Questions:
- What are some things I should definitely know?
- What will be behind my popcorn wall? (The original wall we put the popcorn over?)
- Since masks are out of stock because of the Covid19 virus. What should I use for respiratory protection?
- I know I must wet it to scrape it. Can I use a spray bottle?
- Will the fact that my popcorn walls are painted affect removal?
The wall was put on probably 90s/80s/2000s
It’s been through 4 generations of teen girls, my mom asked for it because a guy my grandpa knew was able to put them on. Popcorn walls are uncommon but they unfortunately exist
It was put in 1998/1999 my mom said. They said they put it over just a regular wall.
Here's what the walls look like:
Best Answer
As noted in the comments, you * NEED * to be positive that this isn't 70s vintage, because of the possibility of asbestos. If this was my house, I'd send a sample to a lab.
What's behind the wall depends on the vintage of the house itself. If it's post-50s, it's probably a manufactured board product like drywall. Prior to that, it's apt to be some kind of lath/plaster. Either way, you'll have some sort of a substrate to work from. Don't expect it to be in perfect shape after you've removed the texture -- you'll probably have to skim the whole thing. (This is where the comment about adding a new layer of thin drywall starts to look pretty good, though trim and electrical boxes need to figure into the calculation...)
Mask-wise, you should probably wait until you can procure a mask. This emergency isn't going to last forever in the way that you want your lungs to last forever.
When actually scraping, a spray bottle is probably the best option.
Paint layers on texture will make it much harder to scrape, as the moisture you're applying won't seep in as much. A sharp scraper will help, which usually means either a lot of blades, or the ability to quickly and easily sharpen them yourself throughout the day.