How to Cover a Popcorn Ceiling

How to Cover Popcorn Ceiling

It’s time for that ugly popcorn ceiling to go, and you may be looking for solutions that won’t involve messy scraping. Instead of scraping, consider other alternatives for covering a popcorn ceiling. An easy, affordable, and fast option to cover a popcorn ceiling involves decorative Styrofoam ceiling tiles. This installation process is not complicated, but learning how to cover popcorn ceiling textures can help you avoid frustrating mistakes.

Before and After Pictures of a Covered Popcorn Ceiling

Before shot of a kitchen with dark oak cabinets and popcorn ceiling.

After image of a kitchen by bella tucker. Paitned cabinets, new ceiling lighting fixtures.

BUY R74 Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles

Living and Dining with Styrofoam Ceiling Tile R24

Living and Dining with Styrofoam Ceiling Tile R24 Before and After

BUY R24 Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles

Bedroom with Styrofoam Ceiling Tile R11 Before and After

BUY R11 Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles

Living and Dining with Styrofoam Ceiling Tile R103

Living and Dining with Styrofoam Ceiling Tile R103 Before and After

BUY R103 Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles

Bedroom with Styrofoam Ceiling Tile R47 Before and After

BUY R47 Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles

Important Details to Consider Before Installation

If your house was built prior to 1970, your popcorn ceiling may contain asbestos. Commercial popcorn ceilings from this time typically contained asbestos, so any house from this period with a popcorn ceiling likely contains the contaminant. Paint stores stock kits for detecting asbestos in homes. If you find that your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos, hire a professional to remove it.
Popcorn ceilings can be unstable. An unstable popcorn ceiling would be unable to support and hold ceiling tiles in place. To determine whether your popcorn ceiling is strong enough to hold ceiling tiles, press on it firmly with a finger. If the ceiling crumbles and falls apart, you will need to remove it instead of covering it. Popcorn ceiling surfaces that do not crumble at your touch should be strong enough to cover.

Calculate the Number of 20 x 20 Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles You Will Need

Before you shop online for ceiling tiles, calculate the number of tiles you will need to buy for your home. The calculation involves figuring the area of the room by multiplying the length by the width. For example, if your room is 12 feet by 14 feet, the square footage would be 168.

Enter the square footage into this project calculator and press “calculate.”

Ceiling / Wall Tile Project Estimator

In this example, we are calculating tiles for a 12-x-14-foot room. We have entered 168 into the calculator tool. The tool calculates that we would need 72 tiles for the project with an extra 15 percent built into the number as overage in case of error.

After confirming that your popcorn ceiling is stable and calculating the number of tiles you will need, you are ready to cover the popcorn ceiling. View the video below to learn how to cover up popcorn ceiling surfaces. The video explains the process step by step and also lists the tools you will need. Although the video does not show covering a popcorn ceiling, all important details are explained above and the installation process is basically identical.