How Much Does Popcorn Ceiling Removal Cost in Central Florida? (2026 Prices)

The popcorn ceiling removal cost for our work starts at $2 per square foot, and that figure covers scraping the texture, skimming the whole ceiling and finishing it. For a typical 12-by-15-foot room, that ceiling is 180 square feet, so the starting point is $360 before the finish you pick and anything the ceiling turns out to need. If your house was built before 1987, add a $50 to $100 lab test first. Here is how the rest of the number gets built, and what a fair quote should list.

What does $2 per square foot actually include?

The job is more than scraping. The steps are:

1. Cover the floors and walls and set up dust control: plastic, zip walls and a HEPA vac, not a bedsheet over the doorway.
2. Mist the ceiling and let it soak, so the texture releases instead of tearing the paper facing.
3. Scrape it off.
4. Skim the whole ceiling to level out the scrape marks and the old texture's bond lines.
5. Retexture or finish smooth.

The skim coat is the step that gets skipped to hit a low price. Without it, some popcorn removals end up looking worse than the popcorn did. If a quote does not mention skimming, ask.

How do I work out the price for my house?

Measure the ceiling area in square feet, which is length times width for each room. Then multiply by $2 for the starting figure. These are starting points only, and the final number depends on the finish and the condition of the ceiling.

These come from simple arithmetic and are not a promise of a total. Hallways, closets and bathrooms add area too. Send us photos and we will price the actual ceiling.

What moves the price up?

The finish you choose. Knockdown is the regional default and hides the most. An orange peel finish is similar in effort. A true level-five smooth ceiling is achievable but takes more coats and shows every imperfection under Florida's low afternoon light, so it costs more, and we will tell you before you commit that it also asks more of the ceiling underneath. We do not publish one fixed uplift for smooth, because it depends on the condition of the ceiling.

The condition of the ceiling. Water stains, cracks, loose tape and old patches need repair before the skim coat. Unrelated damage is priced separately. If you have a ceiling stain, that is a different problem from popcorn, and the source has to be fixed first.

Painted popcorn. Popcorn that has been painted can be harder to wet and release. Whether it adds time depends on how many coats are on it.

Access and room contents. An empty room is faster than a furnished one. High or vaulted ceilings, stairwells and tight spaces take more time and equipment.

Ceiling height and layout. More cut-in edges, soffits, lights and fans mean more detail work for the same square footage.

What moves the price down?

• Empty rooms. Clearing furniture yourself saves us time. See how to prepare your home for the general approach.
• A single clean, flat ceiling. Fewer obstacles mean faster work.
• Several rooms at once. Setting up dust control and mobilising once for many rooms is more efficient than returning for each. We cannot give a flat discount, but we will say so in the quote if the layout helps.

Do I need an asbestos test, and does it cost extra?

If the house was built before 1987, test first. Popcorn turns up constantly in homes built between roughly 1965 and 1986, which covers a lot of older housing stock and most original ranch homes in this region, and the texture of that era may contain asbestos. A lab test on a sample runs about $50 to $100, and you pay the lab. It is cheap and it is the right first step.

We do not scrape untested pre-1987 ceilings. If the sample tests positive, the work belongs with an asbestos abatement contractor, not with us, and we will tell you that plainly. If it tests clear, or the house was built after 1986, we can go ahead.

Do not scrape it yourself to see what is underneath. Dry scraping of an untested ceiling is the worst way to find out.

What should a fair quote look like?

A good quote should name these things, and if it does not, ask:

• The ceiling area in square feet, and the price per square foot.
• Whether the asbestos test is done, and who did it.
• That the ceiling is wet scraped and then skimmed.
• The finish: knockdown, orange peel or smooth, and the level.
• What dust control is included.
• What is not included: painting, ceiling repairs, moving heavy furniture.
• How repairs will be handled if the board is damaged underneath.

Be wary of a quote that is much lower than everyone else's and says nothing about skimming. We would rather lose a job than cut the skim. For a broader checklist on hiring, see how to hire for drywall repair without getting burned.

Is it cheaper to cover the popcorn instead of removing it?

Sometimes, but not always, and the answer depends on the ceiling and on whether it has tested clear. Covering it with new board avoids scraping, and it can be the right call when the ceiling is untested or the board underneath is poor. It adds a layer and changes the details around lights and fans. We compare the two in popcorn removal versus covering it with new drywall.

Is it worth doing it myself to save money?

Scraping is the easy-looking part. The skim and the texture are where DIY jobs go wrong, and the asbestos question comes first for any pre-1987 house. Can you DIY popcorn ceiling removal? goes through where it falls apart.

When should I not remove it at all?

• The test is positive. Hire an abatement contractor.
• The ceiling is in good shape, you do not mind the texture, and the money is better spent elsewhere. Popcorn is not a defect.
• There is an active leak above it. Fix the roof or AC line first.

How do I get an exact number?

Text photos to (352) 561-3616: a wide shot of each ceiling, and the year the house was built. We give photo estimates by text, so there is no two-hour appointment window. The quote is free, and we will tell you if you need a lab test before anything else. The service details are on our popcorn ceiling removal page.