Removing Popcorn Ceilings
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
June 2005
Does anyone have any recommendations or advice about having the popcorn ceilings in my house removed? new homeowner
first have a sample checked if it contains asbestos- we did this with Synergy; they and a few others are certifed to do asbestos removal if needed. Ours didn't contain asbestos and we hired a demo. person though any painter could do it; or if you are so inclined you can do it yourselves easily (though it's a huge mess) by 1. covering the floor and wear hat and glasses 2. dampen the stuff with a wet cloth or spray bottle and 3. it scrapes right off with a wide putty knife. chris
The most important thing in removing your popcorn ceiling is whether or not it contains asbestos, and you can have it tested by an asbestos professional. Unfortunately you can't tell for sure just by the age of the house (unless your house is very new) or by looking at it. If the ceiling does not contain asbestos, it is a pretty simple job that anyone could do or hire out (I saw a homeowner remove it with some water and a scraper on a do-it-yourself TV show). If it does contain asbestos, obviously you need to hire a licensed asbestos removal firm to remove it safely. David
Hi - I recommend Juan Orellana, cell: 510-919-2242. I originally hired Juan to paint the outside of my Richmond home. Then, we moved to Benicia and needed inside paint as well as popcorn ceiling removal. He bid the job at significantly less than my other bid, who I will also mention here. Recently my mother in law used Juan to de-popcorn her home in San Rafael and was very happy with the results (and she is more picky than I). Your caveat: Juan is not a licensed contractor. He has always completed the job when he said he would. He does draw up a written proposal and sticks to it. My family has used him three times now and I'd recommend him again.
The other bid we got was a company called TnT in Vallejo. They have de-popcorned a ton of houses in the Benicia/Vallejo area. If you want someone licensed, they will probably be good, but more pricey. Don't know how far they travel. They are a father/daughter team. Richard and Shannon and I *think* the last name is Dean. Good luck! and if you end up using Juan -- Please tell him I sent you! Renee
Last year we had Pacfic Drywall remove our popcorn ceiling. They were the most professional, gave us the lowest quote, and came when they said they were going to. We moved as mutch as we could into the garage and they covered the big furniture. We have a 1630sq foot home and they did the work in two days. We planned a short but fun two night stay in SF for those days.
Pacific Drywall Lic. # 681775 (888) 447-0487 http://www.greatceilings.com/ Leticia
Google "asbestos abatement contractors", there are several in the area. Check out Bluewater Environmental, Restec Contractors, P.W. Stephens to name a few.
We had our asbestos popcorn ceiling remediated by Synergy (they did the testing as well). They were extremely fast and responsive (we worked with Robert Huddlestone and he was great). We had another company bid as well and they were almost twice the cost - we aren't sure why. Our removal was nearly the entire house (about 1200 sq feet). Very professional job.