Popcorn ceiling removal

Smooth ceilings instead of the bumpy texture, with the testing done first and the repairs done properly.

Request a consultation Call (780) 604-3162

A living room with a smooth white ceiling

Quick answerPopcorn ceiling removal takes off the bumpy texture and leaves a smooth ceiling ready for paint. If your home was built before about 1990, test a small sample for asbestos before anyone scrapes or sands. If it comes back clear, the rest is straightforward finish work, quoted after we have seen the ceiling.

Why people do it

Why people finally get rid of it

Almost nobody calls us because the ceiling is falling apart. They call because they are tired of looking at it.

Popcorn texture was a quick way to hide rough drywall and save a few hours of finishing. It also catches every cobweb, can never be wiped down, and throws little shadows across the room whenever the light comes in from the side. Pot lights and bright windows make it worse.

It is also awkward to live with. A water stain is hard to hide, patches never quite match, and repainting it with a roller can pull bits down onto your floor. Many buyers see it as a job waiting for them. A smooth ceiling is quieter to look at, and the whole room feels higher and brighter.

Before anything else

Test first, then scrape

Some textured ceiling coatings sold into the 1980s contained asbestos. It is only a risk when it is disturbed, which is exactly what scraping and sanding do. So for a home built before about 1990, or any ceiling where you are not sure, the first step is a lab test of a small sample.

You cannot tell by looking, and please do not scrape some off to check. If the test comes back clear, we go ahead. If it does not, we stop and tell you plainly what the next step is, because removing asbestos is a different job with different rules.

Read: asbestos in textured ceilings, and testing in Alberta

A good ruleOlder home or not sure? Test first. It takes a few days, costs far less than guessing wrong, and protects everyone in the house.

How it works

How a removal goes, start to finish

This is the typical order of work. Your ceiling may need a step more or less, and we tell you before we start.

Look at the ceiling
We ask when the home was built, how many rooms you have, and whether the ceiling has ever been painted. If it is older, testing comes first.
Protect the room
Floors, walls and anything that stays in the room get covered. We ask you to clear what you can.
Take the texture off
The texture is dampened and scraped off in sections, which keeps dust down. Painted texture takes more time.
Repair what shows up
Once the texture is gone, you see the real ceiling. Gouges, tape joints and old patches get repaired.
Smooth and prime
The surface is skimmed where needed, sanded and primed so it takes paint evenly.
Paint and clean up
Painting is quoted as its own line. We clean up and leave the room ready to use.

What affects the price

Why we quote the ceiling, not the square foot

Two ceilings the same size can be very different jobs. That is why we look first and give you a written quote.

How big the ceiling is, and how many rooms
Whether the texture has been painted. Painted texture is slower and harder to take off
What is underneath: old tape joints, patches, nail pops or water stains
Ceiling height, stairwells and anything that makes access awkward
How much we have to move or cover, and whether rooms are already cleared
Whether you want primer and paint on the new ceiling in the same job

Removal, repairs and painting are shown as separate lines, so you can see what each costs and decide what you want done.

Side by side

Popcorn ceiling or smooth ceiling?

	Popcorn texture	Smooth ceiling
How it looks	Bumpy, dated, casts small shadows	Clean and even, makes a room look bigger
How it takes light	Catches it and throws shadow, especially from side lighting	Reflects it evenly, so rooms feel brighter
Keeping it clean	Holds dust and cobwebs and cannot be wiped	Can be dusted and wiped
Repairs and repainting	Patches show, and repainting is fiddly	Easy to patch and repaint later
Hiding flaws	Hides small bumps in the drywall	Shows flaws, so the drywall needs proper finishing
Sound	Absorbs a little sound	Very slightly more echo in empty rooms

Another option

Remove it or paint over it?

Painting over popcorn is quicker and cheaper, and sometimes it is the right call. If the ceiling is sound, the budget is tight, or a test has shown asbestos and you would rather leave it undisturbed, painting can make sense.

But the texture stays, and a heavy coat can loosen it. If it is the look you are tired of, removal is the only way to change it. Tell us which result you want and we will say which way we would go.

Read: remove a popcorn ceiling or paint over it?

Reviews

What customers say about popcorn ceiling removal

None of the reviews on our Google profile mentions popcorn ceiling removal by name yet, so these are general reviews of our work, shown as written.

63 of the 69 ratings on Google are five stars. All 6 of the reviews below include photos of the finished work, posted on Google by the customers themselves.

