Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Popcorn texture scraped or skimmed over, refinished flat and painted. Tested first if the house is older than 1980.
Popcorn ceilings had a run from the 1960s into the 1980s because they hid every taping flaw and soaked up a little sound. The run is over. Today the texture dates a room instantly, collects dust and cobwebs, and is nearly impossible to patch invisibly. Removing it is one of the highest impact, lowest glamour projects in remodeling.
First, the caveat we give every caller with a pre 1980 house: popcorn texture from that era can contain asbestos. Before anyone scrapes anything, a sample goes to a lab. The test costs about $50 to $100 and takes a few days. If it comes back positive, we do not scrape it, period. The safe options become skimming over the texture to encapsulate it, covering it with new drywall, or hiring a licensed abatement company. We explain all three in plain English, and we are upfront about which ones we can do ourselves.
For newer or clean tested ceilings there are two roads. Wet scraping takes the texture down to the board, and then the whole ceiling gets skim coated, because scraping always leaves scars. Skimming over buries the texture under new compound without the mess, and it is the right call for painted popcorn, which does not scrape willingly. Either way the target is the same: a flat, level 5 ceiling, primed and painted, that looks like the texture was never there. The decision logic is the same [repair or replace thinking](/blog/drywall-repair-or-replace) we apply to walls.
WHAT WE DO
Popcorn Ceiling Removal: the full scope
Asbestos test coordination
Sample and lab testing arranged before any pre 1980 ceiling gets touched.
Full containment
Plastic on floors and walls, sealed doorways, covered vents. The texture ends up in bags, not in your ductwork.
Wet scraping
Texture misted and scraped down to the drywall, with joints and scars repaired afterward.
Skim over encapsulation
New compound floated over the texture in multiple coats when scraping is the wrong tool.
Level 5 finish
A full skim and sand, because ceilings catch raking light all day and show every wave.
Prime and paint
Ceiling primer and flat ceiling paint, cut clean where the ceiling meets the walls.
HOW IT GOES
Our process, step by step
- 1
Test and quote
Age check, asbestos test when the house calls for one, and a written per square foot quote.
- 2
Mask everything
Floors, walls, fixtures and vents sealed in plastic before the first scrape.
- 3
Scrape or skim
The texture comes down or gets buried, then the ceiling is skim coated flat.
- 4
Finish and paint
Sand, prime, paint, and the plastic leaves the house with the mess inside it.
HONEST NUMBERS
What it costs around here
2026 ranges, written quotes are free and exact
| Scrape and refinish | $2 to $4 per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Skim over, encapsulation | $2.50 to $4.50 per sq ft |
| Typical bedroom or living room | $600 to $1,400 |
2026 ranges for our area. Scraping and skimming price similarly, because the finishing after a scrape is most of the work either way.
FROM OUR JOBS
Photos from real sites
EVERY PHOTO: OUR CREW, OUR CLIENTS' HOMES. NO STOCK.
GOOD QUESTIONS
Questions we hear a lot
How do I know if my popcorn ceiling has asbestos?
You cannot tell by looking. If the house was built before 1980, test it. A lab test runs $50 to $100. Asbestos was banned in these textures in 1977, but existing stock stayed on shelves and ceilings for years after, which is why we draw the line at 1980 instead of 1977.
Can I remove popcorn ceiling myself?
A small unpainted bedroom in a post 1980 house, sure. Buy a garden sprayer and a wide scraper, and accept that it will be the least fun weekend of your year. The catch is the finishing: a scraped ceiling still needs skimming and sanding to look right, and that second half is most of what you are paying us for.
What if my popcorn ceiling has been painted?
Paint seals the texture so water cannot soften it, which makes scraping slow and ugly. For painted popcorn we usually skim over it instead. Same flat result, less suffering, similar price.
OFTEN COMBINED WITH
WHERE WE WORK
Popcorn Ceiling Removal across Lancaster & Chester County
Based in Denver, PA and working about 75 miles in every direction. If your town is on this list, we have either worked there or driven past it on the way to a job. Every link below opens local notes on the housing and what it usually needs.
- Lancaster, PA
- Denver, PA
- Ephrata, PA
- Lititz, PA
- Reading, PA
- Lebanon, PA
- Elizabethtown, PA
- West Chester, PA
- Downingtown, PA
- Coatesville, PA
- York, PA
- Harrisburg, PA
- Hershey, PA
- Columbia, PA
- Mount Joy, PA
- Manheim, PA
- Millersville, PA
- Willow Street, PA
- Strasburg, PA
- New Holland, PA
- Quarryville, PA
- Adamstown, PA
- Wyomissing, PA
- Sinking Spring, PA
- Morgantown, PA
- Palmyra, PA
- Exton, PA
- Malvern, PA
- Kennett Square, PA
- Honey Brook, PA
FREE WRITTEN ESTIMATES
Planning popcorn ceiling removal? Send photos.
Snap the room or the problem, send the form, and we call back with a real ballpark the same business day. Or talk first: (717) 210-8194
PA HIC #PA214721· LICENSED & INSURED · SERVING LANCASTER + CHESTER COUNTY