Popcorn Ceiling Removal — Scraped, Skimmed and Ready for Paint
The popcorn ceiling that dates the whole house — tested, scraped, skimmed flat and primed, one room or the whole main floor, with the painting as its own line.
Popcorn ceiling removal is priced per room. On any ceiling from the 1980s or earlier, JMB Builders has a sample tested for asbestos first; if it comes back positive, a licensed abatement company removes it, not us. When it is clear, we mask the room, wet the texture, scrape it to the board, skim coat the whole ceiling, sand, prime and leave it smooth or apply a new texture. Twin Cities metro, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per room
- Asbestos sample tested first on older ceilings
- Scraped, skim coated, sanded and primed
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Popcorn, or acoustic, ceiling texture was sprayed on most houses built from the fifties into the eighties. It hides bad drywall work and it collects dust, cracks, and stains, and a lot of it made before the late seventies contains asbestos. That is why the first step on any older ceiling is a sample sent to a lab, before anyone scrapes anything. A positive result means a licensed asbestos abatement company does the removal, and we take over after the clearance.
When the test is clear, or the house is new enough not to need one, removal is a wet, messy, straightforward job. The room is masked floor to ceiling, the texture is misted so it softens, and it is scraped off with a wide blade down to the paper face of the drywall. What is under it is never pretty: the seams were rarely finished well because the popcorn was going to hide them. So the whole ceiling gets a skim coat, sanded, and primed.
The result is a smooth ceiling, or a new knockdown or orange peel texture if you prefer. Painting the ceiling is quoted as its own line, or prime and paint it yourself. If the ceiling is painted popcorn that will not scrape, or the test came back positive and you would rather not abate, covering it with a new layer of drywall is the other route, and we do that too.
What you supply
- The room emptied, or tell us and we will quote moving and covering the furniture
- The house's approximate build year, so we know whether a test is needed
- Your ceiling paint if we are painting — quoted as its own line
What JMB supplies
- An asbestos sample sent to an accredited lab on older ceilings, with the written result for your records
- A licensed abatement company referral if the sample is positive
- Full masking: plastic on the floor, walls and fixtures, and a dust barrier at the door
- Wetting and scraping the texture to the board, and bagging and hauling the debris
- Repair of any gouges and seams, then a skim coat over the whole ceiling
- Sanding, primer, and a new texture if you want one instead of smooth
- Light fixtures and vents dropped and reinstalled
- Photos of the finished ceiling in your job folder
- Painting of the ceiling when you want it, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per room
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Ceiling area of each room and the ceiling height — vaulted ceilings need staging
- Whether the popcorn is unpainted (scrapes easily) or painted (slow, or better covered over)
- Condition of the drywall underneath and how much repair the seams need
- Smooth finish vs. a new knockdown or orange peel texture
- Lab testing on older ceilings, and abatement by a licensed company if positive
- Number of light fixtures, fans and vents to drop and reinstall
- Furniture that has to be moved and covered
- Painting the ceiling, quoted as its own line
Send a photo of each ceiling, a close-up of the texture, and the year the house was built. If a corner is already flaking, a photo of that tells us whether it is painted.
How long it takes
One room: two to three days — scrape and first skim on day one, second skim and sanding on day two, primer on day three. A whole main floor: about a week. Add a week up front for the lab result on an older ceiling.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Scrape and skim smooth
The standard job. Wetted, scraped to the paper, seams repaired, a full skim coat, sanded and primed for a flat, modern ceiling. Best on unpainted popcorn.
Scrape and retexture
Same scrape and skim, then a sprayed knockdown or orange peel to match the walls or the rest of the house. Hides minor waves in an older ceiling better than smooth.
Cover with new drywall
A new layer of thin drywall screwed through the popcorn into the joists, taped and finished. The route for painted popcorn that will not scrape, or for a ceiling that tested positive when you would rather not abate. Lowers the ceiling slightly.
Test only
You want to know before you decide. We take the sample, send it to the lab, and give you the written result. Then you can plan removal, covering, or leaving it alone.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal — Scraped, Skimmed and Ready for Paint: questions, answered
Does my popcorn ceiling have asbestos?
If the house was built or the ceiling sprayed before the mid-1980s, it might. The only way to know is a lab test on a sample. We take a small piece from a closet or a corner, send it to an accredited lab, and have the result back in about a week. Nobody should scrape an untested older ceiling, and we do not.
What if the asbestos test comes back positive?
Then the removal is done by a licensed asbestos abatement company, not by us, under the containment and disposal rules that apply to that work. They give you a clearance when it is done and we come in after to skim, prime and finish the ceiling. The other option is to leave it in place and cover it with a new layer of drywall, which we can do without disturbing it.
Can popcorn ceiling be covered instead of scraped?
Yes. A thin layer of new drywall screwed through the popcorn into the joists, taped and finished, gives you a smooth ceiling without scraping. It drops the ceiling by a small amount and takes about the same time as scraping. It is the answer for painted popcorn, for a ceiling that tested positive, or when the drywall underneath is in bad shape.
Will the ceiling be smooth after scraping?
Not from the scraping alone. Popcorn was used to hide rough drywall work, and what is under it is usually unfinished seams and gouges. After scraping we skim coat the entire ceiling, sand it and prime it. That is what makes it smooth, and it is why the job takes more than a day.
Can popcorn ceiling be removed if it has been painted?
It is much harder. Paint seals the texture so water cannot soften it, and it scrapes off in chips instead of sheets, taking the paper face of the drywall with it. Sometimes it works with more soaking; often covering it with a new layer of drywall is faster and gives a better ceiling. We decide from a test patch.
How messy is popcorn ceiling removal?
Messy, and the mess stays inside the plastic. The floor, the walls and everything in the room are covered, the doorway is sealed, and the wet texture lands on the plastic and goes out in bags. Sanding dust is caught with a vacuum sander. When we pull the plastic the room is clean, but plan on not using it for the two or three days it takes.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All drywall pages
Where we work
Drywall near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: