Popcorn ceiling removal in San Diego. Scrape, skim, paint, done.
Popcorn ceilings date a home to the 70s and 80s, trap dust, and make rooms feel shorter than they are. Removal is messy but not hard: wet the ceiling, scrape the texture off, skim-coat any imperfections, re-texture if you want (most people want smooth), prime, and paint. One step we never skip: if the home was built before 1979, we test for asbestos before anything gets scraped.
What's included in this service?
- Pre-1979 asbestos test before any scraping (sent to a certified lab)
- Full room mask: plastic on floors, walls, and furniture
- Wet-scrape popcorn texture with garden sprayer and 6" knife
- Skim-coat the ceiling smooth with two thin passes of joint compound
- Sand, dust, and vacuum before priming
- Optional orange peel or knockdown re-texture (we find most people want smooth)
- Prime with stain-blocking primer to prevent nicotine or water stains bleeding through
- Two coats flat ceiling paint for an even matte finish
When do you need this service?
- Buying or selling a 70s or 80s home with original ceilings
- Remodeling and the ceilings suddenly feel dated
- Ceiling has water stains bleeding through the texture
- Dust and cobwebs are hard to clean off the textured surface
- LED lighting is planned and the flat ceiling will cast better
- Kitchen ceiling has grease-stained popcorn near the stove
What do homeowners ask about Popcorn Ceilings?
What about asbestos?
Homes built before 1979 have a non-trivial chance of asbestos in the popcorn texture. We test before scraping by collecting a small sample and sending it to a certified lab. Results in 3–5 days. If positive, we don't scrape — we refer to a licensed abatement contractor. If negative, we proceed. Testing cost: about $65.
Is it messy?
Yes, but controllable. Wet-scraping turns the popcorn into wet chunks that fall onto the floor plastic, not dust in the air. We clean daily so you can walk through the house. Register vents taped off during scraping to keep particles out of the duct system.
Can I stay in the house?
Yes. We work one room at a time and seal off the room with plastic. Kitchens and main living spaces are usually scheduled for a weekend to minimize disruption.
What if the ceiling has water stains?
Fix the leak first. Once the source is dry, we skim-coat over the stain, prime with a stain blocker like BIN shellac primer, and finish paint. Stains painted over without a blocker bleed through within weeks.
Should I go fully smooth or add a light texture?
Smooth looks more modern and is what most buyers prefer. Light orange peel hides imperfections better if the drywall is old or wavy. We can show samples on a test board before committing. Full smooth requires a tighter skim-coat and finish sand.
Where do we offer Popcorn Ceilings in San Diego County?
We provide popcorn ceilings in every city and community in San Diego County. Pick your city for local climate notes and service specifics.
See popcorn ceilings in all 47 cities
Homeowners who hired us for this
Whole interior of a 3-bedroom in four days. Crew arrived at 8, worked clean, moved furniture themselves, and the cut lines around our textured ceiling are the sharpest I've ever seen on a paint job. Color turned out exactly like the sample.
Got three quotes. Paint Pros was the only one who walked me through the stucco prep in detail — which cracks needed elastomeric, which didn't. They spec'd a premium paint, not the cheapest. Nine months in, zero issues. Fair price for the work that went in.
Transformed our 90s oak kitchen. Doors off-site in a spray booth, sharp lines, handles upgraded. A week from drop-off to reinstall. Our kitchen looks like a $40,000 remodel but it cost us $5,400. Best ROI of anything we've done to this house.
Need popcorn ceilings in San Diego County?
Call for a free quote. Most work scheduled within the week.