What's included
- Full room masking — walls, floors, doorways, HVAC
- Wet-scrape removal of existing popcorn or stucco texture
- Paper repair and full skim-coat to a flat plane
- Sanding, priming, and two coats of ceiling paint
- Asbestos test recommendation for pre-1980 homes
Brampton context
Any Brampton home built before 1980 — much of Bramalea, Northgate, and parts of Downtown — needs an asbestos test on the ceiling texture before removal. It's a $75 lab test and we won't scrape a pre-1980 ceiling without one. Post-1980 popcorn (Heart Lake, Fletcher's Meadow originals, most of Springdale) is fibre and gypsum only, safe to remove, and the work is straightforward. We'll tell you which category your home falls in on the walk-through.
Our process
- 01
Test (if needed)
Pre-1980 homes get an asbestos sample sent to a lab before any work starts.
- 02
Mask
6-mil poly on floors and walls, doorways zipped, HVAC returns off and covered.
- 03
Wet-scrape
Light mist to soften texture, then scraped off cleanly — much less mess than dry scraping.
- 04
Skim & finish
Full skim coat to bury paper damage, sand, prime, two coats of ceiling paint.
Signs you need this service
- ▸Dated popcorn or stucco ceiling in any room
- ▸Water stain on a textured ceiling — repair is much better on a smooth finish
- ▸Preparing a home for sale — flat ceilings show significantly better in listing photos
Why it matters
A flat white ceiling makes every room read taller, brighter, and more current. It's one of the highest-impact single upgrades you can do in an older Brampton home, and it changes the perception of the entire space.
Frequently asked
Do I need to move out during popcorn removal?+
No. We contain the work to one or two rooms at a time and clean thoroughly at the end of each day. Most homeowners stay in the house throughout.
How long does one room take?+
A standard bedroom is usually 2–3 working days — one day to scrape and repair, one day to skim, one day to sand/prime/paint (with drying time between).
What if my ceiling has asbestos?+
It stays. We do not scrape asbestos-containing textures — that's abatement-contractor work. We can install 1/4" drywall directly over top instead, which encapsulates it and gives you the smooth ceiling result.
Will it match the rest of the ceiling in the hallway?+
If you're removing one room's popcorn but leaving the hallway, there will be a visible transition. We recommend doing connected spaces together — usually the whole floor at once.