Vintage style is cool. The 1970’s offered some really great design features that we really love. Except for the ceilings. You know the ones we are referring to here. The textured kind aka “popcorn” ceilings. These ceilings were all the rage in the 70’s for their ability to hide imperfections and their acoustic properties. They did however lose some of their popularity when it was discovered that the material used to create these affects contained asbestos. Then of course style came in to play…

One of the first things to be added to our renovation list was the ceilings. Our new office didn’t exactly have popcorn ceilings. This went a step further and added fancy swirls that even had a few sharp edges. Not exactly what we are looking for in a fresh modern space.

We had some choices to make.

1. We could completely tear the ceilings out and start fresh with all new drywall. This would be a good option since the heavy bulk heads were next on the chopping block so going the step further and completely removing the ceiling wouldn’t be that much more work.

or

2. Scrap down all of the swirly stuff and smooth the existing drywall.

Each side had it’s positives and negatives.

Choice #1 would allow us opportunity to reposition light fixtures and add more or less if we wanted to. It would also save a lot of work fixing any imperfections scraping the stucco off may cause. HUGE downside though… this is now considered a major renovation and we would have some extra hurdles to cross in terms of fire codes and sound proofing regulations. What is already there has already been inspected. So therefore is just cosmetic.

Choice #2, although has some unknown variables like what kind of damage the scraping could reveal or even cause and of course the concern of asbestos, seemed like the better option.

So we took choice number 2 and the scraping began! Once the heavy bulk heads and crown molding was removed it was a straight shot of scraping down to the original flat dry wall.

Once we had committed to this project we had to see it through. We did hit some snags but they were different from what we expected believe it or not. Yes, the act of scraping did damage some of the drywall underneath but not so bad that it couldn’t be easily repaired. What was most concerning about the damage caused was the time it would take to fix the imperfections to make them perfect. Being on a time crunch we had to make another decision.

Knowing we would never opt for popcorn ceilings again we had to find a solution that could hide some imperfections and be applied easily.

Orange peel ceilings were the inevitable choice. Like textured or popcorn ceilings orange peel is applied with a sprayer and offers texture that hides blemishes. The have the texture of an orange peel with a bumpy surface that is smooth looking. This style is increasingly popular in newer construction homes and has a modern feel to it.

Not our number one choice, which would be flat and white but this would fit in to our budget and timeline so we just couldn’t say no.

We had a sigh of relief as the ceilings were finished only to hit one more snag… Yellow stains! And we’re not talking about water stains. After the ceilings were sprayed and painted as they began to dry a prominent yellow stain began to appear. In two particular spots. Where the desks were sitting when we first purchased the unit. We did all the investigating that we could and confirmed it was not water stains. The only other reason was nicotine.

This is reason #2 (first being you will die) why you DO NOT SMOKE INDOORS! The nicotine soaked through the heavy stucco material and withstood scraping, painting (twice) and new textured material. That’s just crazy!

We resolved the issue by using a KILLZ solution and repainting the surface a few more times.

Let’s just say that we are very happy with the result. Removing the bulk heads, dropped ceilings and smoothing the ceilings surface has made the unit feel almost double the size. It’s bright and inviting. Like a totally different space.

NEXT UP: Walls, Flooring and Design!!!

Have you ever had an experience with textured ceilings or have any tips or advice with dealing with any of these renovation concerns? Share them with us!