frame to the end of the extension pole and attach the thick nap roller cover. Dip the roller in the paint and squeeze it out by rolling it on the roller screen to remove excess liquid, reduce mess, and avoid dripping.
Step 6: Apply First Coat
Apply the first coat of paint by rolling the paint on the ceiling in one single direction across the entire ceiling. This helps you avoid covering the same spot twice. You can overlap strokes to ensure you get full coverage. However, you don’t want to paint so thick that it drips. Remember, you’ll go in with a second coat next!
Step 7: Allow First Coat to Dry
After the first coat is done, allow it to dry for at least 2 hours before starting the next coat. Open the windows and turn on fans to help it dry quicker.
Step 8: Apply Second Coat
After the first coat is dry, apply the second coat using a paint roller in the opposite direction that you applied the first coat. If you painted the first coat from north to south, this coat should go on from east to west.
Step 9: Allow Second Coat to Dry
Repeat the drying process for the second coat, allowing a couple of hours to ensure it’s dry.
Step 10: Apply Touch-Ups and Finishing Touches
After the second coat is dry, you can apply any touch-ups and finishing touches to fix mistakes, smooth over drips, and remove the frog tape. Make sure everything is dry before you clean up the plastic and drop cloth.
Painting Popcorn Ceiling
Painting popcorn ceiling as a DIYer can be intimidating at first, but with the right considerations, tools, and products, it is definitely doable! Plus, a fresh coat of paint can really transform the look of your space.
If you’re looking to hire a professional to paint your textured ceiling, we’re here to help! Visit our contact page to schedule a free estimate with our team today. We proudly serve the Raleigh, North Carolina area and would be honored to help you!