Over the years I have run into quite a few jobs where the popcorn, after patching and respraying, discolored once it was dry. Also, a dirty yellowish color sometimes appears where the acoustical ceiling material was applied too heavily, especially where the new material overlaps existing popcorn. In cases like this, it's best to scrape the overlapping area (provided the ceiling doesn't contain asbestos) and respray it with new acoustical ceiling material.

I have discovered, though, that white pigment shellac covers discolorations and prevents future bleed-through. After it dries, you can then paint the ceiling with your choice of color. On some ceilings the shellac may blend with the color of the ceiling so you might not have to paint the entire ceiling.

If you are considering a home improvement project and asbestos is—or may be—a factor, e.g., patching or removing a popcorn ceiling, I encourage you to read all the Q&As here carefully, check out all the links to read what others have to offer, and consult your local/regional/state air quality authorities about the applicable regulations before you begin the project.

Asbestos abatement has stringent requirements. When you finish your research, you may decide to turn it over to the pros, something I heartily recommend.

I've been in the construction field for over 25 years and wish I'd known then what I know now about asbestos. I would not have tackled a lot of projects because of the asbestos content of so many building products.

If you're addressing asbestos in your home, e.g., you want to remove your popcorn ceiling, I recommend that you purchase my informative 10-page article, Asbestos In Popcorn Ceilings.

In addition to a thorough discussion of the potential asbestos risk presented by popcorn ceilings, the article includes information about asbestos abatement procedures as well as links to government and state agencies where you can get more information, locate state-certified professional asbestos contractors for removal, and find other documents that address removing the asbestos yourself.

As an added bonus, Patching a Popcorn Ceiling has been added to Asbestos In Popcorn Ceilings to help those who need to make repairs to their ceilings. The process is about the same whether the ceiling contains asbestos or not; however, for your own peace of mind, you still need to determine if your ceiling contains asbestos, and the article describes procedures to follow to safely take a sample for testing.

Don't forget—before starting this project get your informative 10-page PDF article titled Asbestos In Popcorn Ceilings and Patching a Popcorn Ceiling. To order your downloadable .pdf printable copy, click here or click the purchase button to the left!

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C.R.S., Inc. · Spokane, Washington · USA