How Much Does It Cost To Remove Popcorn Ceiling?
How Much Does It Cost To Remove Popcorn Ceiling?
The average cost for popcorn ceiling removal is $1 to $2 per square foot with most homeowners spending around $2,700 for an 1,800 square foot home. The price can vary greatly by region (and even by zip code).
$1 – $2 per sq. ft.
The average cost for popcorn ceiling removal is $1 to $2 per square foot with most homeowners spending around $2,700 for an 1,800 square foot home. The price can vary greatly by region (and even by zip code).
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Cost
The average cost to remove popcorn ceiling is $1,000 to $2,300 with most homeowners spending about $1,700. Contractors typically charge $1 to $2 per square foot for the removal of popcorn ceilings.
| National Average Cost | $1,700 |
| Minimum Cost | $300 |
| Maximum Cost | $4,800 |
| Average Range | $1,000 to $2,300 |
While popcorn ceilings were in every home a few decades ago, they can now lower the value of your home because they look so outdated, not to mention their ability to catch dust and host spiders’ webs.
Popcorn removal is an incredibly messy process and not for the faint of heart, so while it’s possible to do it yourself, hiring a professional to do this for you and clean up the resulting mess is much more time effective.
If you have an older home, it’s likely that your popcorn is made of asbestos, which is a known carcinogen, especially for lung cancer. If it is, you need a professional to remove it.
Once removed, you’ll need to refinish the ceiling. The total cost to remove the (non-asbestos) popcorn, texture the substrate, and paint is $2.00 to $2.50 per square foot or $3,600 to $4,500 for an 1,800 sqft home.
Asbestos risk
Homes built before 1986 may have asbestos in the ceiling. While it was banned for residential use in 1978, any asbestos contractors had in stock for years after could be used or resold, and it was.
The biggest problem with asbestos is that it is airborne, so any disturbance can cause particles to be released and mixed with your indoor air. You must take care of the asbestos risk first.
Onsite testing
| Asbestos Test Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard onsite sampling | $250 – $750 |
| Air monitoring test | $400 – $1200 |
| Official AHERA inspection | $250 – $1000 per sample |
| If asbestos is detected, a full inspection is required | $400 – $800 |
Mail-in samples starts at $50 per material.
DIY testing kits
Given the potential for hazardous exposure and tainted results, the safest option is to hire an EPA-licensed professional to carry out the testing in your home. A directory of state offices can be found on the EPA website.
DIY testing kits to test for asbestos cost about $40. You can buy a test kit at your local hardware store or online. Buy the test that includes the lab test in the purchase. Alternatively, take a sample yourself and drop it off at a local lab to test for about $150 for an immediate result, or about $70 for a 24-hour result.
If the test comes back positive (more than 1%), you have two choices, based on your local and state regulations for residential asbestos:
Contain/encapsulate the asbestos with a new gypsum board or drywall. $2 to $6 per square foot.
Hire an asbestos abatement contractor to remove it before hiring painters. Safe removal and disposal costs $10 to $20 per square foot. Expect to pay a minimum charge of $1,500 to $2,500 because of setup, containment, air handling, and final cleanup testing.
Never start any type of popcorn removal yourself until you get the all-clear on the presence of asbestos. Once asbestos becomes airborne, you risk the lungs of everyone in the home—exposure can cause multiple nonmalignant lung and pleural disorders.
Find a contractor who does remodeling and asbestos abatement so you can take care of both needs in one.
Be aware that homeowners’ insurance will not cover asbestos removal.
Popcorn Removal Scrape Test
To see how easy or difficult it might be to scrape the popcorn off your ceilings and resurface them, you can do a scrape test with a 4” utility knife or a drywall knife, but spray a small corner of the ceiling with some warm water and leave it to soak in. If it doesn’t, you might have gloss or semigloss paint over the popcorn, which will make the job very difficult. You can decide between these options:
Call in the pros.
Cover it up with newer drywall or other ceiling material.
Scrape it all off while dry.
Some contractors recommended dry scraping because of the mess of wet popcorn, and because any water added to the ceiling could cause it to expand and crack down the road.
Do not be tempted to use a power sander to remove the popcorn because the dust can fill your lungs for days afterward. Instead, check out telescoping scrapers: you attach a trash bag to one end and start scraping.
Popcorn Removal Process
The worst part of removing a popcorn ceiling is the huge mess it makes. It turns into a sludgy, soggy mess that drops on everything, so the biggest favor you can do for yourself is to prep the room thoroughly before the work begins.
Preparation
Create a walking path—protect all the flooring—from the curb into each room of the house with a ceiling that needs popcorn removed.
Move out as much furniture as possible.
Remove light fixtures, fans, and ceiling vents.
Stuff recessed lighting spaces with newspaper, cover electric wiring outlets with painter’s tape and turn off power to them.
Turn off heating and cooling and cover ceiling vent holes.
