And when I say “it”, I mean popcorn ceiling debris, gallons and gallons of paint, and yummy hardwood floors just waiting to get out of their boxes! It’s renovation week in the new Dock house, and we are working our little tails off trying to get this place ready to move in ASAP! Exciting? Yes! Stressful? More than I ever fathomed. Worth it? Without a doubt.
The hilarious part is how we thought we could scrape off all of the super gross cottage cheese ceiling texture and repair/paint the ceilings ourselves, in like 2 or 3 days. Bwuahahahahahaha! Yeah, no.
We followed all of the advice and tips we could possibly get our hands on. We taped plastic sheets over everything, soaked those puppies up, and scraped scraped scraped. Then we looked at each other and said, “So, how fast can we get a professional in to do this?”
Don’t get me wrong. We’re DIYers all the way…hardwood floors, tile, custom cabinetry…I’ve soldered plumbing for a jetted tub with my own two hands, but this, THIS is a project not of this world. THIS. IS. HELLISH. Thank goodness a friend referred a contractor who was able to start the next day!
I have a new best friend. His name is Shop Vac.
Thanks to super dude with pro tools and some serious skills, and to Mr. Dock who was a kick-butt assistant, the cottage cheese is officially eliminated! AHHHHHHH!
[Enter: Chorus of angels singing]
Now time for some flooring! Is there anything as much fun as ripping out ugly 80s carpet? Maybe a few, but ripping out ugly carpet’s definitely up there on the list. Pulling up the tack strips and staples? Not so much.
And everybody’s getting involved. Painting this fireplace provided a VERY unique situation….we wanted it white, and we knew that the carpet would be ripped out and the walls would be painted, so there was literally nothing to be ruined. Couldn’t pass up letting the girls in on the fun so we all painted away.
Well, almost everyone. :) Some of us just bounced.
Can’t wait to share some exciting before and after pics with you! I have so many plans for it all….ah, too many plans maybe. Feeling overwhelmed. I can’t stop Pinteresting to save my life, and I want to do it all riiiiiight nooooow! ;) But at the end of a very long day, when my hair is caked with dust and paint, as the girls run and play in the sprinklers, laughing their heads off and having the time of their lives in a big, green, safe backyard, our backyard, I’m left with only one overwhelming feeling….gratitude.
Oh. My. Goodness. The scraping of the popcorn brought back so many memories. It was exactly as you described. Except our only choice was to persevere after taking on such a horrific task… which has resulted in my hating popcorn ceilings forevermore! Looks like a fun renovation, and your children are absolutely adorable… as helpers and cheering-you-on-bouncers!!
Ah, you’re a brave one! Wish we could have persevered alone, but I knew at that rate, we wouldn’t be able to move in for a month! Thankful for bountiful square footage, but what a nightmare when every single inch is popcorn! Eek! We’re aaaalmost done….just a couple more rooms to go. Glad to hear you survived a similar renovation! :)
I grew up in a house with that popcorn ceiling! I remember it so well!! I think it is so wonderful that the whole family is involved in the renovation. They will say to their friends that they helped paint this or that. How cool will that be?! Good luck in all your endeavors with this renovation! I am über excited to see the before and afters!! Beautiful family, BTW!! The twins are so big!! Where has the time gone!?
We moved into a house with that kind of disgusting deco about a month ago, and I have to say painting over the pink ceiling, scraping off woodchip and rancid 80’s wallpaper has been a pleasure, but absolutely exhausting- enjoy! :o)
oh my gosh, Amy where do you find the energy?
You have an amazing beautiful family, and you all seem very happy and determined to finish :) can’t wait to see the pics!!
oh que de travail
bon courage pour la suite
amitiés
Cécile
Amy, I’ve done the popcorn ceiling removal thing myself. Oh, it is a horrible job and like you, in the end, after finishing the cathedral ceiling in the living and dining areas, I called a contractor to come in and do the kitchen and family room. Took them less than a day to complete, paint and all. And that was on Christmas Eve!!. Thank goodness for professionals. I am at it again though and believe it or not, the ceiling in the room that is to become my studio was the easy part. 25 yr old ugly wallpaper? That is another story entirely. I wish you great success with your renovations, and believe me when I say, I feel your pain and your joy and most surely, your gratitude.
Wow! Everything looks great! I am glad you are having fun with it. Congrat! Blessing to you and the family.
Oh…I’ve been waiting for pictures! CONGRATULATIONS! The house looks beautiful and I know with your perfect finishing touches it will be a big WOW! And of course my heart sings when I read how grateful you are!! I’m so happy for you and yours!
Hmmm. My two sons and I removed about 2000′ square feet of pop corn ceiling painlessly in a couple of hours. I’m a little late with this advise, but for others considering it, it really is doable if you have help. It really is not hard. Use a garden type sprayer to wet about a 6’x6′ area,(forget a spray bottle…you will kill your hands. Wait about 10 minutes (important!), then use a LARGE flat blade (about 12″ that a wallpaper installer uses), and run the blade between the pop-corn and ceiling, it will come off in sheets. Have blade in one hand, and plastic garbage can lid in the other to catch the falling ceiling, and empty in large trash can as you go. Very little mess to clean up when you are done! Rotate jobs (spraying, removing).between your help to avert “arm over head fatigue”. The key is getting the ceiling wet enough, and waiting long enough before you start removing. If you have to “scrape”, wet more, or wait longer. Once you get the hang of it, it will almost fall off by itself. No kidding.
I know exactly how you feel about the popcorn ceiling. We bought a house a few yrs back and had a crew lined up to remove it once we closed on the house. We also had the ceilings painted so it took a wk which was okay because our household goods had not arrived. To this day we are still doing projects to update the home from the 80’s. Your home looks lovely and can’t wait to see pics. I know you’ll be so happy to be moved in and settled down.
