Popcorn & Stipple Ceiling Removal in Ottawa
Textured ceilings date a room faster than almost anything else, and Ottawa has a lot of them — most of the housing stock built between the late sixties and the late eighties got sprayed. Taking one down is straightforward work done properly, and a genuine mess done badly. The order matters: test first, contain second, scrape third.
$3.50–$7 per square foot, including skim and prime
Common problems we fix
What actually turns up on these calls in Ottawa homes, and what each one really means.
You do not know if it contains asbestos
If the ceiling was sprayed before roughly 1990, assume it might until a lab says otherwise. Testing is inexpensive and fast, and it is the single question that decides whether this is a two-day job or a job for a licensed abatement contractor. We will not scrape an untested ceiling of that age.
The stipple is painted over
Painted texture does not soak. Water sits on the surface instead of softening the material underneath, and scraping dry tears the paper face off the board below. Painted ceilings usually get skim-coated over instead of scraped — often the better outcome anyway, and less disruptive.
There are water stains in the texture
A brown ring in stipple means the leak came first. The stain gets sealed with a shellac-based primer before anything else, because latex will let it bleed straight back through. If the source has not been found and fixed, we stop and tell you.
You are worried about the dust
Fair. Scraping wet keeps most of it down, but skim-sanding afterwards is the dusty part. Floors go under poly, doorways get sheeted, and vents get covered so the furnace does not distribute it through the rest of the house.
The ceiling is flat but ugly after removal
Bare board underneath is never finish-ready. What makes the difference between an acceptable ceiling and a good one is the skim coat and the sanding, judged under a light held flat against the surface rather than from the middle of the room.
How the work is done
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1
Test
Sample taken and sent to a lab on any ceiling that could predate 1990. Results in a few days.
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2
Contain
Poly on floors, plastic over doorways, vents sealed, fixtures dropped and bagged.
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3
Soak and scrape
Light misting, let it sit, scrape in sections so nothing dries out before the blade gets there.
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4
Skim, sand, prime
Two skim passes minimum, pole-sanded, then a full primer coat so the finish paint lays evenly.
What it costs
Most single rooms land between $720 and $0,400 depending on square footage and ceiling height. Asbestos testing is separate and typically under $120 per sample. A painted-over ceiling that gets skimmed rather than scraped often costs less, not more.
See the full Ottawa rate card →Frequently asked — Popcorn Ceiling Removal Ottawa
Do all popcorn ceilings in Ottawa contain asbestos?
No — most do not. But the only way to know is a lab test, and the risk window runs roughly to 1990 in Canadian residential construction. A sample costs a fraction of what an assumption costs.
Can I just paint over the stipple instead?
You can, and it will still look like a stipple ceiling. Painting also makes future removal significantly harder, because painted texture will not soak. If you are undecided, skim-coating is the middle option.
How long does a room take?
A standard bedroom is usually one to two days including skim and prime, plus drying time between coats. Larger open-plan areas run longer, mostly because of the sanding.
Do you do the asbestos removal too?
No. If a sample comes back positive, that is licensed abatement work under Ontario Regulation 278/05 and it goes to a certified contractor. We can come back and finish the ceiling afterwards.
Related jobs
Ceiling Repair Ottawa
$215–$540 for most single-ceiling repairs
Drywall Repair Ottawa
$180–$360 per patch, sanded, primed and painted
Tile & Grout Repair Ottawa
$190–$455 depending on area and tile match
Part of Ceiling & Stipple Work · Serving Kanata, Stittsville, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orléans, Gloucester and all of Ottawa.
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