We frequently receive requests asking if stucco (sometimes called popcorn) texture can be removed. Our answer is YES! CAM Painters has the tools and the experience to make your textured ceiling flat.

Let me take you through the process step by step

1. The stucco texture has to be sanded down as much as possible. Is this messy? Without the right tools it can be very messy. We , however, have a Festool dust extraction system which greatly minimizes the mess. It’s basically a high-tech power sander attached to a powerful HEPA filter vacuum cleaner. 90% of the dust is sucked into the vacuum canister before it has a chance to float around in the air and settle on your floor. This is one of the greatest cordless vacuum cleaners at busting the dust. This is amazing because it means that you don’t have to waste as much time hoovering up all of the scattered dust afterwards and is much smaller than an industrial system such as the ones avaliable at Integrated Air Systems. Here it is in action:
2. We then have to do 1 or 2 skim coats of plaster, depending on how smooth the ceiling is after the stucco removal.
3. We then have to sand our skim coats smooth.
4. Then we prime and make sure that there are no bubbles or other minor flaws in the skim coats. If we find any flaws we touch these up.
5. We apply 2 coats of high quality ceiling paint!

There you have it, that’s the process from start to finish.

A couple of other questions I get asked:

Does it matter if the stucco is painted vs. unpainted?

Yes, it does. Unpainted stucco is much easier to remove. The surface hasn’t been sealed and it comes off much quicker than painted stucco.

Painted stucco, on the other hand, requires a little more time and effort, but we can remove it, just the same.

I’ve heard that unpainted stucco can just be sprayed with water and scraped off, is this correct?

Yes it can. Unpainted stucco becomes very soft when misted with water and can be scraped off with a putty knife. Why don’t we do this? Two reasons:

• Wet stucco makes a huge mess. We have a dust extraction system that sucks 90% of the dust into a vacuum cannister before it even has a chance to hit the floor, which means less mess.
• If too much water is used it can damage the seams in the drywall making additional repairs necessary.

If you hate your stucco ceiling and want to make it smooth and flat schedule an estimate now and have CAM Painters Transform your home with lasting beauty!