All trends, in fashion or in interiors, are cyclical. What’s extremely popular right now probably won’t be in 10 years, and then, another 10 years after that, it’ll be all the rage and highly coveted on 1stDibs. (We’re looking at you, green velvet couches.) Still, there are some trends that should never come back and most likely won’t. Take a popcorn ceiling. The bumpy finish peaked in the 1970s and ’80s, but we don’t see it cycling back. Most people recoil when they walk into an open house and see one or look up at their own unfortunate fifth wall. With this erstwhile trend, the question isn’t, “When will popcorn ceilings come back into style?” It’s “How can I remove a popcorn ceiling?”
Luckily, there are remedies to this pokey problem. We interviewed home construction and renovation experts—Brandon Walker of ASAP Restoration, designer Susan Yeley (with insights from contractor Rusty Peterson), and James Mansfield, founder of West Village GC—to learn the best way to remove a popcorn ceiling and put the focus on the textures you do want in your home.
What Is the Purpose of a Popcorn Ceiling?
Don’t be fooled: Popcorn ceilings aren’t the same as other textured treatments for ceilings or walls, such as stucco or limewash. Though our collective dislike for a popcorn ceiling might owe to a lack of positive PR, it’s pretty easy to argue that one simply isn’t nice to look at. They’re not called “cottage cheese ceilings” for nothing!
Popcorn ceilings were popular from the 1950s all the way up the 1980s, though. Walker, who’s the construction manager at ASAP Restoration, explains that there were three main reasons for the popularity of popcorn ceilings: They hid imperfections, they dampened acoustics, and they were both easy and cheap to apply. “It solved the problem of what to put on the ceiling without having to worry about the quality of the output to the same extent,” he says.
How to Remove a Popcorn Ceiling
The steps to removing a popcorn ceiling are fairly straightforward, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to complete. You’ll need quite a few materials if you don’t want to drop more than $1,000 on a tool designed specifically for removing them.
Materials:
- Goggles
- Filtered face masks
- Plastic sheeting
- Tape or staples
- Garden sprayer
- Drywall scraper or putty knife
- Drywall sander
- Ladder
- Trash bags
Step One: Test for Asbestos
Mansfield explains that the most important step of this entire process is testing for asbestos. For those unaware, asbestos is a natural mineral that also happens to be a carcinogen that was frequently used in many products, particular building materials, in the United States up until 1989. According to Mesothelioma.com, the mineral was banned in 1989: “The rule aimed to ban future manufacturing, importation, and distribution of asbestos products,” the site explains. However, that ruling was quickly overturned in 1991, when the asbestos industry challenged it. The resulting new ruling limited the use of asbestos “to several types of paper and felt flooring,” and it maintained the ban on new uses of asbestos.
It’s very important to test your ceiling for asbestos before you disturb it. If a popcorn ceiling was put in before 1989, “then it is going to come back positive for asbestos 99 percent of the time,” Walker says. There are two steps you can take if it does come back positive: Cover your ceiling up, or hire a licensed asbestos remediation company (which will not be inexpensive, Yeley adds) to remove and dispose of the material safely. Mansfield explains that asbestos is only dangerous if you activate it, “so if you chip it or sand it or scrape it, then you’re putting that fiber into the air.” If the asbestos test comes back negative, you can move on to the next step immediately.
Step Two: Protect Your Belongings
Take all of your furniture out of the room and cover absolutely everything—the floor, the walls—in plastic sheeting. You can use painter’s tape or staples to hold up the sheeting and make it easier on yourself. Be aware: This is an extremely dusty, messy process once you get started. Later on, you’ll likely be spraying water onto the ceiling. You want to make sure whatever you use to cover your floors and walls is waterproof and securely attached.
Step Three: Take Down Light Fixtures
To make it easier on yourself and to ensure precision, take down any light fixtures or ceiling fans on the ceiling. Cover the open wires with waterproof sheeting, and cut off the electricity to the room.
Step Four: Wet the Ceiling
Spray the ceiling warm water, working in small sections and using a garden sprayer to cover a larger surface area. Let the water sink in for a few minutes. This step isn’t strictly required, but you’ll be grateful you did it. You’re going to be scraping a hard, textured ceiling, so doing anything to make the process easier is ideal. As the water soaks into the ceiling, it’ll make the popcorn texture a bit softer and easier to remove. Plus, it’ll keep the dust down as the bits and pieces begin to fall.
