Popcorn ceilings, also called acoustic or cottage cheese ceilings, were a popular choice for decades. They hid drywall imperfections, went up quickly, and softened sound a bit.
Today, most homeowners see them differently. They collect dust and cobwebs, they’re hard to clean and paint, and they can make a room feel dated no matter how nice everything else is.
Plenty of homes around Sioux Falls still have textured ceilings from past decades. If yours is one of them, you may be weighing whether removal is worth it, what’s involved, and how messy it really gets.
This guide covers the reasons homeowners remove popcorn ceilings, the safety step you shouldn’t skip, how professional removal works from start to finish, and what your options are for the new ceiling.
Why Homeowners Remove Popcorn Ceilings
The reasons usually fall into a few categories.
A More Updated Look
Smooth or lightly textured ceilings tend to make rooms look cleaner and more current. Removing a popcorn ceiling can change how a whole room feels, especially in living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms with lots of natural light.
Easier Maintenance
Popcorn texture traps dust, cobwebs, and cooking residue. It’s difficult to wipe down, and bits can flake off when you brush against it or replace a light fixture.
Better Lighting
Heavy texture casts small shadows, particularly under recessed lights or when sunlight hits at a low angle. A smoother ceiling reflects light more evenly.
Preparing to Sell
If you’re thinking about listing your home, dated finishes are one of the things buyers tend to notice. Updating ceilings along with fresh interior paint can help a home show better.
That said, resale impact varies by home and market, so it’s worth talking with a local real estate agent if selling is your main motivation.
Repairs Are Hard to Blend
Patching a water stain or hole in a popcorn ceiling so it matches the surrounding texture is tricky. Many homeowners decide to remove the texture entirely when a repair comes up.
The Safety Step You Shouldn’t Skip: Asbestos Testing
Before anyone scrapes a popcorn ceiling, it’s important to know what’s in it. Some older acoustic ceiling textures contained asbestos. Do not disturb the ceiling until you know what it contains.
Some older acoustic ceiling textures contained asbestos. Spray-applied asbestos was restricted in the late 1970s, but homes built or remodeled around that period and into the following years may still have materials that contain it. You can’t tell by looking.
Asbestos is generally considered low risk when left undisturbed. Scraping, sanding, or dry-removing it can release fibers into the air, which is the real concern.
What to Do
- Don’t disturb the ceiling until you know what it contains.
- Have a sample tested by an accredited laboratory. Testing is usually quick.
- If the result is positive, removal should be handled by a qualified asbestos abatement professional in line with state and federal rules. Covering or encapsulating the ceiling may also be an option.
- If the result is negative, the ceiling can be removed using standard methods.
This step protects everyone in the home, including kids, pets, and the crew doing the work.
How Professional Popcorn Ceiling Removal Works
Once the ceiling has been tested and cleared, a typical removal process looks like this.
Prepping and Protecting the Room
This is the most time-consuming part of the setup, and it’s what keeps the mess contained. Expect:
- Furniture removed or moved out and covered
- Floors covered with plastic and protective material
- Walls covered with plastic sheeting, often taped from the ceiling line down
- Doorways and HVAC vents sealed off to keep dust from spreading
- Power to ceiling fixtures turned off, and fixtures removed or protected
Softening the Texture
Most unpainted popcorn texture softens when misted with water. After soaking in briefly, it can be scraped off with wide scrapers. Working in manageable sections keeps the texture from drying out before it’s removed.
Scraping
The softened texture is scraped off and falls onto the protective plastic. Care is taken not to gouge the drywall paper underneath.
If your ceiling has been painted, removal gets harder. Paint seals the texture so water can’t penetrate easily. Painted popcorn may need more aggressive techniques or extra time, and in some cases covering the ceiling becomes the more practical option.
Drywall Repair
With the texture gone, you’ll see what the popcorn was hiding. That often includes:
- Visible drywall seams and tape
- Nail or screw pops
- Gouges from scraping
- Old water stains
- Uneven joints
These are repaired with joint compound and tape as needed. Skipping this step is why some DIY removals end up looking worse than the original ceiling.
Skim Coating or Applying a New Texture
Very few ceilings are smooth enough after scraping to paint directly. Most need one of the following:
- Skim coat for a smooth finish: Thin coats of joint compound are applied across the whole ceiling and sanded. This gives the most modern look but requires the most skill, since a smooth ceiling shows every flaw.
