A fresh, modern ceiling

Popcorn Ceiling Removal

We remove dated popcorn (acoustic) ceiling texture and re-texture with a clean, modern finish — knockdown, hand-troweled, or your texture of choice — that instantly updates the whole room.

Get Your Free Estimate (214) 763-8844

What’s included

Every popcorn ceiling removal project from Optimized Painting Co. is handled by our own trained professionals — never day laborers — and backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Complete removal of popcorn / acoustic ceiling texture
Re-textured with a modern knockdown or hand finish
Floors, walls, and furniture fully protected
Knockdown, orange-peel, or hand-troweled texture options
Primed and repainted to a flawless finish

How Removal Actually Works

Popcorn removal is a messy job that we make un-messy through containment. The room is sealed off first: floors covered completely, walls masked, furniture moved out or wrapped, and fixtures protected. The texture is then wetted to soften it and scraped away in sections — wet scraping keeps dust down and protects the drywall underneath. What's left is rarely a paint-ready surface, so the real skill comes next: skim-coating and sanding the ceiling smooth, repairing any dings the old texture was hiding.

From there you choose the new finish — a modern knockdown, a hand-troweled texture, or a fully smooth ceiling — followed by primer and ceiling paint. When the containment comes down, you get a finished, painted ceiling, not a scraped one that still needs work.

A Note on Older Dallas Homes and Testing

Popcorn texture was standard in homes built through the 1980s, and North Texas has entire neighborhoods full of it. If your home was built before the mid-1980s, the texture should be tested for asbestos before anyone disturbs it — this is a simple lab test, and it's the responsible first step, not an upsell. If a test comes back positive, removal requires a licensed abatement contractor rather than a painting crew, and we'll tell you that plainly.

One more DFW-specific note: foundation movement from our clay soils often leaves cracks at the ceiling line that the heavy popcorn texture has been hiding for years. We repair what we find during the skim-coat stage, so the new ceiling starts clean.

What Drives the Price

The main cost factors are ceiling square footage and height, how the texture was applied (painted-over popcorn resists wetting and takes much longer to remove), the condition of the drywall underneath, and the finish you choose — a knockdown re-texture is less labor than a fully smooth, skim-coated ceiling. Vaulted ceilings and rooms that can't be emptied add setup time. Your free estimate covers all of it, including whether testing is recommended for your home's age.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an asbestos test before removing popcorn ceiling?

If your home was built before the mid-1980s, yes — popcorn texture from that era sometimes contains asbestos, and it must be tested before being disturbed. It's a simple, inexpensive lab test. If the result is positive, removal has to be handled by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor, not a painting crew, and we'll point you in the right direction honestly.

How messy is popcorn ceiling removal?

The work itself is messy; your home shouldn't be. We seal off each room completely — floors, walls, furniture, and fixtures — before any scraping starts, and we wet-scrape to keep dust down. The debris stays inside the containment and leaves with us. When we pull the plastic down, you have a finished, painted ceiling and a clean room.

Can you make my ceiling completely smooth instead of textured?

Yes. After the popcorn comes off, you choose the new finish: knockdown, hand-troweled, orange-peel, or a fully smooth ceiling. Smooth is the most labor-intensive option because it requires careful skim-coating and sanding until the surface is flawless — overhead light shows every imperfection — but it's the cleanest, most modern look. We'll show you the options at the estimate.

Does the ceiling get painted as part of the job?

Yes — priming and painting are built into our process, so the project ends with a finished ceiling, not a bare textured one waiting on another contractor. Fresh texture must be primed before paint or the finish will look blotchy. If you're repainting the walls too, doing ceilings and walls together is more efficient than separate visits.

Serving your neighborhood

We provide popcorn ceiling removal across Dallas, Highland Park, University Park, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, Richardson, and the surrounding North Texas communities.

Dallas Highland Park University Park Plano Frisco McKinney Prosper Richardson