Pro Handyman Blog

If you have a house that has the acoustical texture (aka popcorn texture or cottage cheese) on your drywall ceiling, you know what a pain it can be if you get a stain on the ceiling. A lot of older houses have this texture and it is repaired differently that typical orange peel or knock down texture.

When you get a leak on your popcorn-textured ceiling, sometimes the texture will peel off of the drywall and sometimes it will stay but turn brown. It will look as if someone spilled coffee on your ceiling. Assuming it was just a one-time leak, the area will be dry but unsightly, but make sure the source of the leak was fixed before you start repairing the ceiling as you only want to do this repair one time.

If the popcorn texture is still on the ceiling but you have a stain, try sealing the stain with Kilz or some type of stain sealer. Use a spray can rather than rolling or brushing it on the surface as popcorn has a tendency to fall off of the ceiling when disturbed. You can spray on a few coats after each has dried and then paint it to match, or paint the entire ceiling.

If you have popcorn texture that has fallen from the ceiling, you can seal the area and use a spray can product to patch the area. You can buy popcorn texture in a can. One such product is called “Up Shot” and you hold the can away from the ceiling and squeeze the trigger in short bursts as you move the can. It’s a good idea to go light on the trigger as you don’t want to make a stalactite on your ceiling. Once you have a good blended patch, you can paint it after it dries.

Drywall joint compound (known as “mud” in the trades) sands very easily. With the right tools and know-how, you can do a professional looking job.

Many people use heavy grit sandpaper to chew off the compound, while working the sandpaper with lots of pressure. This gets rid of compound fast, but leaves a nasty surface to finish. The heavy grit sandpaper will leave scratches and gouges, while excessive pressure will scuff the paper face on the drywall.

Try buying a drywall hand sander and some 120-150 grit sandpaper for it. The tool looks like a trowel and has a big surface to keep the finish level. It has a fat handle and some clamps to hold the paper as you work.

While you’re at it, buy a dust mask and some goggles to keep the dust out of your eyes and nose.

Assuming you have floated out the compound enough (the more you float it out, typically the less noticeable it will be.

Load the paper into the sander by clamping one side and wrapping the paper so it is taut on the sanding surface, then clamp the other side. This is important, because if there is play in the paper, you won’t have as much control over the sanding motion.

Hold the sander at a slight angle and use long uniform motions. Don’t hold the sander perfectly vertical or horizontal, but somewhere in between. The goal here is to blend in the surface so after it’s painted, you won’t be able to tell where the joints are.

For inside corners, use a sanding sponge with a tapered edge. If you try to use the hand sander here, you will gouge the opposite side and create more work, so sand within a few inches and then go to the sanding sponge. One edge of the sponge tapers to a sharp point which is perfect for finishing the corner. The grit of the sponge should be fine, so just run the sponge vertically on both sides of the corner until clean.

Unfortunately, you will have gouges and depressions in the surface, and many people try to sand these flaws out. Instead, just add another thin layer or two of joint compound. Use a 6-inch taping knife and scoop just a tiny amount of compound on its edge, then run it along the flaw. You can hit it with the sandpaper later.

Finally, you can use a hand-held work light and hold it against the wall so that its light shines along the wall. The light will cast shadows on your work and let you know which areas need more filling and sanding.

If you have a drywall stain on your ceiling, don’t just assume it is a roof leak. You need to climb up into the attic and snoop around. It certainly may be a roof leak, but during the summer months, particularly when it is humid, check out the air conditioner.

Particularly when it’s humid, the central air conditioner will condense and drip into a pan (just think of a cold glass of iced tea sweating on your coffee table). As the pan fills with water, the water level will rise and the water will be carried off by the condensation drain. There is a primary and secondary drain in case the primary becomes clogged. If the drain lines are clogged, the pan will back up and overflow onto the insulation and ultimately the ceiling drywall.

The first thing to check would be the pan itself. These have the tendency to rust out and leak. If this is the case, an a/c company can try to seal the pan or replace it altogether. If the pan appears to be clean and in good shape, look at the condensation lines. It may be that that the condensation line(s) are clogged with debris. These lines run to the exterior of the house and are usually cleared using compressed air/gas. I’ve seen where just the opening of the drain lines are clogged with attic insulation, so you may get lucky and be able to clear the debris quickly.

When it comes time to remove drywall anchors, it is a pain. Maybe you are moving and have to take down all of your pictures, shelving, or whatever led you to install the anchors, but now you have the chore of making them disappear.

Depending on the drywall anchor, there are several options of removing them. After you remove them, you are going to be left with a small hole to repair. Smaller anchors come out easier and leave a smaller hole to fill. The small plastic anchors can generally be pulled out of the wall without much fuss. Use needle nose pliers and grab one side of the anchor or grab the entire anchor and collapse it. You may need to use a slight rocking motion to get it out. After you remove it, you can use a utility knife and slice off any torn edges around the hole and fill it with spackle or joint compound, and then touch it up with paint, if necessary.

For screw-in anchors, like the EZ anchor, you can unscrew them and repair the wall as above.

For larger wall anchors, usually your best option is to push the anchor into the wall. You can get it loose and then use a screwdriver and tap it into the wall. Then repair the drywall as mentioned.