Planex or planex easy

[Tayler_mann]

I have a job coming up to remove 2000 sqft of popcorn so I plan to buy a planex. I have a few questions I was hoping I could get answers to before purchasing.

1. The ceilings are 9’ tall is the planex easy long enough that You don’t have to hold it over your head?

2. Is the original planex long enough out of the box for 9’ ceilings or do you need an extension to reach it comfortably?  From what I read the extension would be to much for a 9’ but I’ve never used one.

3. I have 2 extractors already and don’t feel like purchasing another with auto clean. If I purchased an Oneida dust deputy would this be sufficient filtration where I could use my ct 36 without it clogging.

Much appreciation ahead of time

Aye,

Tayler Mann

 

[Peter_C]

I have been going through the same thought processes. Personally I would spend the extra money and get the better unit that offers a harness, and extendable reaches. Maybe not today, maybe not for years, but at some point you may want to do a taller ceiling. Plus I like the fact you can run it very short. Think working in narrow hallways with 8' ceilings, working in corners, and repairing small patches.

A Dust Deputy would work, as would the CT Cyclone. Bags are far cheaper than a new vac, as they will plug even with a cyclone of some kinds, but even if you go through a couple of bags...you are still saving $400+. Then again you can get an additional 10% off buying a CT AC and Planex together.

As I am sure you already know up to certain years it is possible that the popcorn could contain asbestos.

Last couple of popcorn ceilings I have taken down, I used a garden sprayer and after a light soaking was able to scrap the ceiling very quickly. Hopefully the original Drywaller's did a better job than what I have seen.

 

[PeterK]

Yep- dampen the popcorn and it comes off really easy with a scraper on a pole. Just lay plastic sheeting! Cheap and fast. UNLESS the popcorn has multiple layers of paint. Drywall installers loved popcorn as it hid poor seam joints so can virtually guarantee you will need to mud and sand joints.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Another vote for misting and scraping. It's much less dusty and easier on your body, just make sure you prep the space properly.

Regarding the Dust Deputy, the Oneida products are great but it's important to note that the cyclones are most effective with large "chunks" of debris, and the finer particles tend to get past the cyclone. Drywall dust is rather fine, so unfortunately a Dust Deputy would not be quite as effective as for other applications. If you do go the Dust Deputy route, note that the dust that does make it to your CT bags will be extremely fine, and will clog the pores of the bags long before you fill it up. My experience of using a Dust Deputy on a CT-26 extracting cementitious dust was that the bags were saturated when they were ~1/4 to 1/3 full.

If you do any amount of extracting cementitious dust, it may be worth acquiring a vac with a filter cleaning function (the added benefit is you can frequently forego using bags altogether and just empty the tub into contractor-style garbage bags)....

 

[stickman]

Just an FYI- Popcorn ceilings from the 50s til the early 80s often contained asbestos. Wetting it and using a vac while scraping may be the best method. Wear a respirator.

 

[peter halle]

After sanding ceilings with my ETS150 last week and my arm and shoulder feeling like they were going to fall off I have also been revisiting my thoughts about a Planex.  My mantra during the sanding ordeal was "Just a few more minutes.  A Planex is in your future."  This is all true.

Last year I spent time with one of the Festool trainers talking Planex and the differences.  Coming out of those conversations I initially came to my own personal decision that I would get the Planex - not the Planex easy.  But as a guy who has long given up on being an impulse tool buyer I think that if it were today I would go for the Planex Easy.  The Planex is more versatile and can get into tighter places but the Planex Easy would deal with the majority of what I encounter.  If I need more height then I would work off of a rolling scaffold (extreme) to trying stilts (just out of reach).

As a guy who has had to get rid of popcorn, and still sprays it on occasion, follow the advice of wet and scrape.  If painted I have used a wallpaper steamer to penetrate the paint and scraped. 

More than one way to approach an issue.

Peter

 

[James Carriere]

Hi Tayler,

I had some drywall ceilings (10') to restore this week and I went for the Planex easy.  It was easy enough for me to sand the ceilings without holding it over my head or needing a step ladder.  I'm 6'4 so unless you are 5'4" or under you should be able to keep the unit under control without excessive strain for your 9' ceiling project.  Don't forget the vacuum will help take some of the weight of the unit which is not heavy.

I paired it with a CT26 and a Festool Cyclone which did a pretty good job.  The Cyclone captured a significant amount of the dust and only one time I needed to pull the vac bag and bang it around a bit to unclog the pores before re-instaling it and using it some more.  The cyclone probably saved 2 bags on this job.  I was not removing popcorn so with an Oneida depending on the square footage I would anticipate you will still go through a few bags, but much less than if you went without the Oneida.

If this is a one off for you then the Planex easy will probably be adequate for your needs.  It's a solid unit and I'm happy with it especially after previously owning a Porter Cable version for several years which was inadequate on the dust collection.  If you regularly do drywall (I don't) then the standard Planex would be a better choice as I think more importantly than being able to add more extensions, you can shorten the unit for close or restricted use.

As Sedge would say, I hope this helps!

On a side note, earlier this week I posted a question about the systainer size needed for a planex hose.  I did not receive any responses so I'm putting this out there for others, a systainer 4 will fit the planex hose and 3 boxes of 225mm paper which is pretty sweet.  Having read a few fellow Foggers posts about how their planex hoses fell off their truck, a Systainer 4 is a great way to keep it all organized.

