Popcorn Ceiling Removal in Snohomish & King County, Asbestos Test First
We remove popcorn ceilings the right way: popcorn ceiling removal that starts with a certified asbestos test, then a sealed-off room, careful scraping, a smooth skim coat, primer and paint. One crew from the test to the finished ceiling, with a daily update and a price-match guarantee.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal, Done in the Right Order
Popcorn ceilings (also called acoustic or “cottage cheese” ceilings) were sprayed on in a lot of Northwest homes from the 1950s into the 1980s. They catch dust and cobwebs, they’re hard to patch, and they make a room look older than it is. Taking one down and finishing a smooth, painted ceiling is one of the biggest changes you can make to a room.
The catch is asbestos. Many older popcorn ceilings contain it, and you can’t tell by looking or by the year your house was built. So every popcorn ceiling removal we do starts with a test, not a scraper.
- The asbestos test, set up for you: we arrange a certified inspector to sample the ceiling. You pay the inspector’s fee, and we tell you what it is up front.
- Results before any scraping: nothing comes down until the lab says what’s in it.
- The room sealed off: floors, walls, vents and anything left in the room are covered in plastic.
- Smooth, primed and painted: the ceiling is repaired, skim-coated where needed, primed and painted, so you get a finished ceiling, not just a scraped one.
How Popcorn Ceiling Removal Works With Us
- Free walkthrough. We look at the ceilings, check for water stains, sagging or old paint on the texture, and talk about which rooms you want done.
- Asbestos test. We arrange a certified inspector to take samples, and the lab tests them. You pay the inspector directly, and we tell you the fee before anything is scheduled.
- If the test is clean, we schedule the removal. If it finds asbestos, removal has to be done by a certified asbestos abatement contractor. We’ll walk you through your options honestly, and we can still do the repair and painting once the abatement is finished.
- Protect the room. Furniture comes out or gets wrapped, and the floors, walls, vents and fixtures are covered in plastic.
- Wet and scrape. The texture is misted with water to soften it, scraped off, then bagged and cleaned up.
- Repair and skim coat. Dings, gouges and old patches are filled, and the ceiling is skim-coated and sanded where it needs it, so the drywall seams don’t show.
- Prime and paint. A coat of primer seals the bare drywall and mud, then the ceiling is painted with Sherwin-Williams paint for an even, flat finish.
- Walkthrough. We look at it with you in good light and touch up anything you point out.
Popcorn Ceiling Asbestos: What the Rules Say Here
In Snohomish and King County, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency requires an asbestos survey before renovation work like scraping a popcorn ceiling, whatever the age of the house. Washington’s asbestos law (RCW 49.26.013) also requires a good-faith inspection by an accredited inspector before work that could disturb asbestos. A home inspection from when you bought the house usually doesn’t count.
Homeowners who live in their own single-family house are allowed to survey and even remove it themselves under the agency’s rules, but the agency strongly encourages hiring certified professionals, and so do we. The full details, with links to the agency’s own pages, are in our guide: Does my popcorn ceiling have asbestos?
Our rule: we never scrape first and ask later. The test comes first on every popcorn ceiling.
What a Finished Ceiling Looks Like
Photos of our popcorn ceiling removal jobs are coming soon. Until then, here is the same prep, patching and painting on our other ceiling work. Each photo says what it is.
More of our ceiling and drywall work is on the drywall repair page, and finished rooms are in the before and after gallery.
Should You Remove a Popcorn Ceiling or Paint Over It?
Painting over a popcorn ceiling is an option, and if it tests positive for asbestos, sealing it with paint is one of the choices the clean air agency lists. But paint soaks into the texture, and a painted popcorn ceiling is much harder to remove later because water can’t soften it. If you think you’ll want it gone someday, it’s usually better to test it and take it down once.
- Remove it if you want a modern, smooth ceiling, you’re updating the room anyway, or the texture is stained, cracked or falling.
- Paint or leave it if it tested positive and you don’t want abatement, or it’s in a room you’re not updating now.
- Test it either way if it’s stained, sagging or crumbling. Heavy or water-damaged texture can come down in clumps.
Planning to paint the walls too? We do the interior painting in the same job, so you have one crew and one schedule.
Why Hire Us to Remove Your Popcorn Ceiling
- Test first, every time: no scraping until the results are in.
- Removal, drywall and paint from one crew: no second contractor to finish the ceiling.
- The owner does the walkthrough: Joey looks at your ceilings himself.
- Price-match guarantee on written quotes for the same work.
- A daily update every day of your job.
- Washington-registered contractor (#MIRACPC777L8), licensed and insured.
We remove popcorn ceilings across Snohomish and King County, including Everett · Mill Creek · Bothell · Lynnwood · Edmonds · Marysville · Shoreline · Snohomish · Lake Stevens · Mukilteo · Kenmore.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Questions
Does my popcorn ceiling have asbestos?
It might. Many popcorn ceilings put up before the mid-1980s contain asbestos, and newer ones can too. You can’t tell by looking or by the year. The only way to know is to have a sample tested, which we set up before any removal.
How much does popcorn ceiling removal cost?
It depends on the size of the rooms, the ceiling height, whether the texture has been painted, and how much skim coating the ceiling needs afterward. The asbestos test is separate and paid to the inspector. We give you an exact written price after a free walkthrough, and we match written quotes for the same work.
Do you test for asbestos before removing a popcorn ceiling?
Yes, every time. We arrange a certified inspector, you pay the inspector’s fee, and nothing is scraped until the results are back. Local rules require that survey before renovation work, whatever the age of the house.
Can you remove a popcorn ceiling that has been painted?
Usually, yes. It’s more work, because paint keeps water from softening the texture, so painted ceilings take longer to scrape and often need more skim coating afterward. We’ll check for paint at the walkthrough and include it in your price.
What happens if the test finds asbestos?
Then the removal has to be done by a certified asbestos abatement contractor. We’ll explain your options honestly, including leaving it or sealing it, and we can do the drywall repair and painting after the abatement is done.
Do you paint the ceiling after the popcorn is removed?
Yes. Removal includes repairing and skim-coating the ceiling where needed, priming it and painting it, so you end up with a finished, smooth ceiling. We can paint the walls in the same job.
Can we stay in the house while you remove a popcorn ceiling?
Usually, yes. We seal off the room we’re working in so the dust stays in it. We’ll talk through which rooms you can use, and for how long, at the walkthrough.
Ready to Lose the Popcorn?
Text us a photo of your ceiling and we’ll set up a free walkthrough and the asbestos test.
Miracle Painting Company · Mill Creek, WA · WA Reg. #MIRACPC777L8