Popcorn ceiling removal

What popcorn ceiling removal covers

Popcorn ceilings, also called acoustic or cottage cheese ceilings, are in a lot of older Upstate houses. The texture was sprayed on to hide flaws in the drywall and save on finishing work. It also catches dust and cobwebs, flakes when you bump it, is hard to patch so it matches, and makes a room look older than it is.

Getting it off is more than scraping. The drywall under popcorn was rarely finished smooth, because the builder knew it would be covered. So the job has four parts:

• Removal. The texture comes off the ceiling.
• Repair. Loose tape, open seams, nail pops and gouges under it get fixed.
• Smoothing. The ceiling gets a skim coat of joint compound and is sanded so it reads flat.
• Prime and paint. A stain-blocking primer, then ceiling paint.

We do popcorn ceiling removal as part of our interior painting work. It is priced on its own line, so you can see what the removal costs apart from the painting.

Older ceilings: test before anyone scrapes

Popcorn texture put up before the mid 1980s can contain asbestos. There is no way to tell by looking at it. If your house was built before then, or you don’t know when the ceiling was sprayed, have a sample tested by a lab before anyone scrapes it. That includes you.

Arranging the test is the homeowner’s call. If you’re not sure where to start, we talk it through at the estimate. If the test comes back positive, the texture should come down with a licensed asbestos abatement contractor, not a paint crew. After that, we can price the repair, smoothing and paint.

Newer ceilings are much less likely to have it. If you aren’t sure how old yours is, test it anyway. It’s a small step before a big, dusty job.

When it’s worth taking off

Popcorn is worth removing when:

• You’re painting the room anyway and want a ceiling that looks current.
• The texture is stained from an old leak, flaking, or patched in spots that don’t match.
• You’re getting the house ready to sell and the ceilings date it.
• You want ceilings that are easier to dust and keep clean.

It isn’t always worth it. If the texture is solid, you’re fine with how it looks, and it has been tested or is new enough not to worry about, a fresh coat of paint may be all it needs. Know this before you paint it, though: once popcorn has paint on it, water can’t soak in to soften it, and it is much harder to scrape off later.

How we do it

1. Walk the room with you. We look at the ceiling, ask about the age of the house and testing, and write up a price. A free color consult comes with every estimate.
2. Cover and protect the room. This is messy work. Floors, walls and anything left in the room get covered, and vents get covered so dust stays out of them.
3. Wet and scrape. The texture is misted with water to soften it, then scraped off the ceiling.
4. Repair what’s underneath. Loose tape, seams, nail pops and scraper gouges get fixed. This is the same work as our drywall repair.
5. Skim coat and sand. A thin coat of joint compound across the ceiling, sanded smooth so it looks flat when light hits it from the window.
6. Prime. A stain-blocking primer seals the new mud and covers old water stains so they don’t bleed through.
7. Paint. Ceiling paint in a flat sheen, rolled out evenly.
8. Clean up and walk it with you. The covering comes down, the room gets cleaned up, and we look over the ceiling together.

Which paint level fits

Ceilings don’t get scrubbed or scuffed, so most of them get our Essential level. You can pick a different level for the walls if we’re painting them at the same time. We use Sherwin-Williams at three levels:

• Essential (SuperPaint). Solid, good-looking paint for surfaces that don’t take a beating. The usual pick for ceilings.
• Performance (Duration Home). Our most common pick for walls in hallways, kids’ rooms and living areas.
• Showcase (Emerald). Top of the line, with the smoothest finish and the best coverage. Worth it in the rooms you look at most.

Flat is almost always the right sheen for a ceiling, because it hides seams and doesn’t throw glare. Our guide to choosing paint sheen room by room covers the exceptions.

What affects the price

Popcorn ceiling removal is priced on its own line, by the size of the ceiling. Here is what else moves it:

• Height and shape of the room. Vaulted and two-story ceilings take more time to reach and work.
• Painted texture. Popcorn that has been painted over is much harder to soften and scrape.
• What’s underneath. Some ceilings come out of the scrape in good shape. Others have loose tape, cracks or old leak damage. We look for signs at the estimate and talk through how that is handled if the drywall needs more than normal repair.
• The rest of the room. Walls, trim and doors are priced on their own if we’re painting them too.

The estimate is free, and you get a written price before we start. Read more on how we price, and our guide on drywall repair and when to patch or replace. Every job comes with our 12-month workmanship warranty. We’re licensed (RBS 66117) and insured, based in Duncan, and we work across Greenville and Spartanburg counties, including Mauldin, Taylors and Greer. Financing is available through Wisetack or Klarna.