# What is a fair price for popcorn ceiling removal?



## JohnMarshallPainting (Oct 16, 2011)

I was just wondering what some of the other contractors have been billing per sq ft to remove acoustic(popcorn)?

I have done a few and realise that it is a ton of work. One good thing, the place was built in 1980 so I dont need to worry about asbestos.

thanks for the input


John


----------



## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

Your not going to get an answer to this question on this site, but don't let it discourage you. We are to here to refine skills, socialize and focus on better business practices, but talking specific numbers happens rarely as to many variables come into factors and there is truly no standardized number to give you. 

I wish you well, and hope you make good money on this project.


----------



## Dunbar Painting (Mar 19, 2010)

Depending on the condition of the ceiling, the height, etc... people could probably answer how many sq ft they can do in an hour.

You could take the averages from everyone's answer and try to deduce a sqft rate. That being said, it really depends on how long it takes YOU to do it, and how much YOU need to charge to make money.


----------



## BrushJockey (Mar 15, 2009)

How are you doing it? 
Some wet it down and wet scrape- doesn't work if it was painted.
Slop is a pain to clean up- tracks easily.
Dry scrape- dust and stuff everywhere- but it vacuums.
How good is your containment?
Do you just prime( hopefully ) and paint, or do you skim?

Not going to give numbers- but these are some of the considerations.


----------



## JohnMarshallPainting (Oct 16, 2011)

thanks for the unput guys.


----------



## ttd (Sep 30, 2010)

Time and materials.


----------



## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

JohnMarshallPainting said:


> I was just wondering what some of the other contractors have been billing per sq ft to remove acoustic(popcorn)?
> 
> I have done a few and realise that it is a ton of work. One good thing, the place was built in 1980 so I dont need to worry about asbestos.
> 
> ...


John,
You're probably correct but you still may want to have it tested to be sure -

"*When was asbestos banned for use in popcorn ceilings*?
Many people believe that asbestos was banned from use in popcorn ceiling texture in the 1970s. In fact, the manufacturing of popcorn ceiling asbestos texture was banned in 1978, but it was still legal to install it. Installation of asbestos ceiling texture was not banned because of the financial loss it would have meant for manufacturers, suppliers and contractors who had already purchased stock of the product. Asbestos ceiling texture was still being installed in homes through the 1980s when the product stocks finally ran out."

From the Mesothelioma News website:
http://www.mesotheliomanews.com/2009/08/22/misconceptions-about-asbestos-and-popcorn-ceilings/

Dan


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

$50/hr


----------



## Ole34 (Jan 24, 2011)

i pinched a nerve down my left side removing popcorn an the subsequent skim coating that was involved ................sanding is what did it just be carefull about lookin up for long periods of time


----------



## TERRY365PAINTER (Jul 26, 2009)

Depends on ceiling height occupied or not 
I wet the ceiling . Use a airless with hot water and Downey and sometimes krud cutter . This goes through paint as well
If really on there knock off all the tips of the pop corn . Re wet ! And scrap .The problem I find Is tarnish sheet rock . It's 
A pita to get rid of !! Takes an extra coat of primer cover stain It happens cuz I bid to prime before texture . Helps with catching 
The areas that need a second skimming .
Then texture and 2 top coats . 2.00 a sq 
Still sucks !my neck still hurts from the last 
Job. The festool and the mirka sanding block helps a lot for the sanding . 
Abranet sanding paper good stuff use a higher grit though .


----------



## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

You are the man Terry! I too removed popcorn this same way. Never again. I sub it out to my drywall guy. That is hard work and your price per square is far to generous.


----------



## Rick the painter (Mar 30, 2009)

Ole34 said:


> i pinched a nerve down my left side removing popcorn an the subsequent skim coating that was involved ................sanding is what did it just be carefull about lookin up for long periods of time


 This is very good advice here..When your a youngster you can bull thru jobs like this.As we age,muscles get tight and horrible things like pinched nerves occur.I have learned to stop once and a while to hopefully keep my neck from tying into a knot!


----------



## prototype66 (Mar 13, 2008)

T&M and a lot of plastic with a good shop vac.


----------



## StripandCaulk (Dec 30, 2011)

i wouldnt put a sq ft price on this. in my expierence popcorn can come off really easily or it can be a b****. Was it painted? Did they prime before they put it up? ive even taken some down and seen that all the tape joints needed 2 more coats of compound. protect yourself and try and get time and materials


----------



## robladd (Nov 22, 2010)

StripandCaulk said:


> i wouldnt put a sq ft price on this. in my expierence popcorn can come off really easily or it can be a b****. Was it painted? Did they prime before they put it up? ive even taken some down and seen that all the tape joints needed 2 more coats of compound. protect yourself and try and get time and materials


SAC you know what your talking about. What I like to do is the 1st room T & M because it can vary from next door to across the street and go from there.

That way you can determine what it's going to take to get it done. By no stretch of the imagination is this a EZ task.

I always try to match existing texture or leave it smooth or slick as some would say.

Occupied or vacant is the other factor that
has to be considered when giving a bid.

That's why I insist on the 1st room T & M.


