Popcorn Ceiling Removal Cost: What Toronto Homeowners Pay in 2026

Considering removing that dated popcorn ceiling but worried about the cost? You’re not alone. Popcorn ceiling removal is one of the most impactful home improvements you can make, but pricing varies significantly based on several factors. Whether your ceiling has been painted, the height of your ceilings, and whether asbestos testing is required all play major roles in determining your final cost.

At Paint Lions, we’ve removed popcorn ceilings from hundreds of Toronto-area homes over 16 years. We understand that transparent pricing is essential for homeowners planning this investment. This comprehensive guide breaks down exactly what you’ll pay for popcorn ceiling removal in the Greater Toronto Area, what factors affect pricing, what’s included in professional removal, and how to budget for your project.

Key Takeaways:

  • Standard Pricing: Unpainted popcorn ceiling removal costs $3-4 per square foot in Toronto, while painted popcorn costs $6-8 per square foot.
  • Whole House Investment: A typical 1,500 square foot home costs $4,000-6,000 for complete popcorn ceiling removal including all materials and finishing.
  • Professional Process: Quality removal includes dustless systems, ceiling repairs, skim coating, sanding, priming, and painting—not just scraping.

Popcorn Ceiling Removal Cost Breakdown

Understanding the cost structure helps you budget appropriately and compare quotes effectively. Here’s exactly what you’ll pay for popcorn ceiling removal in the Toronto area:

Unpainted Popcorn

$3-4 per square foot

  • Single room minimum: $1,200
  • Living room (300 sq ft): $1,300
  • Whole house (1,500 sq ft): $4,000

Easier to remove, requires less labor and materials.

Painted Popcorn

$6-8 per square foot

  • Single room minimum: $1,500
  • Living room (300 sq ft): $1,800
  • Whole house (1,500 sq ft): $6,000

Paint seals the texture, requiring more intensive removal process.

Asbestos Testing

Required for pre-1990 homes

  • Standard testing: $150 (5 business days)
  • Rush testing: $400 (1 business day)
  • If positive: Refer to licensed contractor

Essential safety step for older homes before any work begins. Learn more here.

Factors That Affect Your Final Cost

Not all popcorn ceiling removal projects cost the same. Several key factors influence your final price, and understanding these helps you get accurate quotes and avoid surprises:

1. Whether Popcorn Has Been Painted

Why this matters: Paint seals the popcorn texture to the drywall, making it much harder to remove. Unpainted popcorn can often be wetted and scraped relatively easily. Painted popcorn requires more aggressive removal techniques, more time, and often more ceiling repair work afterward.

Cost impact: Painted popcorn costs 50-100% more ($6-8/sq ft vs $3-4/sq ft)

2. Property Condition (Empty vs Occupied)

Why this matters: Empty homes allow faster, more efficient work. Occupied homes require extensive furniture protection, careful floor and wall covering, and more cautious work to protect your belongings.

Cost impact: Occupied homes may add 10-20% to the cost due to additional prep time and materials for protection

3. Ceiling Height

Why this matters: Standard 8-9 foot ceilings are straightforward to work on. Higher ceilings (10+ feet) or vaulted ceilings require additional scaffolding, longer reach tools, and more challenging working conditions.

Cost impact: High or vaulted ceilings can add 15-30% to standard pricing

4. Perimeter Edge Type

Why this matters: Some popcorn ceilings have a clean, masked perimeter edge near the walls—a smooth strip that makes removal cleaner. Others have popcorn sprayed directly into corners, requiring more careful, time-intensive removal work.

Cost impact: Popcorn sprayed into corners may add 5-10% due to extra labor

Understanding Perimeter Edge Types

Here’s the visual difference between the two perimeter edge types and why it affects your cost:

Popcorn ceiling with clean masked perimeter edge near walls requiring less labor to remove

Masked Perimeter Edge (Easier)

This ceiling has a smooth strip along the walls where the popcorn was masked during application. The clean edge makes removal faster and cleaner, requiring less careful work near walls and corners.

Popcorn ceiling texture sprayed directly into wall corners requiring more careful removal work

Sprayed Into Corners (Harder)

This ceiling has popcorn texture sprayed right into the wall corners with no smooth edge. Removal requires more careful, time-intensive work to avoid damaging walls, adding 5-10% to labor costs.

Festool dustless vacuum system used during popcorn ceiling removal with furniture professionally covered

What’s Included in Professional Removal?

When you hire Paint Lions for popcorn ceiling removal, you’re getting a complete transformation service—not just scraping. Here’s everything included in our pricing:

  • Complete preparation: Floor covering, wall protection (if needed), furniture covering
  • Festool dustless system removal: Significantly reduces dust (though not 100% dust-free)
  • Ceiling repairs: Potlight holes (from electrician wiring), cracks, damage
  • Professional skim coating: Creating smooth, level surface
  • Sanding with professional lighting: Bright work lights catch every imperfection
  • Priming and painting: Two coats for perfect finish
  • All materials included: No hidden costs for supplies
  • Complete cleanup: Your home left clean and ready to enjoy

Timeline: How Long Does Popcorn Removal Take?

Understanding the timeline helps you plan around the work and set realistic expectations. Popcorn ceiling removal isn’t just about scraping—it involves multiple steps that require proper drying time between stages.