 

[Cheese]

Drywall installers loved popcorn as it hid poor seam joints so can virtually guarantee you will need to mud and sand joints.

Because this thought was popular and still prevalent in the early 90's, be prepared to apply a skim coat to the entire ceiling to provide a uniform texture and to hide any crappy seams.

 

[Tayler_mann]

Thanks for all the responses.

I am a by the book contractor and have already tested all the materials in the house for asbestos. There is none present and if there was any present I would have to have a trained company come in and do an abatement. I don’t mess around with that stuff as I do not want a law suit on my hands.

After reading [member=63880]James Carriere[/member] response I think I’m going to go with the planex easy and probably a Oneida dust deputy. I am still banging around the idea of a 36 AC as it would nice to have an extractor that stays in my van and one in my wood shop.

I’ll let you all know my thought on the easy and removing popcorn with it. I’ve done the scrape technique and I feel it’s going to be like all my other Festool purchases. if you collect it as you make the mess it’s less time in the long run with no clean up. Plus I will need to skim the entire ceiling so it will help with that as well.

Thanks.

 

[Gregor]

After reading [member=63880]James Carriere[/member] response I think I’m going to go with the planex easy and probably a Oneida dust deputy. I am still banging around the idea of a 36 AC as it would nice to have an extractor that stays in my van and one in my wood shop.

I would get a CTM xx AC when buying a Planex for three reasons: having a M class extractor allows you doing jobs where you're required to have one, using an AC capable one with the Planex is an (IMHO) sane suggestion from festool and taking the 10% when buying both together (the latter allows to sell one or both two after the job at less loss, taking a bit care of it, should you not want to keep it).

Regarding the size of the bin: as the bottom bins are (AFAIK) freely interchangeable between the CT M/L (AC or not) and 26/36/48 sizes I would - when already having a 36 - pick another size, likely a 26 as the 48 would be quite heavy when full. That would allow me to take a smaller or bigger unit with me on the road, normal or M+AC, depending on the job I go to.

 

[EMWLou]

My response is far too late to be helpful to the OP, but I wanted to chime in anyway.

For the last 5 months, I have been relocating/resizing offices and conference rooms in an occupied building. We've installed about 1500 sheets that have all been very close to customers/employees working in the building. Dust collection was a must. We didn't have any ceilings to deal with, but all the walls have been 10 feet high.

The only thing that ever stopped me from getting a Planex in the past was the price tag. When I started this job and saw that Festool came out with the Easy version, I bought one. I did NOT buy the AC extractor. I wanted to see what using my CT26 with a bag would be like before I spent the money on another vac that I don't need. We've been using the Planex easy almost daily now for the last 4 months and everyone loves it. After about 1500 sheets, I've gone through about 5 bags for the CT26. The bag keeps the dust from getting to the filter and all is great. I see no reason at all for me to put out the money for the AC extractor.

The easy reaches the top of a 10 foot wall with no problem whatsoever. The only ceiling work I've done is a few soffets that have been anywhere from 8 to 10 feet high. I am 6'-1" and I can reach 10 feet with ease. Closets and other tight spaces really haven't been much of an issue for us. Sure, the sander feels bulky when you're trying to cram it and you're 200+ pound frame into a closet, but its all technique and you get used to it very quickly. You just have to learn to choke up on the arm a bit from time to time. We have excellent tapers working with us so the amount of dust we are creating is not enormous, but it would be a major issue if we were just using pole sanders.

On new drywall, we've found that the best combination for us has been: 320 grit, the planex speed set at number 2, and the CT26 suction turned up all the way. Not all of the dust is collected though. What happens is that a small amount of the heaviest dust escapes and falls straight down to the floor. The fine dust is pretty much captured 100% and nothing goes into the air. The little bit that falls to the floor is picked up with one swipe of a crevice tool and its all good.

Keep the sander out of the hands of the gung ho apprentices or you'll find that you'll be going back to do a 4th coat on many of your walls. You can sand too far if you're not paying attention and the sander will really dig into the wall if you don't keep it flat to the wall. Other than that, it has been an outstanding tool purchase for us, I couldn't be happier. We have already signed a few new contracts for other spaces based on the referrals we're getting from this job. The feedback that we're getting from the current client is that "they can't believe how clean we are."

 

[DeformedTree]

Good info.  I picked up a recon planex and have a CT 26.  The price normally is something hard to swallow, but so is drywall dust.  I see Planex as one of those tools where you buy it, use it sell it, and then that person sells it and so on and so forth.  Would make for a good tool for places like Homedepot to rent.

 

[leakyroof]

Good info.  I picked up a recon planex and have a CT 26.  The price normally is something hard to swallow, but so is drywall dust.  I see Planex as one of those tools where you buy it, use it sell it, and then that person sells it and so on and so forth.  Would make for a good tool for places like Homedepot to rent.

. They’re great for painting as well. The large pad eats up wall acreage in a hurry once you’ve filled your divots and holes with compound and are prepping the surface for Primer. I get more adjusted  to mine the more I use it.
Still havent removed a Popcorn Ceiling with it though.... [smile]