What a mess! I am so glad you got someone in to finish it up. We are DIYers too, but I think popcorn ceilings are definitely too much for us. Just because the mess and work involved. Congrats on the new house and enjoy making it yours!
What a great and exciting adventure Amy! I just love ripping out old carpeting and painting it is such rewarding work! I can not wait to see the results of your hard work. It is always so satisfying to see the finished results. Have fun!
mtsuz
My husband, Chip and I always learn the hard way. We took down our popcorn ceiling in the kitchen and bathroom. it too was a mess. We looked at the cathedral ceiling in our great room and said No Way! So we are hiring a professional to come in and do it. We just laughed and laughed after reading your post. Thanks for making my day. Love the new house. It is beautiful.
I just love renovations so I can’t wait to see this project come together. How blessed you are to be able to share in the work and then the final result is so worth it.
Thanks for sharing your adventures! The new Dock house (he-he) looks wonderful. I share your overload of Pinterest, I’m looking at my cottage-cheese ceilings in my apt that will (sadly) never go-away, and I’m so excited to hear and see all the new house adventures your family will be experiencing. The family looks great!
Congrats on the new house! That’s where we were 1.5 years ago! (But with only 1 kid!)
Love the bouncers the boys hang out in – I’ll need the same setup in a few months! haha
Sometimes one has to give in gracefully and call in the pros – much as there’s some things I know I could do, my time is worth more than the cost for someone else to do it!
I don’t know how you do it all with a hubby and 4 kids to take care of. It will be beautiful when all complete and able to move in. Enjoy it all!
Wow! What a fabulous house – and I just know you’ll make it a special home in no time at all. Hang in there. :-)
Once again, I just don’t see how you do it. It boggles my mind. There is almost nothing as exciting as moving into and fixing up a new/old house. You will note I qualified that with almost, (maybe giving birth to twins ranks higher). LOL So excited for you.
I don’t know what they (the constructors) were thinking when invented that horrible popcorn ceiling! My house has it in the first floor and I hate it, but never had thought in remove it… now I’m thinking about it!
Your new home promises to be wonderful, a great place for your babies’ growth, and I’m sure they never forget these fabulous and funny moments together. Blessings to all of you!
Amy with that much dust you might consider having your vents vacuumed too. (by a professional duct cleaning service). just a.thought.
Oh my! It’s looking better already! I’m looking forward to more photos.
Really love your posts, Amy, You always leave me smiling! Go for it!!!
I am so happy for your new home may you have many long happy years.
Amy, So happy to share your joy . Can’t wait to see more pics. Have fun!!!
Karen
Now I’m relieved that I never have attempted to strip my textured ceilings – I think maybe ill just learn to love them…
How nice your girls were to help with the painting! Love the picture of the little bouncers!
I purchased one of your pdf patterns and was thinking I would be able to get it right away, I have no idea how I get this pattern. Your email me link does not work for me and I do not see your email listed anywhere. Please let me know how do download this pattern.
Oh goodness sakes, we just did a major remodel also! Ours began a year ago, however, and we are still at it. Totally understand about the popcorn ceiling, did that! What a mess! But what a blessing when done! But, new kitchen, windows, hardwood and carpet flooring, tile, siding, gutters & downspouts, the list is endless, isn’t it?! Once you get started you can’t stop! We both laughed at your first comment about the renovation “week”! Kudos to you if you did that in a week! I can’t wait to see more updates on your projects! Good luck with all your choices. Remember, haste makes waste. So slow down and do it right the first time! Teri
Thank you for the updates….you do make me laugh! Congrats on the new house and good luck with the reno. I’ve been in my new (old) house nearly 4 years and I’m still at it – though in fairness I’m now re-doing rooms I’ve already done once as I do have a tendency to get bored……
Is doing renovations contagious? We are doing siding and new windows on all 3 levels of the house and EVERYTHING has to be gone through from top to bottom!! My DH’s grandmother’s 2 wringer washers will actually be making their way out of the basement!! Dirty job, but we are finding things that haven’t seen the light of day for decades and so much is heading to the dumpster and Salvation Army…nice feeling! You are incredible to do it with 4 little kiddos!!! The youngest here turn 21 in August – I was not as brave as you!
Popcorn ceilings are so terrible! I just don’t like them either. LOL It’s a good idea to bring in professional help!
A beautiful home, Amy. Enjoy making it YOURS…even when the “making it” part sucks. :)
Wow, first photo of you (and the family, but especially you) is lovely. Those ceilings sound horrific, good call bringing someone in to help. The last photo of the twins is so adorable.
Oh my! Will definitely use this as evidence to convince my husband that we will NOT do this ever! haha :-) I am sure it is all going to look amazing when you finish!
Amy, I have really enjoyed you blog and where I first caugh on to you at craftsy BOM… I have a story that being a mother of twins you could have a laugh at about popcorn ceilings. In 95 we were doing just the same thing with our ceilings. Our twins, the oldest of 5 kids. David and Greg were 19 and wondering why we were fixing up the house just as they almost ready to move out? So I had to be a little creative to get their help… we had the big floor scrapler. I said hey David how far can you scrape the ceiling? Hey Greg can you go farther than half way (about 10 feet) as David did? Before we knew it they were all the way to the fireplace, in one swoop! It took about 30 minutes to scrape the livingroom ceiling!
Amy, your family is adorable. We lived with popcorn ceilings for over 25 years as this was the style of the era. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 decided to do some remodeling on the house and I lived without a kitchen for over a year before we decided to tear down the house and rebuild. That was another nightmare, but the popcorn ceilings are gone!! Good luck to you with the renovations.