Professional Popcorn Ceiling Removal in Fresno, Madera & Clovis
Modernize Your Home & Improve Air Quality
“Popcorn” or acoustic ceilings were popular decades ago to hide imperfections, but today they are a magnet for dust, spiderwebs, and allergens. They also cast shadows that make rooms feel smaller and darker.
At Pro 1 Painting Inc., we specialize in safely removing these outdated textures and resurfacing your ceilings for a sleek, modern finish. It is a messy job, but we have the equipment and experience to keep your home clean throughout the process. Furthermore, we prioritize safety in older homes; as an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, we are trained to handle renovations with the highest standards of health and compliance.
Why Homeowners Are Ditching the Popcorn
Instant Modernization: Smooth ceilings immediately increase the perceived value and aesthetic appeal of your home.
Better Lighting: Smooth surfaces reflect light better, making your rooms feel brighter and more open.
Cleaner Air: Acoustic texture traps dust and allergens that are impossible to clean. Removing it improves indoor air quality.
Easier Maintenance: Smooth ceilings can be easily wiped down or repainted in the future without the headache of crumbling texture.
The Pro 1 Advantage: A Mess-Free Guarantee
Popcorn removal is one of the messiest home improvement projects possible. You need a team that respects your property.
- We Are Obsessive About Cleanliness: We don’t just “try” to keep it clean; we engineer our process around it. Our masking techniques ensure that the thousands of pounds of scraped texture never touch your carpet or hardwood.
- Expert Drywall Finishers: Scraping is the easy part; making the ceiling look flat afterwards is the hard part. Our team includes skilled drywall finishers who can float seams and skim coat surfaces so you don’t see waves or ripples in your new ceiling.
- W2 Employees, No Subcontractors: You are inviting us into your most private spaces. We use our own background-checked, uniformed employees—never random subcontractors. We trust our team, and so can you.
- 3-Year Warranty: We stand behind our work. If the tape joints crack or the paint peels due to our workmanship within 3 years, we return to fix it at no cost to you.
Our 5-Step Ceiling Smoothing Process
Removing texture is labor-intensive and creates a lot of debris. We follow a strict containment process to ensure that debris leaves with us, not you.
Total Room Containment
We treat your room like a surgical suite. We remove furniture or move it to the center and wrap it in plastic. We cover floors with heavy-duty paper and mask off walls with plastic sheeting to create a "bubble" that catches all falling debris.
Asbestos Safety & Wetting
If your home was built before 1979, we facilitate testing for asbestos before disturbing the texture. Once clear, we dampen the acoustic texture with a water solution. This suppresses dust and allows the texture to scrape off cleanly without damaging the drywall paper underneath.
Scraping & Skim Coating
We carefully scrape away the texture. Underneath, the drywall is often unfinished or has rough tape joints. We apply a "skim coat" of joint compound over the entire ceiling (or necessary areas) to create a perfectly flat, level surface.
Sanding & Priming
Once the skim coat is dry, we sand the ceiling to a glass-smooth finish. We then apply a high-quality drywall primer to seal the surface and ensure the finish paint looks uniform and rich.
Final Painting & Cleanup
We apply two coats of premium flat ceiling paint (usually bright white to maximize light). Finally, we roll up the plastic containment, vacuum the room, and unveil your brand-new, modern ceilings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Popcorn Ceiling Remova
Is removing popcorn ceilings messy?
It is inherently a messy job, but our process ensures your home stays clean. We build a “containment bubble” by sealing the walls and floors with heavy plastic before we start. This traps all the dust and debris inside the work area, so it doesn’t spread to the rest of your house.
What if my ceiling has asbestos?
If your home was built before 1979, there is a risk that the acoustic texture contains asbestos. We recommend having a sample tested before we begin. As an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, we prioritize safety and can guide you through the proper testing and removal protocols if hazardous materials are found.
Will my ceilings be perfectly smooth after removal?
Yes. Simply scraping off the popcorn leaves the drywall rough and uneven. That is why our process includes “skim coating”—applying a thin layer of joint compound over the entire surface—followed by sanding. This creates a flawless, glass-smooth canvas ready for paint.
Do I need to move all my furniture out of the room?
No, you don’t need to clear the room entirely. We ask that you remove small fragile items and electronics, but we can move heavy furniture to the center of the room and cover it completely with plastic to protect it from dust and water.
How long does the process take?
While it depends on the size of the home, most popcorn removal projects take 3 to 5 days. This allows time for scraping, applying the skim coat, letting it dry, sanding, priming, and applying the final coats of paint.
Experience the Pro 1 Standard
Ready to work with a team that values your home as much as you do?
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