Popcorn Ceiling Removal in the St. Louis Metro

Popcorn (acoustic) ceilings date a home and are a magnet for dust and stains. Nations Drywall removes popcorn ceilings and finishes them smooth or in a modern texture across the St. Louis metro — clean, dust-controlled, and done right since 2007.

Our popcorn removal process

1. Protect the room. Plastic on floors and walls, furniture draped, doorways sealed so dust doesn’t roam.
2. Scrape the popcorn (wet-scrape method to keep dust down).
3. Skim & repair the ceiling — fix gouges, re-tape failed seams, float it flat.
4. Sand smooth or apply a modern texture (knockdown, light orange peel, or level-5 smooth).
5. Prime & paint-ready, full clean-up.

A note on older ceilings (pre-1980)

Popcorn ceilings installed before the early 1980s can contain asbestos. If your home is that era and the ceiling has never been tested, we recommend a quick test before removal — it’s inexpensive and it’s the safe, correct way to start. We’ll point you to a tester.

Common questions

How messy is it?

Less than you’d think — we wet-scrape and fully mask the room. The mess stays contained and we haul it out.

Smooth or a new texture?

Your call. Smooth (level-5) is the modern look; a light knockdown hides minor imperfections and costs a bit less.

How long for one room?

Most single rooms are a two-to-three-day job including dry time between coats.

Do you test popcorn ceilings for asbestos?

We don’t. Testing needs to be done before we bid the job, especially if the ceiling was sprayed during the years when asbestos was common. If the popcorn contains asbestos, a hazard abatement company is needed to remove it. The other option is to hang a new layer of drywall over the existing popcorn and finish it smooth.

Should I cover a popcorn ceiling instead of removing it?

Sometimes we recommend covering it with a new layer of drywall — for example, when asbestos is present, covering it can cost much less. Otherwise it depends on the job: scraping and skimming can cost about the same as hanging new drywall over the existing ceiling and finishing it.