How to Remove Ceiling Texture With a Machine

Test the ceiling texture for asbestos by chipping off a small piece of your ceiling texture and taking it to an asbestos specialist. If the ceiling texture contains asbestos, you will need to hire a company specializing in asbestos removal for the job.

Remove all the furniture and furnishings from the room. Cover the floor with drop cloths and place a plastic or cloth curtain over the door to create an “airlock” to prevent dust from escaping into your house. If you are using plastic drop cloths, lay newspaper or old sheets on top to absorb some of the water and reduce the chances of slipping.

Cover the walls by taping plastic drop cloths over them. If the ceiling goo gets on the walls, it can damage the paint or wallpaper and can be difficult to remove.

Wear old clothes, protective goggles or other protective eyewear and an old hat. You should also wear a respirator to keep any dust from getting into your lungs.

Use a tank sprayer machine to apply a mixture of liquid detergent and water to the ceiling. The mixture should be made up of 1 part detergent to about 50 parts water. If your ceiling texture has been painted, you will need to add a wetting agent to the water. This will penetrate the paint and allow it absorb the water.

Wait for between 15 and 20 minutes for the water to penetrate the texture.

Use putty or wallboard taping knives to scrape off the wet ceiling texture. Allow the goo to fall onto the drop cloths.

Wipe any remaining texture residue off with wet rags. You may need to repeat the spraying and scraping if there is a very thick layer of texture on the ceiling.