When it was first introduced, popcorn textured walls or stucco walls seemed like a great solution to hide minor flaws around the house. They could easily cover up any imperfections in the walls quickly and cost-effectively compared to getting repairs on the wall. Not only that, but they were also helpful in reducing the noise pollution in the house by absorbing sound, which earned them the name “acoustic walls.”
With such convenience, it is no wonder that their popularity sky-rocketed, and they could be seen in almost every other home.
Unfortunately, the disadvantages of having these walls were later discovered, and in comparison to the light conveniences they offered, the burdens weighed heavy and hazardous. Hence, stucco removal became a necessity rather than a design choice or preference.
You can expect better health after having the stucco removed. This not only applies to those that have allergies but to everyone overall. You can improve your indoor air quality and immediately notice a difference.
In addition to that, you will also increase your home’s resale value. Popcorn walls tend to be considered unattractive and out of style not, and that, along with the health concerns, tends to drag the value of your house down.
Hence when you have them removed, it can immediately bump up your house value because you’ll be updating the room’s look.
Another thing to note is how easy it will become to clean. It wouldn’t take hours of scrubbing the nooks and crannies of the wall to clean (only to find out later that it was to no avail and the walls are dusty again).
Aside from cleaning, it will also become easier to paint, and the paint finishing will be much better than the quality you would get if you had popcorn walls.
Some people with popcorn walls also complain about how it keeps falling and dirtying the floor. This problem can be easily solved once these walls are no longer there.
The most significant hazard of these walls is to your health. Most of these contain Asbestos which was initially known for its fire-proofing abilities and used for its heat resistance and strength. At the time, it seemed like a beneficial idea to incorporate this material into the walls as well.
After all, what could go wrong when it had such favorable characteristics.
However, asbestos was later banned because it proved hazardous to health. Unfortunately, by then, it had already been in use for decades, and many walls already contained this material.
The hazards caused by Asbestos include lung disease, lung cancer, and scarring of the lungs.
Although there are ways to use asbestos in construction that are non-hazardous to health, if you have moved into a new home with popcorn walls, you should consider stucco removal (especially if the house is ancient).
Another issue is that they make cleaning very difficult and tedious. If you are someone who has a habit of cleaning religiously and cannot stand dust, then popcorn walls will probably be the bane of your existence.
This is because all the curves and crevices in the wall’s texture can quickly accumulate masses of dust that can take a long time to clean.
This is not only bad for hygienic reasons, but it will also affect the indoor air quality of your house and make breathing difficult.
This is especially bad for people with dust allergies or any air quality sensitivity because it will trigger their allergies.
Many people who had stucco removal report that breathing gets much easier after removing the popcorn wall.