- Light texture: A knockdown or orange peel texture is applied after repairs. This hides minor imperfections while still looking far more current than popcorn.
Priming and Painting
Raw joint compound needs a quality primer before paint. Then the ceiling gets finish coats, usually in a flat ceiling paint that reduces glare and hides small imperfections.
Cleanup
Plastic sheeting is carefully rolled up with the debris inside, the room is cleaned, and fixtures are reinstalled.
Smooth vs. Textured: Which New Ceiling Is Right for You?
| Consideration | Smooth Finish | Light Texture Knockdown / Orange Peel |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Clean and modern | Updated, with subtle character |
| Hides imperfections | Not well | Better |
| Labor involved | More | Less |
| Future repairs | Easier to blend | Requires texture matching |
| Best for | Rooms with good drywall and strong lighting | Ceilings with more imperfections |
Alternatives to Removal
Removal isn’t the only way to get rid of a popcorn look. Depending on your ceiling’s condition and test results, other options include:
Covering the Ceiling With New Drywall
Thin drywall panels are installed over the existing ceiling. This avoids scraping entirely and can be a good choice for painted popcorn or ceilings that test positive for asbestos, subject to the applicable rules.
Skim Coating Over the Texture
In some cases, the texture can be knocked down and coated over. This depends heavily on the ceiling’s condition.
Leaving It and Painting
Painting popcorn ceilings is possible, but it makes future removal harder and doesn’t address the dated look.
Should You DIY Popcorn Ceiling Removal?
Scraping looks simple on video. The difficult parts are the ones that come after.
Things to consider before trying it yourself:
- Testing is still required before you start.
- The mess is significant. Wet texture ends up everywhere without proper containment.
- Working overhead is physically demanding and involves ladders or scaffolding.
- Finishing is the hard part. Getting a smooth, even ceiling after scraping takes real drywall finishing skill.
- Painted texture can turn a weekend project into a much longer one.
Many homeowners find that hiring a painting and drywall contractor who handles removal, repairs, texture, and paint as one continuous project gives a better result with fewer surprises.
Getting the Most Out of the Project
Since the room will already be prepped and protected, it often makes sense to bundle related work:
- Repaint the walls once the ceiling is done
- Update trim and baseboards
- Install new light fixtures or recessed lighting while the ceiling is open for repairs
- Address any other drywall repairs in the room
Doing it all at once means one round of prep, one cleanup, and a finished room at the end.
Ready for a Cleaner, More Modern Ceiling?
Golden Standard Painting & Drywall offers popcorn ceiling removal, drywall repair, and walls and ceilings painting in Sioux Falls, SD. Once your ceiling has been tested, give the team a call at 605-681-6807 to talk about the rooms you’d like updated and whether a smooth or textured finish makes the most sense.
Call 605-681-6807Frequently Asked Questions
Do all popcorn ceilings contain asbestos?
No, but some do, especially in homes built or remodeled in the decades when asbestos-containing textures were in use. You can’t identify asbestos by sight. The only reliable way to know is to have a sample tested by an accredited laboratory before the ceiling is scraped, sanded, or otherwise disturbed.
How messy is popcorn ceiling removal?
It’s one of the messier interior projects because wet texture falls onto everything below. Proper containment makes a big difference. Professionals cover floors and walls in plastic, seal doorways and vents, and remove furniture before starting. With good preparation, most of the debris is rolled up in the plastic and removed when the job is finished.
Can you remove a popcorn ceiling that has been painted?
Yes, but it’s more difficult. Paint seals the texture, so water can’t soften it easily, which makes scraping slower and harder. In some cases, other approaches are more practical, such as skim coating over the texture or covering the existing ceiling with new drywall. A contractor can look at your ceiling and recommend the best route.
Is a smooth ceiling or a textured ceiling better after removal?
It depends on your drywall and preferences. A smooth ceiling has the most modern look but shows every imperfection, so it requires careful skim coating. A light knockdown or orange peel texture hides minor flaws and generally takes less finishing work. Both look far more updated than a popcorn ceiling.
How long does popcorn ceiling removal take?
The timeline depends on the room size, whether the texture has been painted, how much drywall repair is needed, and whether you choose a smooth or textured finish. Drying time between coats of joint compound, primer, and paint also plays a role. Your contractor should give you a room-by-room estimate before work begins.