Baby on the Way? Why You Must Remove That Popcorn Ceiling Now

Baby on the Way? Why You Must Remove That Popcorn Ceiling Now

Few things are more thrilling for a family than the excitement of having a baby on the way. No doubt you have a checklist of steps to take to make your home as welcoming and safe as possible for your bundle of joy. As you get the nursery ready, make sure you’re not leaving a serious health risk in place.

How Popcorn Ceilings Can Be Dangerous

Asbestos and Lead Paint in Popcorn Ceilings

Many popcorn ceilings were applied decades ago, before there were health regulations against the use of asbestos and lead-based paints. Depending on the age of your home, these harmful materials could be hiding in plain sight in your baby’s nursery.

Lead paint and asbestos restrictions began in 1978, so many homes, apartments, and condominiums built before that are likely still posing health risks. Here’s what to do if you suspect lead paint or paint with asbestos was used in your home:

  • Test the surface: Choosing interior painting services that include lead paint/asbestos testing and removal means you’re maximizing accuracy of this testing and minimizing additional health risks that come with removal.
  • Remove contaminated paint: Complete popcorn ceiling removal is an essential next step. You don’t want any trace of harmful chemicals in the room where your baby will be sleeping.
  • Repaint ceilings: Ceiling painting after popcorn ceiling removal is a good choice for aesthetics. And professional-grade interior paints protect against moisture damage and other issues that could degrade the structural integrity of your nursery ceilings.

Non-Toxic Popcorn Ceilings are Still Risky

Even if your tests for asbestos and lead paint come back negative, popcorn ceilings can still be problematic for homes with babies and young children:

  • Contamination: Popcorn ceilings trap dust, dirt, and debris in their textured surface, so those contaminants are accumulating above where your baby sleeps and plays as long as it stays intact. Removing popcorn ceilings completely is an important step toward greater cleanliness in your nursery.
  • Ceiling damage: No one wants damaged ceilings above where their baby is sleeping. Keeping them structurally sound prevents deterioration, moisture intrusion, pest intrusion, cracks, and holes. Popcorn ceilings make knowing the true condition of ceiling surfaces more difficult because they camouflage surface imperfections.

Popcorn ceiling removal gives greater peace of mind. Plus, painting popcorn is extremely difficult. Due to the texturing, it takes a lot of paint, and a lot of finicky techniques, to get the surface covered.

The majority of people, including interior designers, professional painters, and potential homebuyers believe it’s more appealing to have a smooth ceiling surface. So you’re making a good investment in the value of your home by removing popcorn ceilings, even if the room isn’t used as a nursery or child’s room long term.

Our Complete “Popcorn” Removal Process

Getting this project done as soon as possible before your baby arrives will make it a lot easier and more streamlined. Here’s what you can expect:

  • Room prep: Once everything that can be removed from the room is cleared out, remaining surfaces are covered, lighting fixtures taken off, and electrical components protected with additional covering
  • Ceiling soaking: Soaking popcorn ceilings thoroughly before beginning removal is a must. Scraping before soaking only adds to surface damage and imperfections. We soak the ceiling completely to break down the texturing compound and adhesives, so it’s easier to remove when it’s time to scrape.
  • Ceiling scraping: Wide-blade scraping tools are used first to cover a larger portion of the ceiling. Areas where texturing is stuck on are re-soaked and re-scraped until the popcorn texture comes off. We’ll use a putty knife or similar small scraping tool to get small areas, corners, and hard-to-reach places.

After removing popcorn ceilings from your nursery, we hammer and seal in any exposed nails to get it ready for surface prep and ceiling painting. Our team will clean the debris after popcorn ceiling removal so your nursery will be ready for the finishing touches.

Safe Popcorn Ceiling Testing and Removal

You have enough to worry about when it comes to getting the nursery ready and child-proofing your home for a new baby. Let us take care of the popcorn ceilings. TRICO PAINTING offers professional popcorn ceiling removal as part of our complete line of interior painting services. We are qualified for both asbestos testing and lead paint testing, so you don’t have to do any “DIY testing,” which could be putting you at additional risk.

We remove acoustic ceiling texturing completely, make sure the surface is smooth and intact, and customize ceiling painting to your nursery color scheme.

Get rid of those outdated, potentially unsafe popcorn ceilings for the health of your growing family. Call TRICO PAINTING for your interior painting estimate today and leave the stressful stuff to us!