Cost for Popcorn Ceiling Removal from the Home

Applying a popcorn texture to the ceiling has seen its heyday. Once sprayed on with a high pressure pump, or rolled on, it made the finishing phase of the rather hard-to-sand-surface overhead an easier job by way of elimination. Yet costs to maintain the texture surface, in terms of keeping the ceiling fresh looking and clean, are not cheap. As the bumpy popcorn seems a collector, in need of more regular coatings. It may also seem dated.

Popcorn Ceiling Removal Prices

Initially, the ceiling should be subject to a test to find out if the applied popcorn contains asbestos. Asbestos was part of the popcorn formula pre-1980, but this is not foolproof (for example, dated bags could have been applied, etc). So it is always best to be safe and have testing done.

Although it is possible for homeowners to manually remove dampened samples and send these off to a testing lab, which can be done for about $20 to $50, including lab analysis, it is normally not recommended in favor of a qualified testing contractor. A testing outfit will probably charge from a $200 estimate and greater, starting with a moderate ceiling area that requires little sample-taking.

Ceilings that contain asbestos will of course be the most expensive undertakings. Factors that affect estimates include the ceiling height, room sizes and number of total rooms along with the assessed difficulty of scraping. Most projects end up costing from $2.50 to $6.00 per square foot for removal, however some projects may exceed these figures.

Ceilings not containing the threat of asbestos can be scraped at $.90 per square foot - but for this, only reaching to a single floor, with an open ceiling plan (no narrow halls or closets) and that as well have some square footage to the job. Broken ceiling areas/floor plans, or those at height, taller or sloped ceilings or having skylight vestibules, etc, can price out at $2 to $3 per square foot and more. Other factors:

• Estimates should include all costs for cleanup and whether or not the flooring (such as carpet) is to remain or be removed.


• Figure on paying extra for patching, retaping and finishing of the wallboard. that will also either have to be painted or re-textured. In some cases, it may make sense to have the ceiling wallboard replaced during the process.


• Whenever testing is done, it should be by a seperate party other than the one completing the work, to maintain project integrity.