----------



## mpminter (Mar 21, 2011)

I learned a hard lesson a couple weeks ago on a popcorn ceiling job. We got the texture off and then I had my drywall guy come in and re-tape the ceilings and skim coat. Then we gave the ceiling a quick light sanding and put a a generous coat of Tuff Hide up, but this was the first time I had ever used Tuff Hide. I used a .531 tip at the end of 100' of hose and my 1140 just couldn't keep up. There were some really bad sprayer marks that had to be sanded out, but I was also unhappy to see that the whole ceiling had yellowed! I had to shoot a coat of Coverstain and then finish with Coronado Final Touch. Bottom line, I learned to use a smaller tip for the Tuff Hide (.021 -.025?) and from now on I'll be bidding a coat of oil primer for all my popcorn removal jobs.


----------



## boman47k (May 10, 2008)

I understand the reasoning for the t&m for the first room to some extent. That being said, I have seen the situation change within one house from one room to another. Can be a risky proposition. Prepare for bad, hope for good.


----------



## TERRY365PAINTER (Jul 26, 2009)

mpminter said:


> I learned a hard lesson a couple weeks ago on a popcorn ceiling job. We got the texture off and then I had my drywall guy come in and re-tape the ceilings and skim coat. Then we gave the ceiling a quick light sanding and put a a generous coat of Tuff Hide up, but this was the first time I had ever used Tuff Hide. I used a .531 tip at the end of 100' of hose and my 1140 just couldn't keep up. There were some really bad sprayer marks that had to be sanded out, but I was also unhappy to see that the whole ceiling had yellowed! I had to shoot a coat of Coverstain and then finish with Coronado Final Touch. Bottom line, I learned to use a smaller tip for the Tuff Hide (.021 -.025?) and from now on I'll be bidding a coat of oil primer for all my popcorn removal jobs.


Yep it has happen to me this last year 2 out of 5 jobs yellow sheet rock or brownish 123 and 2 coats of flat still blead through !! If the s/ rock was put in the early 80's they were using a lot of recycled paper back then . 1 coat of cover stain your golden ...


----------



## boman47k (May 10, 2008)

I have used water based primer after popcorn removal and it did fine. But, I washed, washed, and washed some more brown gooy junk off the ceiling before applying the primer. Before that I would use oil based primer. Even then I would wash the ceiling very thoroughly.

I would think I had the ceiling clean, look back and the brown stuff reappear. Washed until it quit coming back.

Prime, mud what needed mudding, prime, paint.


----------



## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

We do a ton. Sometimes we wet it.Sometimes we dry scrape. Prices very tremendously.The smaller the area the more it costs"psqft" Had 2 going this week.1 was to finish knock down.The other smooth. 1 is $2,800 the other is over $8,000. Of course I'll be posting picks in the next couple of weeks. We only get a few calls for smooth every year.
Cover everything twice,wet it,scrape it,patch it,texture it,clean up,prime,paint,clean up again.


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

aaron61 said:


> We do a ton. Sometimes we wet it.Sometimes we dry scrape. Prices very tremendously.The smaller the area the more it costs"psqft" Had 2 going this week.1 was to finish knock down.The other smooth. 1 is $2,800 the other is over $8,000. Of course I'll be posting picks in the next couple of weeks. We only get a few calls for smooth every year.
> Cover everything twice,wet it,scrape it,patch it,texture it,clean up,prime,paint,clean up again.


Sounds right.


----------



## TERRY365PAINTER (Jul 26, 2009)

aaron61 said:


> We do a ton. Sometimes we wet it.Sometimes we dry scrape. Prices very tremendously.The smaller the area the more it costs"psqft" Had 2 going this week.1 was to finish knock down.The other smooth. 1 is $2,800 the other is over $8,000. Of course I'll be posting picks in the next couple of weeks. We only get a few calls for smooth every year.
> Cover everything twice,wet it,scrape it,patch it,texture it,clean up,prime,paint,clean up again.


You guys don't prime before texture ? 
Just wondering . Some people do and some don't . I thinks they always come out better primed before texture .


----------



## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

aaron61 said:


> We do a ton. Sometimes we wet it.Sometimes we dry scrape. Prices very tremendously.The smaller the area the more it costs"psqft" Had 2 going this week.1 was to finish knock down.The other smooth. 1 is $2,800 the other is over $8,000. Of course I'll be posting picks in the next couple of weeks. We only get a few calls for smooth every year.
> Cover everything twice,wet it,scrape it,patch it,texture it,clean up,prime,paint,clean up again.


 
must have been some powerful BIG ceilings. I rarely make that much doing a whole interior re-paint ($8,000)


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Removed it in a 12x15 office in my step-mother's house yesterday. Only room in the house that still had it. Brother and bro-in-law spent an hour talking about it and how to match the "knock-down" stipple of the rest of the house. You would of thought they were taking on a most major project. LOL. I took out an old 14" drywall blade that I had rounded the corners on due to some damage and had the ceiling done in 40 minutes, dry scraping it. What was left was the matching "stipple" that the rest of the house had. A coat of ceiling paint and it looked great. Let them figure out how it was done....


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

I like popcorn ceilings. What the hell is he talking about, you are wondering?

Well, most people don't like to take on painting these. So I can make money off it. It's easier than scraping it off and easier on the budget for them even though I can charge decent because I know they know they wouldn't dare do it.


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

I spray popcorn, but a knock down refinish isn't so bad and looks so much better than that crap.


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

I mean, popcorn is on the ceiling...

It's not like it's going to scrape your arms and butt like ghetto stucco...


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

I don't get it? I was saying for removal a knock down is easier to sell because of cost. Unless they are dead set on wanting it flat this is what I suggest.


----------

