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.