Ceilings
Popcorn Ceiling Removal in Shreveport, LA
Scraped, skimmed and refinished to a surface you would actually choose. And if your home predates the 1980s, tested before anything is disturbed.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal, Done Safely and Finished Properly
Popcorn ceiling removal in Shreveport is two jobs that get sold as one. The first is taking the texture off, which is messy but not difficult. The second is what most homeowners do not budget for: the ceiling underneath was never finished to a standard anyone intended you to see. Popcorn texture was used precisely because it hid rough taping, and scraping it off exposes every joint, fastener and imperfection that was hidden under it.
A removal quote that does not include skimming and refinishing the ceiling is not a complete job. Ours does.
There is also a safety question that has to come first. If your home was built before the early 1980s, the material needs testing before it is disturbed.
What's Included
- Age assessment and asbestos guidance. For any home of the relevant era we advise lab testing before work is scheduled, and we do not scrape a ceiling of unknown age without a result.
- Full containment. Floors, walls, trim and doorways sheeted in plastic. Popcorn debris is heavy, wet and travels, and it stains carpet permanently.
- Fixture removal. Ceiling fans, light fixtures and vent covers taken down rather than worked around.
- Wet-scrape removal, which suppresses airborne dust and makes the texture release cleanly instead of gouging the paper facing.
- Repair of any damage exposed, including failed tape, cracked joints and loose fasteners found underneath.
- Skim coat and refinish to a smooth Level 5 or to a new light texture, whichever you choose.
- Primer across the finished ceiling.
- Debris haul-off and cleanup.
Should Your Popcorn Ceiling Come Down?
You are already repainting or remodeling
This is the cheapest time to do it by a wide margin. The room is already disrupted, fixtures may already be down, and flooring may not be installed yet. Removing popcorn as part of an existing project costs far less than doing it as a standalone job later.
The ceiling is stained, damaged or shedding
Popcorn texture cannot be spot-repaired invisibly and it cannot be cleaned. Water stains bleed through paint and the texture sheds when touched. Once a popcorn ceiling is damaged, removal is often cheaper than a convincing repair.
You are preparing to sell
Popcorn ceilings date a house immediately and raise an unspoken asbestos question in a buyer's mind. Removal is one of the more visible presale improvements per dollar spent.
When to leave it alone
If your ceiling tests positive for asbestos and is in good, intact condition, undisturbed material is generally not considered a hazard, and encapsulation by covering it may be the more sensible route than removal. We will lay out both options honestly rather than steering you to the larger job.
Our Process
Determine the age and test if needed
If the home dates to before the early 1980s we recommend a certified lab test before scheduling. It is inexpensive and it is the only way to know. Nothing gets disturbed until the result is in.
Written quote covering removal and refinishing
The quote covers scraping, repairing what is found underneath, skimming, refinishing and priming. A quote covering only the scrape is an incomplete job and we will not present one that way.
Contain the room completely
Plastic on floors, walls and doorways, fixtures removed, HVAC vents sealed so debris does not enter the duct system and get redistributed through the house.
Wet and scrape
The texture is misted and allowed to soak, then scraped so it releases in sheets rather than dust. Working wet keeps airborne particulate down and protects the paper facing beneath.
Repair and skim
Failed tape, cracked joints and loose fasteners exposed by the scrape are repaired, then the full ceiling is skimmed to produce a flat, uniform surface.
Refinish, prime and reinstall
Finished smooth or with your chosen new texture, primed, then fixtures reinstalled and the space cleaned.
Removal, Encapsulation, or Cover
Full removal and refinish
The complete answer, and the only one that leaves you with a genuinely flat ceiling. It is the most disruptive and the most expensive option, and it is the right call for most homeowners who plan to stay in the house.
Encapsulation
Sealing the existing texture in place with a specialized coating. This is worth serious consideration if material has tested positive for asbestos and is intact, since undisturbed asbestos-containing material is generally considered lower risk than material that has been disturbed. It leaves the texture profile visible, so it is a safety and cost decision rather than an aesthetic one.
Covering with new board
Installing new drywall directly over the existing ceiling. This avoids disturbing the old texture entirely and produces a clean new surface. The trade-offs are real: it lowers ceiling height by half an inch, adds weight to the framing, and requires extending every fixture box and vent down to the new plane. In a room with already low ceilings it is usually the wrong choice.
Smooth or new texture after removal
Once the popcorn is off, the ceiling can be finished smooth or given a light modern knockdown. Smooth is the current preference and looks best in rooms with good natural light. A light knockdown is more forgiving on an older ceiling with framing that is not perfectly flat, and it costs less to achieve a good-looking result.
