How to Replace a Textured Ceiling

If your home was built during the '60s or '70s, chances are you have a textured ceiling somewhere in it. As interior decorating styles change, many are looking for ways to remove or replace these ceilings with a sleeker, more streamlined finish. While not difficult to do yourself, removing a textured ceiling is a messy and time-consuming task.

Drop cloths or plastic sheeting
Spray bottle filled with water
Floor scraper or other flat wide blade
Drywall mud/joint compound (premixed)
Drywall tray
Drywall blade or putty knife
Sponge
Pole sander
Primer
Paint

Instructions

- 1
  Remove as much furniture as possible from the room and cover the entire floor and any remaining furniture with a drop cloth or plastic sheeting.
- 2
  Use your spray bottle to thoroughly wet the ceiling section you wish to tackle first. Wait about 10 minutes for the liquid to soak in.
- 3
  Scrape away the textured material with the floor scraper. It should slough off fairly easily, leaving the wallboard beneath it intact.
- 4
  If the ceiling is coated with primer, sand the surface with a pole sander. If you have exposed, paper-covered wallboard, skip the sanding.
- 5
  Repair any holes or gouges in the wall board with your drywall compound. Apply the compound in thin layers and use the drywall blade to smooth any uneven surfaces.
- 6
  Smooth over the ceiling with a damp sponge, then prime and paint.

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