Ceiling texture removal, Atlanta Painting Company, House Painters, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Roswell, Marietta, Milton, Decatur

How to Smooth a Popcorn Ceiling

Today’s Article is going to tackle one of the more tedious projects with which homeowners face:  Removing popcorn or stipple texture from a ceiling.

This is not a difficult process. It is, however, extremely messy, labor intensive, and tedious. It also requires good finishing skills for professional results. I am going to make this a step by step explanation.Gather all of your materials and supplies:

1. Gather your materials and supplies.

  • spray bottle with water
  • scrapers
  • plastic and construction paper
  • sand paper and poles
  • trash bags
  • dust masks
  • eye protection
  • paint brushes
  • drywall compound
  • finishing knives
  • paint

2.  Prepare the area.

This is going to be a dusty, messy process so proper preparation is imperative.  Move all the furniture out of the room or into the center of the room.  If the furniture stays in the room, cover it with plastic and tape the plastic.  Cover all floors with plastic or construction paper.  Also, cover A/C intakes or turn of the HVAC altogether.  The drywall dust is so fine it will go into the ventilation and get spread throughout the building.

3. Start removing the texture.

Both stipple and popcorn texture are water based products.  The easiest way to remove them from your ceiling is by spraying them with warm water and letting the water seep into the texture.  After a few minutes, the texture should be soft enough to be scraped off.  How easily the texture comes off depends on many variable and can’t be accurately determined until you start scraping.  Continue removing the texture as described about until it is all gone.  You are done for the day.  Let the ceiling dry and get some rest because your neck and shoulders are probably sore.

4.  Refinish the ceiling.

This takes some skill.  There is no doubt that the ceiling looks like it needs help.  Get your drywall compound and finishing knives ready.  I recommend buying a 5 gallon pail of joint compound or the bag mix so that you can make as much as you need.  Now that you have your finishing tools ready start refinishing the ceiling.  Remember that the less compound you use, the less sanding and dust you will have to deal with in step 5.  After you have finished applying drywall compound on the ceiling, take lunch and give the compound time to dry.  Dry time depends on temperature, humidity, and the type of compound you used.  I recommend 45 minute compound.

5.  Sanding and touch up.

Now comes the really messy part.  Put on your dust mask and eye protection.  Sand the entire ceiling until it is smooth.  If there are areas that don’t look right, touch them up with more compound and re-sand it after it dries.  Once you have the ceiling smooth, dust it with a damp rag or paint brush to get the loose dust off of it before step 6.

6.  Prime and paint.

You’re almost done!  I know that step 6 says, “Prime and paint”, but you may not have to prime.  If you are using flat paint, which I recommend on ceilings, then you can paint directly on the finished ceiling.  If there are water stains, then they do need to be primed using an alkyd or shellac primer/sealer.  After the paint dries, do a walk through and address any areas that need to be touched up.  If everything looks good, then proceed to the last step.

7.  Clean up.

This should be a welcome step by now.  Clean up all of the plastic and paper, put the furniture back and enjoy your nice smooth ceiling.  Hooray!

If you just got through smoothing a textured ceiling you are probably thinking, “I am never going to do that again.  Next time I am going to hire a professional.”

That’s when you call GreenWave Solutions.  We are Metro Atlanta’s best painting company.  We serve Atlanta, Alpharetta, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Chamblee, Cumming, Duluth, Dunwoody, Doraville, Grant Park, Inman Park, Milton, John’s Creek, Sandy Springs and more.  Call us for the best interior painters in Alpharetta!

Simply put, GreenWave Solutions has the best painters in Atlanta.

By: Daniel Macris, President of GreenWave Solutions, the best house painters in Atlanta.

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Atlanta Faux Painting & Finishing

Faux Painters in Atlanta

Wallpaper has been out for a long time.

While you can do a lot with good color schemes, sometimes it is nice to have some extra decorum in your home.  A great way to achieve this is with faux painting.  There are literally dozens of faux finishing techniques that all have different appearances.  Faux Painters are the true artists in the paint contracting world.  Faux finishes are special because each one is one of a kind and can never be reproduced exactly.  They also look really cool!

