BHG Editor Tackles Her Own Home -- And Its Popcorn Ceilings!

Amy Panos, an editor at Better Homes & Garden magazine, redid her 1970s suburban home about a year or so ago. 


Here's a look into dining area as it is today:

A fresh, hip cottage look.

After a very pregnant Amy climbed into my Jeep SUV -- well after conquering her own reno challenges -- to go scout homes for BHG with me, I immediately wanted to talk ceilings. I knew her home once featured popcorn ceilings. What did she do to "fix" the problem?

Bumpy, dirty popcorn ceiling

In case you've been spared (I grew up in a house with them), let me explain.  These ceilings seized the American residential scene back in the 1950s and up until the early 1980s.  It was a quick and cheap way.  And now, most people want  them gone, gone, gone! Amy certainly did. However, the problem isn't always so easy to remedy. Usually, it involves some messy and time-consuming scraping. Plus, if the ceilings were sprayed with this icky stuff prior to 1978, then that means they might contain asbestos (possible cancer-causing agents). In the case of the latter, experts say it might be best to leave them alone. You can read more about that here , a link that offers guidance on how to tell if you have asbestos in your "popcorn."  Happily, there are options: 

Amy's beaded board ceiling.

Rather than deal with the mess, Amy chose to put 7-foot beaded board planks directly over the textured original.  Great look -- and a solution ($3 a square foot) that doesn't break the bank.  It sounds like all you need to do is to find trusses or ceiling joists where you can nail or screw in the planks. Perhaps you could use some kind of adhesive to help with the hold?  I bet someone at Lowes or Home Depot could say....  What do you think?  Isn't it a good idea for even those ceilings -- sans popcorn -- that might need added personality?

This is the Before shot of Amy's room. The beaded board certainly adds character, don't you think?

Her window seat in the dining area.

If you'd like to read and see more, go here to BGH to read "A Blah to Beautiful Living Room Makeover." All photos above are from Better Homes and Garden magazine. (p.s. Amy had a girl, who now enjoys two brothers.)