Are you sitting around, staring at your ugly popcorn ceilings, and wondering how long it would take to tackle such a project? Unfortunately, popcorn ceiling removal can be a long process. There are multiple steps involved, and, depending on whether you DIY or hire a contractor, and how much surface area there is to tackle, you may find yourself in the throes of renovation for longer than you’d like.
If you go with traditional methods — that is, scraping and removing, then resurfacing your ceilings — and hire a professional, you can expect approximately 20 hours of work to remove and replace your popcorn ceiling a 500sq foot area. Keep in mind your rooms may be much larger, doesn’t include preparation, and those 20 hours will have to be spread over several days (or weeks for larger projects). You’ll need to move all your furniture and leave the space available for the contractors to work in and leave that space open for the duration of the project.
If you’re trying to DIY the project, the timeline could drag out even more. There’s a learning curve involved with any kind of construction project. You’ll need to purchase the tools and supplies, deal with preparation, removal of the debris, and cleanup, all by yourself. Keep in mind that working on a ceiling involves standing on a ladder and working with your arms up — it’s physically demanding. Be prepared to give yourself plenty of rest time throughout the entire process.
Also, remember that just removing and resurfacing your ceilings is a separate project from repainting or retexturing them. While the bulk of the project is the popcorn ceiling removal, there’s still a lot of work left before you have finished ceilings in your home.
Whether you DIY or hire a professional contractor, the entire process of scraping a popcorn ceiling can be complicated if your ceiling contains asbestos. In that scenario, because of the potentially dangerous health risks involved, it’s best to consult with a trained professional to deal with the popcorn ceilings.
Is there a faster option?
While scraping is the traditional way to remove popcorn ceilings, a stretch ceiling system can quickly and easily cover your existing popcorn ceilings — providing an all-in-one finish that’s technically smoother than skim coating! And if your popcorn ceiling does contain asbestos, a stretch ceiling system can safely encapsulate your ceilings.
An experienced crew of installation professionals can put a stretch ceiling up in any home in a fraction of the time it takes to scrape and refinish a ceiling — often in just a day. And because your old ceiling doesn’t have to come down, you won’t have the prep or clean up mess to deal with before and after.
When it comes to popcorn ceiling options, you can go the traditional way — slow, messy, potentially dangerous… or opt for a new stretch ceiling system to be installed quickly, easily, and mess-free. Give our stretch ceiling experts a call for a better estimate of how long it would take our installation crew to completely renovate your popcorn ceilings.
Whether you desire to install LED recessed lighting in a condo with a concrete ceiling slab or to get rid of the old popcorn ceilings, you have a lot more beautiful options if you go with a stretch fabric ceiling solution!