Popcorn ceiling. To keep or not to keep?

[Jaswahb]

I just bought a house in Belvedere. All the houses there have popcorn ceilings. Im wondering if it's worth it to get rid of them. Do the new houses in the Fenny/Desoto area come with popcorn ceilings? When I go to sell this house, I'm wondering if it will make my home competitive to the new homes. I also have not moved in much so now is the time to pull the trigger if I'm going to get rid of it. Anyone else remove the popcorn ceilings in an "older" area of TV? Was it worth it?

[Bogie Shooter]

At this point in our lives it’s what makes you happy........and the resale value be damned.

[retiredguy123]

At this point in our lives it’s what makes you happy........and the resale value be damned.
I agree, but, from the looks at some of the resale asking prices, a lot of people don't agree.

[Fredster]

If you are planning to have laminate, vinyl plank or tile flooring in your home.
Keep in mind, removal of the popcorn texture will lessen the acoustical benefits of the textured surface!
In looking at homes for sale in TV,
I have often seen it mentioned in the listing, that flooring is tile or other hard surface throughout.
I’ve personally never seen a listing mention, popcorn cealing removed, but I’m sure someone has!

[charmed59]

I removed the popcorn ceiling in our house before I moved in. I think it looks much cleaner, and like it very much.

[Villageswimmer]

If it were me, I’d get rid of it. Just my opinion.

[villagetinker]

In some place inconspicuous see if the popcorn ceiling coating comes off easily, if so it might be time to remove it. This will also give you an idea of how hard it will be to take off. In any case expect a mess, and IMHO, I would apply the 'knockdown' or 'orangepeel' finish as this will tend to hide any marks that might occur during removal.

[rustyp]

If you are planning to have laminate, vinyl plank or tile flooring in your home.
Keep in mind, removal of the popcorn texture will lessen the acoustical benefits of the textured surface!
In looking at homes for sale in TV,
I have often seen it mentioned in the listing, that flooring is tile or other hard surface throughout.
I’ve personally never seen a listing mention, popcorn cealing removed, but I’m sure someone has!

That is a very good point. Some houses I have been in here at TV have a large amount of echo. In hindsight I think they had tile floors and smooth to slightly texture ceiling. More coincidental I was just in Havana Restaurant and noticed how relatively quiet it was. I looked and and observed a padded cloth like ceiling.

[Md girl]

Get it out it’s dirty, dusty and hell on allergies We had it removed from our home and it was the best investment we ever made in a house.

[Jaswahb]

Get it out it’s dirty, dusty and hell on allergies We had it removed from our home and it was the best investment we ever made in a house.

Would you please share who you hired?

[Jaswahb]

I removed the popcorn ceiling in our house before I moved in. I think it looks much cleaner, and like it very much.

Do you mind telling me who you hired?

[JimJohnson]

Keep in mind that the reason for popcorn or knock down ceilings are because a smooth ceiling has to be 100% perfect so it will not show shading and shadowing from light. Very few experts will recommend smooth ceiling.

[charmed59]

Steve Kling painting did ours.

[elsamms]

Following

[stan the man]

At this point in our lives it’s what makes you happy........and the resale value be damned.

:bigbow:

[villagetinker]

Keep in mind that the reason for popcorn or knock down ceilings are because a smooth ceiling has to be 100% perfect so it will not show shading and shadowing from light. Very few experts will recommend smooth ceiling.

I agree with this completely, which is why I suggested replacing the popcorn with a knockdown or orange-peel coating. We had plaster over drywall walls up north, and EVERY repair showed up, no matter how well it was sanded and primed, even after a complete repaint these tended to show.
There were many good points presented, but I would avoid a completely flat ceiling.

[Lottoguy]

I too have popcorn ceilings and it really doesn't bother us at all. Sure, I would like to have it replaced, but I have other needs that are more important to do in the future. My A/C is 15 years old and that is much more important to get replaced. We don't plan on moving any time soon. So the next buyers can deal with it.

[jnieman]

I think it makes the house look dated. If you plan to modernize the house with new finishes then I would to complete the look.

[retiredguy123]

I think it makes the house look dated. If you plan to modernize the house with new finishes then I would to complete the look.
Even if you remove the popcorn ceilings, the house will still look dated if the ceiling height is 8 feet throughout as compared to the newer houses that usually have vaulted and/or tray raised ceilings in most rooms.

[bouwie2]

Get rid of it and do it NOW, or you will FOREVER be vacuuming up the white dots!! Moved to our house last August, sorry we didn't do it
Sooner. Had it down 1 month ago and LOVE the results..does not matter if your things are in place, they cover EVERYTHING, and are done
In 2 days max. CALL George at (407) 591-6855... they have painted both our homes!! A+
Tim

[CharlesNT]

If you decide to remove it, make sure you hire a qualified professional as most of the popcorn ceilings contain asbestos. You can have a small sample of it tested before you do it. Generally, unless it has been painted it can be removed easily by spraying with water and then scraping it off, not a tough job I did a ceiling last year after having the material tested.