Single Room(Standard room 200sqft)

1.5 days total

Day 1: Prep, removal, skim coat application

Overnight: Plaster drying time

Day 2 (morning): Sanding, priming, painting, cleanup

The drying time is essential—rushing this step compromises quality.

Whole House (Empty, 1500 sqft)

3 days total

Day 1: Prep and removal throughout house

Day 2: Skim coating and ceiling repairs

Day 3: Sanding, priming, painting, final cleanup

Empty homes allow us to work efficiently without furniture obstacles.

Asbestos Testing

5 business days (standard)

Sample collection: 30 minutes

Lab analysis: 5 business days

Rush available: 1 business day ($400)

Testing must be completed before any removal work begins on pre-1990 homes.

Why Our Dustless System Matters

Traditional popcorn ceiling removal creates clouds of dust that infiltrate every corner of your home. We use Festool’s professional dustless vacuum system to minimize mess and protect your property.

What “Dustless” Really Means

Let’s be honest: no popcorn removal process is 100% dust-free. However, our Festool system captures the vast majority of dust at the source, significantly reducing airborne particles and settled dust throughout your home. Here’s the difference:

Dust covers everything—furniture, floors, walls, HVAC vents. Cleanup takes days. Dust infiltrates other rooms despite plastic barriers. Your home feels like a construction zone for a week.

Dust captured at source by industrial vacuum. Minimal airborne particles. Light cleanup required. Other rooms remain clean. You can return to normal life immediately after we finish. Much cleaner process, though some fine dust is inevitable.

We tell you upfront: there will be some dust. Sanding creates fine particles that can’t all be captured. However, our system reduces dust by approximately 85-90% compared to traditional methods. This honesty helps you prepare appropriately—move valuables, plan to be away during sanding if you’re sensitive to dust, and understand what to expect.

Vaulted ceiling before previously painted popcorn ceiling removal
Beautifully finished smooth vaulted ceiling after popcorn ceiling removal showing professional quality

Our 10-Year Warranty

We stand behind our work with a comprehensive 10-year warranty on popcorn ceiling removal. This warranty covers the quality of our workmanship and ensures your ceiling remains smooth and properly finished for years to come.

What’s Covered

  • Quality of skim coat application
  • Smoothness and finish quality
  • Paint adhesion and coverage
  • Workmanship defects

Why This Matters

Most popcorn ceiling issues would appear within the first few months after removal. Our 10-year warranty demonstrates our confidence in the quality of our work. We use premium materials, professional techniques, and experienced craftsmen to ensure your ceiling stays perfect for years to come.

This warranty gives you peace of mind and protects your investment in your home.

Common Questions About Popcorn Ceiling Costs

Here are the questions Toronto homeowners ask most frequently about popcorn ceiling removal pricing:

We can work around furniture, but moving furniture to the center of the room and covering it makes the job more efficient. If your home is empty, we can work faster and more effectively. For occupied homes, we carefully cover all furniture with protective plastic sheeting. Small items, valuables, and wall decorations should be removed before we arrive.

Absolutely! We can remove popcorn ceiling from a single room. Our minimum project cost is $1,200, which typically covers one bedroom or similar-sized space. Many homeowners start with high-visibility areas like the living room or master bedroom, then expand to other rooms later. This approach spreads the cost over time while still giving you the satisfaction of seeing the transformation.

Look closely at the texture. Unpainted popcorn typically appears white or off-white with a chalky, matte finish. Painted popcorn has a slight sheen and the texture looks sealed or flattened. If you’re unsure, we can assess it during your free estimate. This distinction is crucial for accurate pricing since painted popcorn costs significantly more to remove.

No, in most homes, kitchens and bathrooms have smooth, painted ceilings rather than popcorn texture. This is because these rooms have higher humidity, and popcorn texture can trap moisture and odors. When we quote whole-house popcorn removal, we account for the fact that these areas typically don’t need work, which can save you money on the overall project.

If you prefer a textured ceiling but want to modernize the look, we can apply a different, more contemporary texture after removing the popcorn. Options include knockdown texture, skip trowel, or orange peel—all more subtle and modern than popcorn. This typically adds $1-2 per square foot to the cost but gives you a fresh, updated look while maintaining some ceiling texture.

We accept payment in stages for larger projects. Typically, we request a deposit to schedule the work, a payment midway through for multi-day projects, and final payment upon completion. This breaks up the cost and ensures you’re satisfied with our work before final payment. Contact us to discuss payment arrangements that work for your budget.

Get a Free Quote for Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Ready to transform your dated popcorn ceilings into smooth, modern surfaces? Paint Lions provides honest, transparent pricing and professional service throughout the Greater Toronto Area. With 16 years of experience, Festool dustless systems, and a 10-year warranty, we deliver quality results you can trust.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation quote. We’ll assess your ceilings, provide detailed pricing based on your specific situation, and answer all your questions about the popcorn ceiling removal process.

Get Your Free Quote

Service Areas

We provide professional popcorn ceiling removal services throughout the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, North York, Aurora, Newmarket, Etobicoke, King City, Georgina, and surrounding communities. All our work is backed by our 10-year warranty and 16 years of professional painting experience.

Related Services: Popcorn Ceiling Removal | Interior Painting | Popcorn Removal Vaughan | View Our Portfolio

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