Wall & Surface Repairs
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Tested first, then scraped, skimmed and refinished
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Overview
About our popcorn ceiling removal
Popcorn, or acoustic, ceiling texture was sprayed on by the ton through the middle of the last century and it dates a room instantly. Removing it is a scrape-and-refinish job: the texture comes off, the ceiling underneath gets skimmed flat or retextured, and then it is primed and painted. It is not the same as a repair, because the whole plane is being refinished rather than a section.
One thing comes before everything else: acoustic texture installed before the late 1980s can contain asbestos and must be tested before removal. Testing and any abatement are handled by a certified specialist, not by us. That matters across older Riverside and Corona neighborhoods, where mid-century and 1970s tract housing is exactly the vintage most likely to need a sample pulled.
Where a ceiling tests clear, our scope is straightforward and messy, so containment comes first. Floors and walls are sheeted, the texture is misted and scraped wet to keep dust down, and the substrate is then skimmed, sanded and finished either smooth or in a light texture you choose. Primed and painted, it should read as a ceiling that was always flat.
Licensed · Bonded · Insured — CA LIC# 1160754Inland Empire & Orange CountyFree estimates
Why it pays off
Testing comes first
We will not scrape an older ceiling on an assumption. Sampling and any abatement go to a certified specialist, which protects your household and keeps the work inside our license.
Contained, wet-scraped mess
Misting the texture and sheeting the room end to end is the difference between a contained job and acoustic grit turning up in the carpet for months.
A truly flat ceiling
Scraping alone leaves the joints and fastener heads the texture was covering. Skimming and pole sanding the whole plane is what makes a flat ceiling look intentional under light.
Your choice of finish
Smooth, orange peel or a light knockdown all work over a skimmed ceiling, and we will sample the option you are leaning toward before committing the whole room to it.
Our process
How we approach popcorn ceiling removal
The order matters as much as the materials. This is the sequence we follow, and the estimate spells out which steps your job needs.
- 01
Test before anything
If the ceiling predates the late 1980s, a certified specialist takes a sample and tests it for asbestos. Nothing is scraped until that result is back, and abatement, if needed, is their work and not ours.
- 02
Sheet the room
Furniture goes out or gets wrapped, then floors, walls and openings are covered in plastic. Fixtures and ceiling fans come down and vents are sealed, because scraped acoustic texture gets everywhere.
- 03
Mist and scrape
The texture is lightly misted with water and left to soften, then taken off with a wide scraper held at a shallow angle. Wet scraping keeps the mess in sheets on the floor instead of airborne.
- 04
Repair what it hid
Acoustic texture hides a lot: unfinished tape joints, popped screws, gouges from the original crew. Seams are retaped where needed and fasteners reset before any leveling starts.
- 05
Skim and sand flat
Two or three skim coats of all-purpose compound level the ceiling, each feathered out across the joints. Pole sanding with a light raked along the plane finds every ridge before primer goes on.
- 06
Finish and paint
You choose smooth or a light knockdown or orange peel. Either way the ceiling is primed to seal the fresh compound, then painted in a flat ceiling finish that will not pick up roller sheen.
Related services
Work that usually goes with this
Most jobs touch more than one of these. Bundling them into one estimate saves a second mobilization.
Where we do it
Popcorn Ceiling Removal across the Inland Empire & Orange County
We work out from Corona across 40 cities and communities. Pick yours for local detail, or just call and tell us the street.
Get a free estimate for popcorn ceiling removal
Tell us the property, the surfaces involved and anything that needs repair first. We will walk the job and put the full scope in writing. Serving the Inland Empire & Orange County.
Licensed · Bonded · Insured — CA LIC# 1160754