Ocala Drywall Experts
Popcorn Ceiling Removal in Ocala and Marion County
Popcorn ceiling removal runs $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot in the Ocala area, and a typical living room ceiling lands between $300 and $600. The range depends on ceiling height, how many coats of paint are already on the texture, and whether we skim coat or hand-sand the final surface.
If the ceiling was textured before 1980, we test a sample first, since older texture can contain asbestos. We do not scrape anything until the test comes back clear. On a recent living room job in Belleview, the test came back clear and we wet-scraped and skim-coated a 200 square foot ceiling for $540, about $2.70 a square foot.
Testing Before We Start
Any ceiling textured before 1980 gets tested before we touch it. We take a small sample and send it out, and we do not start scraping until the result is back. This step protects you and it protects our crew.
Ceilings textured after the early 1980s are less likely to be a concern, but we still check the home's age and renovation history before quoting the work.
Wet-Scrape Method
Once a ceiling clears testing, we wet it down with water to soften the texture, then scrape it off with a wide knife. Wetting the surface first cuts down on dust compared to dry sanding and makes the texture come off in sheets instead of a fine powder.
After scraping, the ceiling almost always needs a skim coat to fill scrape marks and old texture residue before it is smooth enough for paint.
Skim Coating and Finishing
A thin skim coat of joint compound goes over the scraped ceiling to fill texture residue and any shallow gouges left behind. We sand it smooth, then check it under a work light held at an angle, which shows flat spots a normal ceiling light will not.
This is the step that took the Belleview living room ceiling from scraped and rough to paint-ready in the same visit window.
- Test sample on pre-1980s ceilings
- Wet-scrape to cut down on dust
- Skim coat to fill residue and gouges
- Light-check for flat spots before paint
What to Expect in Your Home
We cover floors and furniture before starting, since even a wet-scrape job creates some mess. Most single rooms take two days counting dry time between the scrape and the skim coat.
A 200 square foot living room ceiling, close to the size of a typical Marion County living room, runs in the $540 range at the pricing above, a fair benchmark for budgeting your own room.
Questions
We test any ceiling textured before 1980 before starting work, since older texture can contain asbestos. We do not scrape until the test is clear.
We wet the texture before scraping, which cuts down on dust compared to dry sanding. We still cover floors and furniture, since some mess is normal for this job.
Yes. Once we skim coat and sand the ceiling smooth, it needs a coat of ceiling paint to finish the job.
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