[OhioBuckeye]

I just bought a house in Belvedere. All the houses there have popcorn ceilings. Im wondering if it's worth it to get rid of them. Do the new houses in the Fenny/Desoto area come with popcorn ceilings? When I go to sell this house, I'm wondering if it will make my home competitive to the new homes. I also have not moved in much so now is the time to pull the trigger if I'm going to get rid of it. Anyone else remove the popcorn ceilings in an "older" area of TV? Was it worth it?

To change a popcorn ceiling, why! I would think most people would be more interested in looking at the ceiling for cracks or stains from a leaky roof. To put a lot of money in ceiling because it's out dated, probably won't make your home worth more. If it's in good shape, leave it alone. I really doubt that anybody will come in & say look at that ugly out dated ceiling. If there's no issues with it leave it alone.

[jammaiora]

I have a friend who had popcorn ceiling in a condo in Siesta Keys. It had asbestos in it and it cost quite a bit to have it removed. A special company had to be hired.

[retiredguy123]

Asbestos in ceilings was banned by the EPA in 1977. So, houses built after that should not have asbestos on the ceiling. I don't think I would intentionally buy a house that had asbestos.

[Spadra1]

Maintenance of popcorn ceilings is awful and expensive to have them painted besides being a mess I have had both and would remove the popcorn ASAP.

[Don&Judy]

We kept ours and had it repainted throughout to give it a fresh clean surface. Painting it is half the price of removing it. I don't think it's a deal breaker.

[Julie910]

Forget the resale value, just do it for your own sake! We had ours removed from the whole house (except closets - too much stuff to move). Not overly expensive and totally worth it! Brightens the rooms and gives a clean, refreshed space. We used AB Drywall. In and out in less than a day and no mess to clean up.

[lindaelane]

I removed my own popcorn ceiling when I was a younger woman. It was so dirty, though it did not look that way - just looked off white but it became apparent how much dirt was in it. I'd love to have removal of this one in my budget. Maybe when SS starts.... (Why would anyone wear "clackity" heels indoors?)

[Debboguch50]

We had it our popcorn ceilings removed back in 2014. The house looks so much cleaner and no loose popcorn falling down. Also if the former owner smoked you can’t get that out of the existing ceiling!

[Carla B]

A few years ago we bought a fixer-upper in Fruitland Park. The first thing to come down was the popcorn ceiling. The former occupant(s) smoked. Even if they hadn't the popcorn ceiling would have been taken down. Just a matter of taste.

[airstreamingypsy]

Biggest mistake I made, regarding my house, was not knocking the popcorn ceiling down before I moved in. It would have been so simple when the house was empty. Get rid of it. It's ugly, no matter what anyone says, it's just ugly and you will regret leaving it. Have the ceiling skim coated after it's gone.

[rrb48310]

Biggest mistake I made, regarding my house, was not knocking the popcorn ceiling down before I moved in. It would have been so simple when the house was empty. Get rid of it. It's ugly, no matter what anyone says, it's just ugly and you will regret leaving it. Have the ceiling skim coated after it's gone.
I agree, on it being a mistake to not removing the popcorn ceiling before moving in. We bought a year ago had a kitchen pass thru opened put new granite countertops, flooring and painted. The costs were adding up so we decided not to remove the popcorn, now I have some “cracking” in places that looks like the paint is pealing. Mostly around new can lights installed, not sure if it’s from the original paint pealing from the stress from cutting and installing the can lights or something else. ACE hardware sells popcorn repair in a spray can, I’m going to attack that after company leaves. So after making a short story long, in hindsight I would’ve remove the popcorn and replaced it with a “knockdown” painted ceiling.

[Ronnieslager]

We rent a home here once a month each year. The home has tile floors and a flat ceiling. The echo drives us crazy. We spend all day having to repeat things to each other. Listening to the TV is almost impossible with the echo. Keep the popcorn ceiling.

[SouthJerseyGirl]

If it’s in decent shape, keep it. Ceilings are not a deal breaker if the rest of the house looks great!

[toeser]

When I saw this article, I had to look up to see what type of ceiling we had. It's popcorn.

One of our houses is for sale. It has a popcorn ceiling. Every other couple who goes through talks about it being "dated" in spite of the fact that every appliance is still being sold, the cabinets are nearly identical to some sold by Lowes, the carpet texture and colors are still in stores, etc. There are people chained to fads.

Our best offer came from a couple who loved the house just the way it is.

So there's your risk. Spend the money to remove the popcorn, and some buyer may wish you had popcorn for the noise reduction.