Popcorn Ceilings in Shreveport Homes
Popcorn and other sprayed acoustic ceilings appear across a wide band of the Shreveport housing stock, and they show up heavily in homes built from the 1960s through the early 1980s. That span straddles an important regulatory line. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned asbestos in patching compounds in 1977, but existing inventory remained in legal use afterward, so a build date alone does not establish that a ceiling is asbestos-free. Any textured ceiling from that era should be tested by a certified lab before it is scraped, and testing costs very little relative to the job.
Humidity plays a role here as well. Wet-scraping introduces a significant amount of water into a ceiling, and in humid conditions that moisture leaves slowly. Skimming a ceiling that has not fully dried traps moisture under the new compound and produces adhesion problems and cracking later. We allow real dry time between the scrape and the skim rather than compressing the two into consecutive days to shorten the job.
What Affects the Price
Popcorn ceiling removal with proper refinishing typically runs $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot regionally. Factors:
- Asbestos testing, and the result. Testing is inexpensive. A positive result changes the job entirely and requires licensed abatement, which is specialized work we would refer out rather than perform.
- Condition underneath. Poor original taping under the texture means more skim work. This is the most common reason a removal quote has a range rather than a fixed price.
- Ceiling height and room complexity. Vaulted ceilings, stairwells and tray details all add staging and time.
- Final finish. Smooth Level 5 costs more than a light knockdown, because it has nowhere to hide.
- Occupied versus empty. An empty room is dramatically faster to contain and clean than a furnished one.
Thinking About Taking That Ceiling Down? Get a Real Quote.
Our quote covers the whole job: scraping, repairing what is underneath, skimming, refinishing and priming. Tell us the room size and the approximate age of your home and we will tell you whether testing should come first.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (318) 666-5548.
Why Choose Us
Why Choose Us for Popcorn Ceiling Removal
We Will Not Scrape an Untested Ceiling
If your home predates the early 1980s, we ask for a lab result before we schedule the work. The CPSC banned asbestos in patching compounds in 1977, but existing stock stayed in legal use afterward, so build year is not proof. Testing costs very little. Scraping first and asking later spreads material through a house you live in, and there is no undoing it.
CPSC banned asbestos in patching compounds in 1977Our Quote Includes the Part Others Leave Out
The ceiling under popcorn texture was never finished to be seen. Scraping exposes rough taping, visible fasteners and old cracks. A quote that covers only the scrape leaves you paying separately for the skim and refinish that make the ceiling presentable. Ours includes repair, skim, refinish and primer as one scope, priced up front.
Removal, repair, skim, refinish and primer quoted as one scopeReal Dry Time Between Scrape and Skim
Wet-scraping puts a lot of water into a ceiling, and in this climate that moisture leaves slowly. Skimming over a ceiling that is still damp traps it under the new compound and causes adhesion failure and cracking months later. We wait for the substrate to actually dry, even when that means the job spans an extra day.
Moisture verified before any skim coat is appliedFAQ
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Questions
Does my popcorn ceiling contain asbestos?
Possibly, if your home was built before the early 1980s. The Consumer Product Safety Commission banned asbestos in patching compounds in 1977, but existing stock was legally used for years afterward, so the build year alone does not settle it. A certified lab test is inexpensive and is the only way to know. We do not scrape a ceiling of unknown age without a result.
How much does popcorn ceiling removal cost in Shreveport?
Typically $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot including refinishing. The biggest variable is the condition of the taping underneath, which nobody can see until the texture comes off. That is why quotes for this work usually carry a range rather than a single number.
How messy is it?
Very, which is why containment matters more than technique here. Wet-scraped popcorn comes off as heavy wet debris that stains carpet permanently and travels through a house on foot traffic. We sheet floors, walls and doorways in plastic and seal HVAC vents so debris does not get pulled into the duct system.
Can I just paint over it instead?
You can, but painting popcorn texture is harder than it sounds. The texture is porous and soaks up paint, and rolling it wet can pull the texture off the ceiling in patches. If the ceiling is stained, painting will usually not cover the stain without a stain-blocking primer first.
Do I have to move out?
No. We work room by room with the space sealed off, so the rest of the house stays usable. You will want to stay out of the specific room being worked on, and we recommend planning around it if the room is a primary bedroom or the only bathroom.
What finish do I get afterward?
Your choice. Smooth is the most requested and looks best under good natural light. A light knockdown costs less and is more forgiving on an older ceiling where the framing is not perfectly flat. We will tell you which one suits your ceiling honestly.
Service Area
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Near You
We cover popcorn ceiling removal across Shreveport and the surrounding parishes. Each area page covers what is specific to that community's housing and conditions.
Related Services
Ceiling Drywall Repair
Sagging ceilings, water stains, joint cracking and failed fasteners corrected with the right board thickness.
Learn more →Drywall Texturing
Knockdown, orange peel, skip trowel and smooth Level 5 finishes, sprayed and matched to existing walls.
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Learn more →Not what you were looking for? See all drywall services or learn more about us.
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