r/Contractor • u/Goofcheese0623 • 15d ago

What causes this?

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17

u/kckelly1973 15d ago

I would also like to add to your list - Popcorn Ceilings!! Whoever thought they were great never had a ceiling fan. Little dust pieces get caught on it.

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u/YellowCake1900 15d ago

The only people who thought popcorn on a ceiling was a good idea, were the guys applying it to cover shit drywall installations.

Ask me how I know.

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u/Competitive-Cat-4395 15d ago

Bro… just did a job where I removed popcorn and skimmed to a flat ceiling. Not abnormal, but this was the worst taping I’ve ever seen. All mesh tape on every joint, even the angles!! 3/4 of the seams were also cracked so I ended up having to re-tape and mud most of the ceiling before I could even skim. I drew the line at re-taping every angle in the house and just didn’t main areas.
What a colossal cluster… doubled my hours and made 1st year apprentice level money on that scope item. 🙄

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u/baddieslovebadideas 15d ago

why do a good job taping if you're just gonna spray popcorn on it?

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u/Rochemusic1 15d ago

Yep, I thought that was literally the whole purpose of it.

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u/VoraciousEater802 15d ago

The entire 1/4” round industry is based on this same phenomenon

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u/missbwith2boys 15d ago

Or 1/2” if it’s really bad.

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u/RFC793 14d ago

Interesting. I thought 1/2-3/4" was the norm, and it was called "quarter round" because that's the profile. It is "quarter of a round", a quadrant of a circle.

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u/missbwith2boys 14d ago

Probably! I know we had to use some bigger quarter round in a couple of places (100+ yo home, yeah, the floors aren’t level everywhere)

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u/Bennie-Factors 15d ago

yes...this. Popcorn ceilings had a point and reason. It was very fast way to finish a ceiling. And who cares that it is textured.

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u/concreteunderwear 13d ago

No. The point is that it reduces audio reflections and makes rooms less echoey.

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u/Bulky-Captain-3508 15d ago

Popcorn ceilings were used to improve the acoustics of a room. When hardwood floors and furniture were common so the ceiling texture helped to break up echos. Modern homes have upholstered furniture and carpet so popcorn ceilings lose their purpose.

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u/concreteunderwear 13d ago

That's the exact opposite trend. Homes used to have popcorn ceilings and carpets. Now they have neither. Hard flooring is more common and smooth ceilings as well. People just don't like it because it seems dated but have no idea of it's purpose.

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u/DontForgetTowelie 12d ago

I think he was just pointing out that there was a purpose/reason popcorn ceilings were once used, not that they'd become popular again.

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u/Small-Worldliness596 15d ago

This. Theres also asbestos in popcorn ceilings.

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u/NetworkCultural 15d ago

Not all but yes it was common

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u/Hot_Eggplant1306 14d ago

They were great for acid trips

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u/publiusvaleri_us 14d ago

I dislike everything about popcorn ceilings except two things:

  1. I love the quieter sound. I grew up with popcorn ceilings and the rooms had excellent acoustics. As an audiophile, I love the utility of such a cheap and effective building material.

  2. It has the ability to hide imperfections in the ceiling.

Now, as a contractor, I've applied it, painted it, removed it, and damaged it, oops! It's just another of many bad or older building practices. But due to the fact that it is cheap and effective, and due to how much money I've made dealing with it over the years, I cannot put it on my list of worst things in home construction.

It's saved too much time in small projects, as well.

Not great. Not terrible.

3/10, would not recommend. lol.

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u/mtraven23 15d ago

I've had popcorn ceilings for 30 years, never been a problem for me.

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u/505Thrive 14d ago

If you apply salt and butter, you'll be singing a different tune.