How to Remove a Popcorn Ceiling in 8 Steps

Older homes with popcorn ceilings can contain harmful ingredients, like asbestos or lead. Asbestos was banned from textured ceilings in the late 1970s, while lead paint was banned in residential homes in 1970, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

You can’t know how to tell if a popcorn ceiling has asbestos or paint by looking at it. Instead, you’ll want to test the paint for lead and or test for asbestos. While you can use a DIY test kit, it’s safest to send in a sample of your ceiling to a testing facility for the full rundown on what’s exactly in your popcorn ceiling. If you have any concerns about asbestos exposure, contact a local asbestos removal service to be on the safe side.

There’s no way around it—removing popcorn ceilings is messy. Remove as many belongings and ceiling fixtures as possible to make accessing the ceiling easy and keep your possessions free of debris. Popcorn ceiling particles are tiny and difficult to clean, so if you can’t remove lights, switches, or electrical boxes, cover them with drop cloths, plastic sheets, or tarps. While you’re at it, cover the floors and secure the covers with painter’s tape. 

Your furniture isn’t the only thing that needs protection when removing the popcorn ceiling. You’ll also want to protect your eyes, nose, and mouth from the particles. Use a respirator mask, safety goggles, and gloves before chipping away at the ceiling. 

While you can remove popcorn ceilings when they’re dry, dampening the area with water can expedite the process by softening the material. Wet the ceiling in four-foot sections with a spray bottle of warm water. Wait around 20 minutes for the ceiling to absorb the water, being sure to avoid oversoaking it—you don’t want to damage the materials behind the ceiling. 

Now it’s time to learn how to scrape popcorn off the ceiling. Press your putty knife—or paint knife, if you’re removing painted popcorn ceiling—on the popcorn texture and firmly, but gently, scrape the knife across the ceiling. If you’re not careful, you can accidentally gouge your ceiling. To avoid this, file the edges of your knife. Continue to clear the section in four square foot sections, watering each section 20 minutes beforehand to clear the ceiling of popcorn. 

After the ceiling dries from the water you sprayed on it, lightly sand the ceiling to smooth out any remaining bumps or rough sections. You may notice nails, joints, or screws protruding from the ceiling. Patch these areas using joint compound.

To restore your ceiling to a finished look, reapply joint compound across the surface using a paint scraper to smooth it. Once it dries, gently sand the ceiling using 100—to 120-grit sandpaper before painting it.

Your ceiling is finally popcorn-free, but you'll need to clean up and reorganize your belongings before you can celebrate with a movie and some popcorn. Remove the plastic sheets and dispose of them. If your bin can’t hold all of the sheets—or the sheets contain hazardous materials like asbestos—consider renting a dumpster or hiring a junk removal service near you to haul it away.