Acoustic ceilings, or popcorn ceilings, were incredibly popular in new construction during the 1970s and 1980s. Originally, acoustic material often contained asbestos; today, acoustic material contains little Styrofoam or synthetic balls the size of bee-bees, which make the identical influence on the ground. Acoustic is available in 50-pound sacks of powdered material, and must be combined with water or paint. Some professionals mix the acoustic material directly with the interior paint for the ceiling; that practice, however, can result in hairline fractures at the finished ceiling. The preferred method is to blend the texture with water, spray it on the ceiling and, once it has dried completely, apply at least two thin layers of paint above the dried texture with a paint sprayer.
Room Planning
Planning for new construction is very easy. Use plastic sheeting and masking tape to guard the walls and windows from overspray. You do not have to be worried about protecting the sub-floor from overspray. If you’re remodeling, then the room planning is much more intensive. Remove as much furniture as you can from the space. Protect each one of the rest of the furniture and the flooring in the room with drop cloths. Use masking tape and plastic sheeting to protect all vertical surfaces. Keep in mind, all exposed areas will get splatter in the spraying process. Cover any open or doors hallways with a vertical sheet of vinyl to prevent overspray from impacting those areas.
Ceiling Preparation
For the best possible texture adhesion, consistently clean the surface of the ceiling with a damp clean cloth, and prime the ceiling with a drywall primer. Cleaning the ceiling eliminates dust particles that can prevent strong adhesion between the new texture and the ceiling surface. Painting the ceiling with a primer coat will prevent staining, provide a clean uniform end and protect against future loss of adhesion on sanded, taped joints. Allow the primer coat to fully dry prior to applying the acoustic texture.
Acoustic Texture Blending
Acoustic texture comes in 50-pound bags of powdered mix. Mix the texture with either water or paint, using a electric paint mixer. Whichever method you choose, the consistency of this texture liquid after mixing should resemble lumpy pancake batter. Totally mix the acoustic powder to prevent spraying lumps of dry material on the ceiling. Dry material lumps will mar the end, and possibly lead to loose acoustic texture once it dries.
Acoustic Texture Application
Apply the acoustic texture to the ground with a air compressor and a texture hopper spray rig. In case you haven’t ever done this before, practice with the gear on scrap plywood or scrap drywall before you begin on the ground. Adjust the air pressure during the spray gun to detect the proper pressure setting. Ideally, you need to spray two or three light coats of texture evenly over the entire ceiling, rather than a single heavy coat. The heavier the coat, the greater the probability of creating areas of clumping, or areas where material falls off the ceiling before it dries, on account of the weight of their coat.
Painting Strategies for Acoustic Ceilings
If you didn’t add paint into the acoustic mixture, you’ll want to paint the ceiling with a interior finish coat. Confirm that the new acoustic is completely dry before you paint it. Unless you’re experienced at painting acoustic texture, do not attempt to roll on the paint with a paint roller. Instead, use an airless paint sprayer to gently coat the texture. Apply at least two thin layers of paint into the new texture, allowing each coat to completely dry prior to applying another coat. Don’t paint the new texture with heavy coats of paint, rather than backroll a freshly sprayed ceiling with a paint roller.