Protect the entire room from the mess in advance. Cover the floors and walls with plastic sheeting and plastic drop cloths. Pre-taped plastic sheeting can be a godsend. Don’t use canvas drop cloths because of the amount of water you’ll need to spray on the ceiling, and because of the amount of cleanup necessary after. Remove alarm sensors and smoke detectors.
Pre-scraping
Wear a dust mask and eye protection.
Spray a light mist of warm water on a 4’ x 4’ section of the ceiling evenly. For DIY projects, you can use a garden pump sprayer or pesticide sprayer. Professionals typically use an airless spray rig.
Once the water has soaked in, after about 15 minutes, test it to see if it has softened. If it hasn’t, spray a second time.
Scrape
Set up the ladder/scaffolding/lift and begin scraping with a 6” to 12” scraper—with long strokes rather than a back-and-forth motion.
Repeat in 4’ increments until the ceiling is fully scraped. Be mindful that your scraper has sharp edges that can catch on the ceiling and dig into the drywall inadvertently. Some contractors will avoid this by rounding the points of the scraper with a file or sander.
Consider using a container or pan, like a mud pan, to catch all the scrapings as you scrape to will minimize the amount of cleanup.
Repair substrate
Scraping usually damages the sheetrock so it will need to be repaired once all the water had dried out. Replace any damaged drywall tape. Fill in any holes with wall filler, cracks with latex caulk, and larger holes with drywall patches.
Recoat the sheetrock joints and smooth out uneven areas.
Textures
The cost to texture drywall is $0.80 to $2.00 per square foot to match the ceiling texture to the texture of the walls.
Common forms of texture – $0.80 per square foot
Spatter finish – Applied with a spatter gun and overspray is scraped
Knockdown – A uniform blotchy look that’s made by watering down joint compound and spatter blowing it on the ceiling
Skip trowel or imperial – Similar to knockdown but more randomly applied with a finish that looks like Spanish stucco
Crow’s foot – Drywall compound slapped, brushed, or rolled onto the wall
Orange peel – Looks like the bumps on an unpeeled orange, made by applying thinned joint compound with a long-nap paint roller to create a fine, medium, or coarse surface.
Smooth ceiling – $1.45 per square foot
Skim with a thin layer of joint compound. Sand it smooth. Don’t over sand, or you will damage the ceiling.
Some popcorn removal contractors specialize in texturing walls and ceilings and can recommend the best options, like Perfect Painters & Construction in Chicago, IL, who “specialize in textures, sponges, pinstripes.”
Finishes
Prime and paint. Oil-based primer works well. Painting labor costs $20 to $50 per hour.
Cons to DIY
If you have any type of neck problems, this is not the job for you.
Lots of prep work and post-removal cleanup are needed throughout the house.
Damage to the substrate may end up costing more to fix.
You have no warranty on the labor.
Alternatives to removing popcorn
If your current substrate is old and unable to handle the scraping, Armstrong Ceilings suggests you could be better off doing one of the following:
Beadboard – Nail sheets of beadboard to the ceiling. It’ll give your ceiling a light cottage look. $2.50 to $4.20 per square foot (for Armstrong products)
Metal – Nail or screw in patterned metal tiles, with options in brass, copper, chrome, white, or lacquered steel. $4 to $9+ per square foot
Decorative plaster or tin-look tiles - 12" x 12" mineral fiber tiles. “Apply it directly to the ceiling using Armstrong's Easy Up installation system or adhesive.” $1.00 to $2.50 per square foot
Wood-look ceiling planks – For a country home feel. $2.50 to $4.20 per square foot
Drywall – Cover with new drywall. This will lower your ceiling by about 1”, which could lower your resale value but can add the benefit of insulating your attic better. Some contractors say to use gypsum board rather than standard sheetrock because it’s lighter. Screw it into the frames and mud and tape before painting.
Consider renting a drywall lift to hold up and position the drywall as you screw it in place if you’re doing this job alone. Rent one from your local home improvement store for $35 to $40 per day or about $25 for 4 hours.
Plaster – Skim coat with plaster or quick-setting drywall mud/spackle over the existing popcorn.
Add $25 to $40 per hour for labor — This cost will vary depending on where the home is and local labor costs. An experienced HomeGuide remodeling contractor will be able to remove your popcorn or do any of these installations for you.
Hiring your popcorn ceiling removal contractor
Get bids from 3 to 5 contractors for the project. Many companies give free bids or estimates, like Tex Painting in Round Rock, TX, who offers “free no obligation estimates 7 days a week.
Look for companies who include as many as possible of the following criteria:
In business for 5+ years
Licensed, insured, and bonded
A portfolio of before and after photos
References with contact information
A scheduled beginning and end date
Include setup and cleanup costs in the bid
Include a warranty on labor and materials used
EPA-approved and certified—if you hire them to do both the asbestos abatement and remodel
Excellent reviews on HomeGuide and Google
