Dh and I are finally moving on getting rid of the popcorn ceilings. We have a guy coming out tomorrow to give an estimate from a company a neighbor used. We looked at the work yesterday, and they were really happy with it.
What do I need to know/ask before this guy shows? Is there anything that surprised you or that we don’t know to ask?
Those of you who have had it done or have a lot of experience selling/flipping houses – is the orange peel texture fine or will we regret not going flat? I know there will be a price difference.
I have not had removal of popcorn ceiling but have watched some home renovators do this very successfully BUT it seems VERY messy. So I would ask what steps they will take to minimize the mess or reduce the mess that you have to deal with yourself.
What style/era is your home? I prefer a smooth ceiling to the degree it’s possible. I don’t look at a plain ceiling (so not a tray or beamed or otherwise) as a feature. Just a necessity!
We have a 1983 ranch with high vaulted ceilings in the living room. Apparently, we are on the cusp of whether there could be asbestos in the ceiling.
You should know that popcorn ceilings don’t bother me at all, but I get that buyers today don’t want it and we are doing work with an eye toward selling in a few years. I didn’t even consider a texture on the ceiling until we looked at the neighbors’ house. I mean, if popcorn doesn’t bother me, then orange peel texture certainly won’t, but if we’re going to do it why not go all the way? But the neighbor said that the texture was cheaper and hides flaws better so we are considering it.
Our home was built in 1970 (edited to correct date). The property needed to be completely painted as nothing had been done for a long time, so we bit the bullet and had the popcorn ceilings removed when the home was completely vacant and significant other work was going on. Definitely have the ceiling tested prior to starting work and I would recommend having a smooth finish. Our neighbors did interior painting a few years ago before they moved in and now they are in the middle of a kitchen reno and…popcorn ceiling removal. They are in an air b&b while the work is going on. Most buyers in my area do not want any kind of texture on the ceiling.
It’s my understanding that significant precautions need to be taken by the workers during removal if asbestos is present. In our case we didn’t have any but if we did the cost would have been much higher.
Because you don’t want to injure workers or yourselves, you don’t want the dust remaining in your home and ventilation system. There are specific precautions that need to be taken if you don’t want to contaminate your property. It sounds as if you are living in the home? You would contaminate everything you own.
FWIW, I think your house is “young” enough that it’s unlikely that you have asbestos but anyone reputable that you use to scrape your ceiling is going to test it before starting just to be sure. Asbestos remediation is a big process so if they find it, they will bring in a remediation company.
We took down popcorn on our former house back porch a very long time ago because it had gotten wet and we had a spot that needed patching. It wasn’t hard at all nor tooki much time because it basically just falls down in sections once you get going. But what a mess! We cleared the porch out of furniture and put down newspaper to catch it all. We thought about doing the inside but said forget it–not worth it since it was in good shape.
Main thing to remember is WHY they used popcorn. It was a very fast,easy, and cheap spray that could cover the ceiling quickly. Sped up construction and kept down costs. And with it’s very rough texture it covered A LOT of flaws if the ceiling was rough or uneven. It didn’t reflect light. If you had lights near the ceiling sans popcorn it would show every blemish.
Our present home has orange peel texture. It does help hide flaws since it doesn’t reflect light like flat would. I like it very much.
Make sure to keep all paperwork related to popcorn ceiling removal because future buyers will likely want to know if there was any asbestos and if so, if the company doing the removal was specifically licensed as a contractor for such jobs (here they have to be).
Our walls have always been textured but ceilings have not. I vote for a flat (level 5) ceiling.
H has removed the popcorn ceilings in several rooms in our house by himself. The rooms were blocked off and he wore a real respirator, not a mask during the process. Rooms were empty, heat registers taped off, bare floors. Ceilings were sprayed with water and the stuff was scraped off. Everything was properly disposed of.
We did find out at that time that no one could help him if he wasn’t testing for asbestos.
The ceilings have a light texture on them, similar to what’s on the walls.
My parents built a house in 1976 and my mother did not want popcorn ceilings. The builders and the architect thought she was crazy and convinced her she had to have something, so they compromised on “squashing” the popcorn. So no little points but still a texture holey appearance. We all hated it until the day the house was torn down in 2024. (They built a very modest home on a very valuable piece of land and after she passed buyers who were willing to pay what the land was worth wanted a bigger fancier home). It’s funny how fashions change in everything, even ceilings.
I would not go to the trouble of removing popcorn ceiling if you don’t make it smooth. If you’re doing it for future resale, orange peel will still be a negative to most potential buyers (maybe it varies depending on price point).
My husband the retired project manager comments on those renovation shows when the remodeler removed popcorn ceilings without the proper equipment and just a mask!
Good for your H to wear a respirator and prep the house correctly.
In my area removing is recommended. If you use a certified remediation company it will be expensive. I know many people who have removed them and the majority don’t use a remediation company nor do they test. Is it the best practice, likely not but that’s what I’ve seen.
Another option which is safer is to seal the ceiling. That is what my sister did in her house. The contractor put up what I think was plywood sheets and plastered over them.
Asbestos can also be a problem if you’re removing old flooring from a house.
you can get a Lead test kit from a big box store. Scrape off a small sample and mail it it for results.
Our 'hood has plenty of popcorn ceilings, so a few local firms specialize in its removal. Ask for and check references. A friend had their done a few years ago, and she said that they left the place spotless. They could have gotten a basic contractor to do the job much cheaper, but they wanted a team that comes in and covers & seals everything. Spackeled any gashes, and sprayed a coat of sealer/primer.