Faux finishes vary from technique to technique.  Each technique renders a different appearance.  Venetian plaster looks like a marble or stone look.  Some ragging techniques make the walls look like leather or cloth.  Here are some popular and beautiful faux finishing techniques in which GreenWave Solutions specializes:

  • color washing
  • sponging
  • ragging
  • metallic
  • glazes
  • antiquing
  • murals
  • Venetian plaster
  • stripping
  • combing
  • texture
  • suede
  • sandstone
  • Our faux painting specialist is skilled in all faux finishing techniques

Faux finishing requires more skill than “regular” painting.  Faux finishing requires an eye for art, as well as a skilled hand.  Some faux finishes require more skill than others.  Ragging, for example, is easier to do than painting a mural.  Venetian Plaster is extremely labor intensive.

To learn more about faux painting techniques, call or email us and our Atlanta faux painting specialist will provide a consultation.

GreenWave Solutions also does faux painting in Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, John’s Creek, Buckhead, Midtown, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and Brookhaven.

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GreenWave Solutions has the most skilled painters in Atlanta.

Painting and Painters in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Roswell, Brookhaven

Color Consultations in Atlanta

GreenWave Solutions is excited to announce that we are enhancing our Atlanta color consultations service!

We have added a professionally accredited interior designer to our team.  I want to specify she is an interior designer and not an interior decorator. The difference is that an interior designer has to go to college, earn a degree and accreditation, and have intimate knowledge of the art and science associated with design.  An interior decorator just has to get some business cards made and tell people that they have to rearrange their furniture.

GreenWave Solutions’ interior designer graduated from The Art Institute of Atlanta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.  The Art Institute of Atlanta’s interior design program is recognized as one of the nation’s elite.  She has over 7 years of interior design experience including designing homes for some of the southeast’s largest builders.  She is adept and passionate about color consultation, remodeling, and even computer aided design software suites.

Our consultation rates are industry competitive.

Call us today for your interior design consultation needs!

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GreenWave Solutions also does painting in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Dunwoody, Buckhead, Duluth, John’s Creek, Milton, and the other upscale Metro area suburbs.

GreenWave Solutions has the best painters in Atlanta.

Professional interior and exterior house painters in Milton, Roswell, Alpharetta, John's Creek, Dunwoody, and Atlanta

Professional Painters in Milton

GreenWave Solutions is excited to announce that we are offering our painting services to the residents and businesses of Milton, GA!  Our painters in Milton are the same professionals that have been providing Atlanta with the highest quality painting services for over 8 years.

GreenWave Solutions specializes in high end residential painting projects and expects Milton’s residents to appreciate our professional painting services.  Some specialties we want to inform the Milton community of are our color consultations with a professionally certified designer.  Our designer graduated from the highly acclaimed Art Institute of Atlanta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.  She has 7 years of interior design experience including designing homes for some of the southeast’s top builders.  She is passionate about design and loves designing kitchens and baths and color consulting for all painting projects.

In addition to our color consultation services, GreenWave Solutions will be offering Milton residents the following services:

  • Interior Painting
  • Exterior Painting
  • Residential Painting
  • Cabinet Painting
  • Cabinet Staining
  • Cabinet Refinishing
  • Kitchen Remodels
  • Bath Remodels
  • Deck Staining
  • Pressure Washing
  • Wood Repair
  • And more!

Call GreenWave Solutions for your free estimate today!

GreenWave Solutions will be one the premier painters in Milton.  Our Milton painting services division is going to best in the city!

Mention this article and receive 15% off any painting service over $1200 (good through 2012).

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GreenWave Solutions has the most professional painters in Atlanta.

Interior and exterior Brookhaven painters and professional painting company.

Painters in Alpharetta and House Painting Services

GreenWave Solutions would like to tell the residents of Alpharetta that we are serving the Alpharetta area.  This means that Alpharetta now has access to the best painting company in Georgia.  Our Alpharetta house painters are the same skilled and experienced professionals that has made GreenWave Solutions one of the most trusted names in painting during the last 6 years.

GreenWave Solutions specializes in residential painting, commercial painting, interior painting, exterior painting, cabinet staining and painting, and more.  Call our Alpharetta painting division today for a free estimate.

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Mention this article and receive 15% off any painting service over $1200 (good through 2012).