Questions about holes in drywall, uneven ceilings, and refinishing after popcorn

I'm renovating my first condo and trying to get a feel for what it's going to take to make this place look sharp. I have a couple different questions here pertaining to different aspects of drywall and plaster.

For reference, the hall, bedrooms, and closets have popcorn ceilings, the living room and kitchen are smooth drywall (I believe), and I'm told the bathroom is plaster (why the difference?).

I plan on priming and re-painting every wall and ceiling in the condo.

Drywall Holes

I've never seen so many holes in drywall! Most of them are either nail holes (maybe 1/16-1/8") and small anchor holes (1/4"). I've heard some anchors you have to cut around, then push through into the wall. Luckily, these were the type of anchors which were very easy to remove with a set of needle-nose pliers, and they all came out without any damage.

So, I need to repair these holes, and I'd like to do it so one couldn't tell they were there. If this (or anything else in this post) isn't likely something I can do myself due to lack of experience, please let me know now and I'll look into hiring a pro.

I tried to capture the texture of the wall as best I could with my phone. What is this texture called?

http://i.imgur.com/0Jzkhow.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Bj7ZoId.jpg

Uneven Ceilings

In my living room it's quite apparent that the ceiling isn't exactly level in some places where it meets the wall. The previous owner had a picture molding up, which did a great job highlighting this issue. I tried to capture it as best I could in these pics. I'd guess the variance is 1/16th to 1/8th inch, at most.

I plan on installing a basic crown molding, but I don't want it to be noticeable. Is this something that can be fixed with the crown molding caulk, or do I need to level the ceiling around the walls?

It also seems there is a line running down the middle of the living room, which shows where the ceiling drywall was screwed in. It's not too noticeable, but it's there if you look for it. Is there anything I can do at reasonable expense to either fix or downplay this?

http://i.imgur.com/BkQKjUs.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/EAcNtfe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Gn9myU0.jpg

Bathroom Ceiling

It appears that moisture collected above the shower, causing peeling around the exhaust fan. I've purchased a recessed Panasonic exhaust fan (this one) with a 6.5" opening, so I need to find a way to fix this. What's the best method?

http://i.imgur.com/5GaPIYI.jpg

Popcorn Ceiling Refinishing

As mentioned, the hall, bedrooms, and closets have popcorn ceiling. I've already confirmed it doesn't contain asbestos, and I'll be removing it soon. What should I expect to see underneath, and how to I go about refinishing it?

They do popcorn on the ceiling because it is cheaper than paying a guy to make it perfectly smooth. So expect some work there when I removed that stuff I taped a big scraper to a dust pan and wet it with a sprey bottle,(water) and kept the mess contained a little.
The flaws in the ceiling can be less noticeable with flat paint.
The uneven ceiling at the walls is a fact of life. If you have trusses in the roof they are also the ceiling and this can change durring the year. One trick is to do a drop around the perimeter of the room but with 8 foot ceiling, that may not work..
I thiought the ceiling in the bathroom looked like plaster, which would be better for moist area but you should have a real close look at what you have.
Bud has some good ideas for matching wall texture, I he dosn't pop in we'll drag him over.

Thanks again Neal!

The holes can be patched with some premixed spackle but the the texture match is just art work. Use a brush to tab it and raise the surface a bit to match. You can also run over the filled hole, before it hardens, with a roller. It will help to blend them in.
Looking at your 3rd picture, looks like crown molding installed. To cover that gap I would just get a half inch, quarter round molding, get a brad nailer and nail it to the top of the crown mold, pushing it up tight to the ceiling as you go. Caulk it along the ceiling. I would paint the molding and the ceiling the same color, walls another. Less likely to see the unevenness.
As for the seam, just like the walls it becomes art to match the area around the fix. Given that you're repainting anyway I would just take some joint compound that was thinned with some ceiling paint and roll it on over the seam. Feather it out a bit away from the seam to blend in. After it dries you can add another coat if needed or knock it down some with a wide drywall knife.

beachguy005 said:

The holes can be patched with some premixed spackle but the the texture match is just art work. Use a brush to tab it and raise the surface a bit to match. You can also run over the filled hole, before it hardens, with a roller. It will help to blend them in.
Looking at your 3rd picture, looks like crown molding installed. To cover that gap I would just get a half inch, quarter round molding, get a brad nailer and nail it to the top of the crown mold, pushing it up tight to the ceiling as you go. Caulk it along the ceiling. I would paint the molding and the ceiling the same color, walls another. Less likely to see the unevenness.
As for the seam, just like the walls it becomes art to match the area around the fix. Given that you're repainting anyway I would just take some joint compound that was thinned with some ceiling paint and roll it on over the seam. Feather it out a bit away from the seam to blend in. After it dries you can add another coat if needed or knock it down some with a wide drywall knife.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like exactly what I expected regarding the holes, basically I need to patch, then use whatever method I can to try to match the texture as best I can.

I'm trying to follow on the crown molding, not quite sure I understand. I was told what was on there was actually 'picture molding', which is why they left a 1/4" gap between it and the ceiling. It just looked like poorly installed crown molding to me

So if I went with something like this: http://www.romafoam.com/foam-product-catalog/images/roma-crown-molding.jpg

You're saying to take 1/2" quarter round and put it between the ceiling and the crown molding? Or are you saying to do that if I'm not going with crown molding? I think it'd look very funny to have crown molding and the 1/2" quarter round.

I am planning on painting the molding/ceiling white and the walls in another color. Good to hear that'll help!

That romafoam picture is of properly installed crown molding. What you're referring to as picture molding I look at as poorly installed crown molding.
Picture molding was installed in older homes but not to the top of the wall and they hung art off of it. If you just told me you had molding on the wall that didn't go all the way to the ceiling, I might call it picture molding also.
See some picture mold here.......http://www.picture-rail-store.com/gallery.php