Note: If the popcorn treatment has been painted over, it’ll take more than warm water to soften and release it from the ceiling. “The texture is locked in, and it will need to be chipped away inch by inch,” Walker warns.
Step Five: Scrape Away
Now it’s time for the dusty part. Put on your goggles (or whatever eye protection you deem fit) and a filtered mask—a simple cloth mask won’t cut it for a project like this. Once you’re geared up, you can begin using a drywall scraper or putty knife to scrape the ceiling. “There's a very affordable hand-scraping tool that you can purchase for this purpose, and you just scrape the ceiling bit by bit, Michealangelo-style,” Yeley says. “Much of the debris should fall into a bag attached to the tool, but there will be some that misses.”
You want to scrape bit by bit in the places you’ve sprayed, making your way around the ceiling. Be sure not to use too much pressure when scraping to keep the surface as even and flat as possible. It’s definitely not a quick job.
Step Six: Resurface the Ceiling
Once you’ve scraped the entire ceiling clean, you’ll need to give it a new, smooth finish. “You want to persevere to make sure you are left with a surface that is as uniformly clean as possible,” Yeley explains. “Once you’ve scraped it all off, you probably want to follow standard drywall or plaster finishing steps to finish the ceiling cleanly. We suggest at least a Level 4 drywall finish.” That means the ceiling won’t be smooth enough to paint in a high-gloss finish, but it will look fine if you paint it in a matte finish.
After you’ve applied the new finish and waited the directed time for it to dry, you can sand down any spots that aren’t quite even, add a coat of primer, and brush on your paint of choice.
Can I Remove a Popcorn Ceiling Myself?
You technically can, but should you? “We always tell people to hire a job out unless they have extra time and a genuine interest in and enjoyment of the process—this is no different,” Yeley says. “Popcorn ceiling removal takes time and elbow grease and makes a mess, but it’s not a particularly hard or technical process.” Mansfield and Walker agree with this sentiment, stating that it isn’t a complicated project, but if you have the ability to hire someone out to do the job, then you should. “From putting up temporary plastic walls and placing air scrubbers to safely disposing of the waste materials without contaminating your property, it will be an extraordinary challenge, and it won’t save you that much money or time,” Walker adds. Also, looking up at a ceiling for hours on end can wreck your neck and back, especially if you’re not used to doing it.
How Much Does It Cost to Remove a Popcorn Ceiling?
The cost to hire a pro, such as a general contractor, a drywall contractor, or a painter, to remove a popcorn ceiling will vary depending on where you live, but they typically have pricing minimums for jobs like this. “A safe rule of thumb is between $3 and $10 per square foot, depending on how challenging the project is. For example, if the popcorn texture has been painted over, then it will be closer to the $10 per square foot price,” Walker says. A flat ceiling in a small room will also cost less to remove than an angled ceiling or one in a larger room. Is it worth the expense? It’s really up to you.
Can I Cover Up My Popcorn Ceiling?
Yes! Covering up your popcorn ceiling is a relatively easy fix to this unappealing problem. “We almost always suggest you skip the removal and just add a new, fresh layer of drywall on top,” Yeley says. “It’s only 1/4", and most people can spare that in their ceiling height.” Unless you’re undertaking a full renovation, this may be the easiest and most cost effective option for you. As they say: Out of sight, out of mind! So long, cottage cheese ceiling.
Tools to Remove a Popcorn Ceiling
Goldblatt Drywall Knife Set
RBLCXG Respirator Reusable Mask with Safety Glasses
Super More Anti-Fog Protective Safety Goggles
Amazon Basics Flextra Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags
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Meghan Shouse is House Beautiful's Assistant Editor, a role she has held since September 2023. On top of being the magazine's go-to Waco expert, Meghan also touches on quite a few other verticals in the digital space, like hot news content featuring your favorite HGTV stars, home design inspiration, and the latest interior TikTok trends. However, her favorite pieces are the ones that start conversations, such as stories about resale value and whether or not the Solo cup is chic. Before becoming a home writer, Meghan worked in the fashion industry for two years, writing for Harper's Bazaar after graduating from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in apparel merchandising. When she's not interviewing interior designers about home trends, you can find Meghan reading a fictional thriller with her cat in her lap, planning themed parties, or strolling through flea markets searching for chunky candle holders and vintage bookends.
