Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Textured ceilings taken back to smooth, with the dust contained and the room handed back clean. Licensed and insured.
One thing to check before anyone scrapes
Textured ceilings installed before the early 1980s can contain asbestos, and that changes everything about how the work has to be handled. If your house is from that era, the ceiling should be tested by a qualified lab before anyone touches it. We will tell you that at the estimate rather than after the fact — and if it comes back positive, the removal is a job for a licensed abatement contractor, not for us.
What is included
- Room sealed off and floors, walls and fixtures fully protected
- Light fittings and vents removed and refitted
- Texture removed back to the drywall beneath
- Seams, screw holes and damage repaired and skimmed
- Sanded flat, because a scraped ceiling is not yet a smooth one
- Primed and finished in ceiling paint
- Full clean-up and removal of all debris
How the work runs
1. Check the age
We ask when the house was built and, for anything of that era, tell you to have the ceiling tested before we schedule the work.
2. Contain and remove
The room is sealed and everything protected before scraping starts. This is a dusty job, and containment is what keeps it out of the rest of the house.
3. Skim, sand, finish
Repairs, skimming and sanding until the ceiling is genuinely flat, then primed and painted. Scraping alone leaves a surface you would not want lit from the side.
Popcorn ceiling questions we get asked
How do I know if my ceiling contains asbestos?
You cannot tell by looking. A sample has to be tested by a qualified laboratory, and it is inexpensive to do. For any house of that age we will ask for a test result before scheduling the work.
How much dust does this make?
A lot, which is why containment matters more here than on almost any other interior job. The room is sealed and protected before scraping starts, and cleaned properly afterwards.
Can we stay in the house?
Generally yes, working room by room with the work area sealed. We will tell you which rooms are out of use and for how long.
Is scraping enough, or does the ceiling need skimming?
Almost always it needs skimming. Removing texture exposes the original seams and screw lines, and those have to be filled and sanded before the ceiling reads as smooth under natural light.
Can you paint the room at the same time?
It is the ideal moment, since the room is already protected and empty. See Interior Painting.
Photographs of our own ceiling projects are being added to this page shortly. In the meantime, see our recent projects.
Get a free estimate
Tell us the rooms and roughly when the house was built. We will walk you through what is involved — no charge and no obligation.