[Akmoorfamily]

Popcorn ceiling is not desirable and devalues a home when sold. Popcorn ceiling texture with asbestos was banned in 1977 so when was your house built? If before then you need to test for asbestos. Asbestos removal and permitting costs more.

I am not buying the worry that removing popcorn causes a big echo or noise problem, I removed it from a large duplex and replaced the carpet floors throughout with wood and it was not a noise problem. The house I have now is all wood and tile floors and sheetrock walls and ceilings and no noise problem.

A few years ago for a remodel I had a popcorn ceilings covered with thin white board (like panelling in 4 x 8 sheets) and then finished. I can't tell you exactly how they did it as I was not there for the work but it came out very very good.
Suggest talking to a reputable contractor who has done this work.

[Earlyriser]

I just bought a house in Belvedere. All the houses there have popcorn ceilings. Im wondering if it's worth it to get rid of them. Do the new houses in the Fenny/Desoto area come with popcorn ceilings? When I go to sell this house, I'm wondering if it will make my home competitive to the new homes. I also have not moved in much so now is the time to pull the trigger if I'm going to get rid of it. Anyone else remove the popcorn ceilings in an "older" area of TV? Was it worth it?

Yes, we had the popcorn removed. It looked so much nicer. We enjoyed it just for ourselves, but when we sold the house, it looked up to date, not "something we need to fix, and that'll cost money."

[ny2pa2fl]

When our house was manufactured in 2012 we needed the dining room light moved. It was covered under warranty . I asked the contractor who was sent to patch the ceiling about the textured ceilings and walls. He said that the reason was to hide all the imperfections (consequence of manufacturing the houses in 75 days). He mentioned without them you would see waves.

[retiredguy123]

When our house was manufactured in 2012 we needed the dining room light moved. It was covered under warranty . I asked the contractor who was sent to patch the ceiling about the textured ceilings and walls. He said that the reason was to hide all the imperfections (consequence of manufacturing the houses in 75 days). He mentioned without them you would see waves.
I worked in construction for over 30 years, and, in my opinion, the construction quality of the houses in The Villages is very high as compared to the norm. I moved here from a much more expensive house in Fairfax, Virginia, where the drywall was way more "wavy" than the houses here. It may be less expensive to provide textured walls and ceilings, but they could provide smooth ceilings if they wanted to. I think that people in the North tend to prefer smooth ceilings more than people in the South. It is an architectural preference.

[Fredster]

I worked in construction for over 30 years, and, in my opinion, the construction quality of the houses in The Villages very high as compared to the norm. I moved here from a much more expensive house in Fairfax, Virginia, where the drywall was way more "wavy" than the houses here. It may be less expensive to provide textured walls and ceilings, but they could provide smooth ceilings if they wanted to. I think that people in the North tend to prefer smooth ceilings more than people in the South. It is an architectural preference.

:agree:
Based on my fairly extensive experience with new home and existing home construction up north,
I feel the build quality of homes in TV is extremely good!
Quality control is key...some builders have it, and some don’t!

[Bobby99]

I bought a patio villa and took all the popcorn down. I wanted sleek ceilings but could not find anyone here to do it ,all they wanted was to put knock down. I ended up doing it myself and looks so nice and clean. I also put laminate bamboo floors in. In a villa I would do it again.

[nevjudbaker]

If I was looking to buy a home popcorn ceiling would be a big negative. Jyst saying.

[SunFunRed]

We did a complete remodel ourselves on our home which included removing walls and popcorn ceilings. We had a couple months before moving in so we didn’t have to live in the mess. We dry scraped the ceilings which still left a slight texture then painted. It came out fantastic very clean and sleek looking. I’m not buying the acoustic issue either. Our house is a totally open floor plan with wood floors...no echo here.

[Investment Painting Contractors]

We did a complete remodel ourselves on our home which included removing walls and popcorn ceilings. We had a couple months before moving in so we didn’t have to live in the mess. We dry scraped the ceilings which still left a slight texture then painted. It came out fantastic very clean and sleek looking. I’m not buying the acoustic issue either. Our house is a totally open floor plan with wood floors...no echo here.

Popcorn dates a house and turns off younger buyers. That said I also dry scraped my ceilings, removed 3 walls and installed 950 feet of oak engineered flooring. Our furniture is suede and micro fiber, no problem with sound. Len

[gpkk_2000]

We did. Love the fresh new look. 2 day process with one night out of house.

[george ford]

We were in the same position in Bonnybrook. Bought the house ,but had not moved in. I hated the popcorn and when it gets 15 to 20 years old it begins to flake off. It was the ideal time to remove it and enjoy the home. I didn’t want to do it just as we get ready to sell the home. If you decide to remove it I’d be glad to give you our painter’s contact info. & particulars. He was excellent, timely and did an excellent job Georgewalterford@gmail.com