Interior Painting
Popcorn Ceiling Removal in Calgary
Textured ceilings in Calgary homes built before the 1990s can contain asbestos (a fibre once used in building materials that's dangerous to breathe in). Nothing gets scraped until a sample has been tested, and that isn't negotiable.
A textured ceiling left alone isn't a hazard. Scraping one is what puts fibres into the air, which is why we test first and let the result decide the whole method.
We visit your home, then you get a written price and a start date.
Taking a sample and sending it to a lab is the first line on the quote, and the only thing we ask you to commit to before pricing the rest. Results take a few days to come back.
McAra Design + Build only prices the rest of the job once the result is in. A negative result means straightforward removal, a skim coat (a thin layer of drywall compound that smooths the ceiling) and paint, and the price depends on the ceiling area and how rough the surface underneath turns out to be. A positive result means the work has to be done as abatement (safe removal by a licensed contractor under strict containment) under sealed-off conditions, which costs more — and at that point, covering the ceiling over instead becomes a genuine lower-cost option we price alongside it.
What's involved
Test, seal off, remove, then make the ceiling flat.
- 01Sampling and lab testing
- 02Abatement by a licensed contractor if the test is positive
- 03Sealing off the area and pulling air out of the room
- 04Protecting floors, walls and fixtures
- 05Texture removal
- 06Ceiling repair and seam work
- 07Skim coat
- 08Sanding with dust capture
- 09Primer and two coats of finish paint
- 10Final clean air check and cleanup
What we check that others don't
What we check that others don't.
- §1
Whether the texture contains asbestos, before a scraper touches it. The age of the house is a clue, not an answer — this texture was sometimes installed from old stock long after it stopped being manufactured. We take samples from each area, send them to a lab, and give you the written report. A contractor who offers to scrape your 1978 ceiling on the first visit is telling you something about how they work.
- §2
What a positive result actually means for the project. It means the removal has to be done as abatement: a licensed contractor, a fully sealed-off area, air pulled out through a filter, safe disposal, and a clean-air check before anyone else goes back in. It also means covering the ceiling with new board, leaving the texture untouched underneath, is a real option. We price both and let you choose with real numbers.
- §3
Whether there's paint over the texture. Painted texture doesn't soak up water and soften the way unpainted texture does, so it comes off dry and slow, and it takes the ceiling paper with it. That changes the method, the mess and the price. We test a small patch before quoting rather than finding out on day one.
- §4
What the ceiling underneath is likely to look like. Usually unfinished — taped but never sanded smooth, with visible seams, popped nails and rough paper. The texture was there to hide exactly that. A full skim coat over the whole ceiling is normally part of the job rather than an add-on, and we quote it that way from the start.
- §5
Whether anything else in the ceiling should be done while it's open. Adding recessed lighting, a bathroom fan duct, extra attic insulation, or a ceiling box for a fan are all much cheaper to do while this work is happening than afterward. We ask what you might want later and price it now.
How long it takes
Test in days, work in a week.
Lab results take two to five days. Nothing gets scheduled before they come back.
With a negative result, a main floor of ceilings usually takes five to seven days — removal, skim coat, sanding and paint, with drying time between coats. Abatement adds its own schedule, set by the licensed contractor, plus a clean-air check before finishing can begin.
We put it in writing.
- A fixed price
- agreed before we start, and it doesn't move unless you change the scope.
- A completion date
- in the contract, not a range, not a best guess.
- A workmanship warranty
- if it fails because of how we installed it, we fix it. No argument, no invoice.
Most renovation guarantees are a paragraph of conditions. Ours is three commitments you can hold us to.
Questions people ask before they book.
- You can't tell just by looking, and the build year is only a clue, not proof. McAra Design + Build takes samples, sends them to an accredited lab and gives you the written report before anything is scraped or disturbed. That asbestos test is the first line item on every popcorn ceiling removal quote we write.
- Removal becomes abatement work: a licensed abatement contractor, a fully sealed-off area, air pulled out through a filter, and a clean-air check before anyone else re-enters the room. Covering the intact texture with new board is also a legitimate option and is usually cheaper. McAra Design + Build prices both routes so you decide with real numbers, not a guess.
- Almost never on the first pass. Texture in Calgary homes was usually sprayed over a taped but unsanded ceiling, so taped seams and popped nails show through once it's gone. McAra Design + Build includes a full skim coat as part of the job, quoted from the start rather than added as a surprise once scraping is finished.
Where this sits
This work is part of Interior Painting.
People looking at this page usually look at Kitchen Cabinet Painting and Whole-Home Renovations in the same conversation.
Get a free in-home quote.
We visit your home, then you get a written price and a start date.
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Or call Chris directly: +1 (587) 837-3113