- Homeowners spend lots of time and money refurbishing their home without touching their acoustic ceilings. The lower half of their home looks lovely but the old, dramatic, dirty acoustic ceilings date the home to the 70’s. Removing the acoustic popcorn ceilings from your home will bring your home up to date.

- Acoustic popcorn ceilings are a surface that will attract and harbor dust particles floating freely in your household air. Removing the acoustic popcorn and applying a surface that does not attract dust particles will help contribute to the quality of your indoor air.

Remodeling

- During this stage, you may be presented with an excellent opportunity to eliminate your ugly Acoustic popcorn ceilings. When remodeling, always work from the top down. First, the ceilings and any lighting changes that may affect the ceiling must be done. Next are the windows and walls, the flooring must be last. This is the best time to remove the acoustic popcorn ceiling from your home.

- Updating ceilings before selling your home can be advantageous. Certainly, don’t encumber yourself with expenses that will not result in bringing you a higher price in the sale of your property. But, always keep in mind that there may be several homes for sale in your tract. A fresh, updated ceiling may be the look that sets your home above the rest! Removing the acoustic popcorn ceilings from your home add great value to your home.

- As with remodeling, always work from the top down. First the roof, followed by the ceilings and any lighting changes that may affect the ceiling. Next are the windows and walls, the flooring, must is last. You will love the new look removing the acoustic popcorn ceilings from your home will give you.

- Occasionally water damage is so excessive that portions of the drywall must be removed and replaced. Water stains can be resolved during the painting process after your acoustic popcorn ceiling is removed.

- Usually fire, smoke and water damage is so excessive that portions, if not all, of the drywall must be removed and replaced. Water stains can be resolved during the painting process after your acoustic popcorn ceiling is removed.

- Can you be ready tomorrow? (Usually 1-2 week lead time) An in-home estimate must be given first.

- Most homes are completed in one or two days. This does not include the painting procedure. 

- Conventional textures were developed with the West Coast housing boom. This boom occurred during the 1970's and 1980's and these techniques were produced for the purpose of speed. Of these, the "orange peel" and "knockdown" textures were the most common. These two textures are applied with pneumatic air driven equipment and are most commonly found in tract homes. Custom, hand produced textures common to high-end housing are used exclusively. Consult your estimator for additional information.

- After the removal process, your ceiling must thoroughly dry. The recommended time allotted for adequate drying is 24 to 48 hours. 

- We highly recommend flat ceiling white as a finish paint. Before you apply the paint you have selected as your finish, always use a primer. Many painting contractors will contend that primer is not necessary. Don't make the mistake of skipping this step as you may have to repaint again. Additionally, all primers will not do the job effectively. The only primer that offers guaranteed results on an acoustic ceiling is an "oil based primer sealer". There are many of these sealers on the market. Two popular choice sealers are Kilz or Zinsser, and can be purchased at any major paint suppler, hardware store or home improvements center.

- Room sizes that do not exceed 12 feet by 14 feet, and possess a flat 8 foot high ceiling are considered as "Normal Ceilings". Rooms that vary from these standards may be subject to increased pricing. Please check with your estimator.

- Ceilings that exceed 8 feet in height will be subject to additional charges. These rooms are charged based on a more strenuous work conditions. Your estimator will answer specific questions regarding these rooms.

- Most hallways are considered a room.

- Priced according to application required.

- Plaster materials were commonly used in homes and pose special difficulty. Unlike drywall, plaster acoustic is hard and not water soluble. To achieve a new smooth surfaced look, drywall compound material must be added to fill in the un-even surface. This task is tedious and time consuming and the costs may vary according to each jobs specific preparation needs.

Popcorn Ceiling Removal Prices

We charge approximately $1 to $1.50 per square foot to remove popcorn from your ceiling. If you have a 15X15 foot ceiling, then it will cost between $225 to $335 to remove the popcorn in that room. You will need to have the ceilings painted soon after the popcorn ceilings are removed. To minimize any inconvenience, it is wise to hire one contractor to do the entire project.

Things to Consider

Removing popcorn ceiling is an extremely dirty job. All of the material that makes up the popcorn ceiling, will be falling down to the floor, which we take careful steps to protect. This is not a home improvement that will help just you. It is going to bring your property up to a modern style that will help your property value be as high as it can be.

Warning: If your home was built before the 1980s then your popcorn ceilings could have asbestos in them! Asbestos is a binding agent that was used in construction before people found out it was a cancer causing killer. Do a little test on a piece of your ceiling before hand to make sure. You can buy an asbestos testing kit like the one seen here for $10 to $20. It will cost more money to hire a company to remove popcorn ceiling with asbestos. It takes extra care and time to remove asbestos. This article explains some of the detail that goes into asbestos removal procedure.

Homeowner’s Responsibilities

Room Preparation

The homeowner takes part in preparing the rooms for the removal process. It is not necessary for the homeowner to remove large heavy objects. The work crew will either work around large heavy pieces of furniture, or move them according to the discretion of the foreman.

Living Space Rooms

Most normal rooms contain objects that are small. These objects can be moved easily by homeowners and are primarily considered room decor. These objects may include: lamps, plants and figurines. Wall decor must be moved as well. Wall decor includes: wall hangings, pictures, artwork and mirrors. Adequate room preparation will contribute to the efficiency and productivity of the work crew.

Kitchens/Bath

Most building codes prevented acoustic applications in kitchen and bath areas. However, some dressing rooms, powder rooms and kitchenettes do have acoustic ceilings. If this is true with your home, remove any objects that can be tipped over and broken.

Closets

Remove all items off from the top shelf only. Should you have mirrored closet doors, the doors must be removed and placed outside of the house prior to the crew arrival. The crew will work with standard wood closet doors.