Swipe or use the arrows to read more reviews

★★★★★

Pulkit homes- Paul was amazing to deal with. Very good at communicating and the job was done right on time. Highly recommend

9 photos on Google

Adam P. (Google review)

★★★★★

Pulkit homes was fantastic! From meeting Paul getting our quote to the fantastic painting results. It’s like we have a new home. Work was done on time and so professionally. Highly recommend

3 photos on Google

Brian R. (Google review)

★★★★★

Pulkit homes finished our house the price was good and the quality was also top- notch.they cleaned up after job was done and it was done on time .i highly recommend them 10/10 people .we are very happy with them

3 photos on Google

Alan G. (Google review)

★★★★★

Paul and his crew were great. They arrived on time and completed in the time frame scheduled. The workmanship was very well done and they cleaned up like they were never here. Paul was accommodating. And the price was better than I was expecting to pay. We were VERY pleased with Pulkit and would recommend them highly

3 photos on Google

Heather C. (Google review)

★★★★★

Pulkit homes painted our interior and they were just great. Very nice crew and Owner Paul has your best interest in mind. Helped with colour choice. Took great care in painting and the price very reasonable.

2 photos on Google

Fred F. (Google review)

★★★★★

Decent work. It was a fair price for the work and Paul was accommodating and willing to work with my budget. They were very quick to fix deficiencies that concerned me and cleaned up everything after they were done I think I would have appreciated better communication on pricing cause I didn’t like my surprise bill for the electrical panel and had to negotiate fair pricing for that but it was quick to be rectified. Esthetic wise it was good and priced competitively

10 photos on Google

Amy C. (Google review)

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Questions

Popcorn ceiling questions, answered

12 answers on safety, the work and the price. Search, pick a topic, or just scroll.

Showing all 12 questions

Is popcorn ceiling dangerous?

Not by itself, as long as nobody is disturbing it. The concern is older texture, because some ceiling coatings sold into the 1980s contained asbestos. If your home was built before about 1990, or you are not sure, have a small sample tested by an accredited lab before anything is scraped or sanded.

How do I know if my ceiling has asbestos?

You cannot tell by looking. The only way to know is a lab test of a small sample. Please do not scrape some off to check. Disturbing it is how fibres get into the air. Our guide on asbestos testing in Alberta explains how to take a sample safely and who to send it to.

What if the test comes back positive?

Then we stop and talk it through. Removing a ceiling that contains asbestos is a different job with different rules, and we will tell you plainly what the next step is rather than push ahead. In some homes, leaving a sound ceiling undisturbed and sealed is the sensible choice.

Is my house too new to worry about?

Homes built from the 1990s onward are far less likely to have it, but a test is cheap next to the risk of guessing wrong, and it is worth doing if you are unsure when the ceiling was done. A previous owner may have added texture to an older ceiling.

How long does removal take?

It depends on how many rooms, how thick the texture is and whether it has been painted. A single bedroom is usually quicker than a whole main floor. We give a time estimate with the quote after seeing the ceiling, because it genuinely varies.

Will it make a mess?

Removal makes dust and wet debris, and sanding makes more dust. We cover floors and walls, and we ask you to clear what you can from the rooms. We clean up as we go and leave the rooms ready to use.

Do I need to move out?

Usually not. You do want the rooms we are working in empty or covered, and you may want to keep young children and pets out of them while the work is going on. We will tell you what to expect for your home before we start.

Can you do the painting afterwards too?

Yes, and it makes sense to do both together. The new ceiling needs primer and paint, and one crew doing it all means no waiting between trades. It is quoted as its own line so you can see what each part costs.

How much does it cost?

We do not post a single price per square foot, because two ceilings of the same size can be very different jobs. We quote after seeing the ceiling, in writing, with removal, repairs and painting shown separately. The things that change the price are listed above.

Is it cheaper to paint over it?

Painting over is usually the cheaper and quicker option, but the texture is still there. Rolling paint onto it can also loosen it. If budget or timing is tight, or a test is positive, it can be the right answer. We will tell you honestly which makes sense.

Will the ceiling be perfectly flat?

It will be smooth and even, and it will look right in daylight and with lamps on. Older ceilings have their own quirks, like slightly uneven drywall joints, and we point out anything we see before we start rather than after.

Does a smooth ceiling help when selling a home?

Many buyers see a dated texture as a job waiting for them, so a clean smooth ceiling often helps a house look newer and brighter. We cannot promise a sale price, but it is one of the simpler updates that changes how a room feels.

Not here? Call (780) 604-3162 and ask.

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