Popcorn Ceiling Repair

How to Make a Popcorn Ceiling Patch

By Mark J. Donovan

Recently I began to notice in our bathroom a small patch of popcorn ceiling material falling away from the drywall ceiling. At first, the spot was only about 1 inch in diameter. However within a couple of weeks it increased to 2 to 3 inches in diameter. I wasn’t sure what the cause was due to the fact that there was no apparent water stain on or near the affected area. I went up into the attic to make sure there was indeed no water related issues that was causing the popcorn ceiling to pull away from the drywall. Again, I saw no telltale water signs that could indicate it was the source of my problem. In the end I chalked up the problem due to simply age. The home is nearly 23 years old and a bathroom has higher than normal moisture levels in it. Consequently I began figuring out my best solution for doing a popcorn ceiling repair.

There is a number of popcorn ceiling products on the market today that you can choose from to do small popcorn ceiling repairs. Normally I’ve used a simple tub of pre-mixed popcorn ceiling mixture and spread it using a small putty knife. Usually you can find pre-mixed popcorn ceiling mixture in various texture thicknesses, so you can typically find one that matches any popcorn ceiling texture.

For this popcorn ceiling repair project, however, I decided to try a spray on popcorn ceiling repair product. In a nutshell I was not happy with it. It sprayed all over the place and made quite the mess, even though I had placed a large sheet of cardboard under the affected area. In addition, it did not create a popcorn ceiling texture that resembled the existing ceiling. Consequently I ended up scraping it off and resorting to the tried and tested tub of pre-mixed popcorn ceiling mixture. I applied it with a 3 inch wide drywall taping knife. After 24 hours it dried to a white color that matched the ceiling color exactly. The patch is slightly noticeable due to a slight difference in texture appearance, however it is a far cry from looking up and seeing bare drywall.

When doing a popcorn ceiling repair project make sure to first scrape away the loose popcorn ceiling using a putty knife. If you do not do this you’ll end up with a bigger mess. As you attempt to apply the popcorn ceiling repair product you’ll wind up pulling off the existing loose popcorn ceiling material. Also, many of the popcorn ceiling repair products suggest priming the drywall area after removing the old popcorn ceiling mixture. I’ve not done this and have never had an issue with the repair popcorn ceiling mixture sticking to the drywall.