By Brendon Sherwood, owner. Updated November 11, 2026.
Popcorn ceilings (also called acoustic, textured or "cottage cheese" ceilings) were sprayed into a lot of Middle Tennessee homes for decades. They catch dust, hold onto cooking, pet and smoke smells, stain easily, and are close to impossible to repaint well. Most people who call us about them want the same thing: a smooth, clean, painted ceiling that makes the room look current.
This guide covers what actually happens when popcorn comes down: why older ceilings need a closer look, how messy it gets, what makes a job take longer, and what drives the price. If you already know you want it gone, see our popcorn ceiling removal service.
Is it worth removing popcorn ceilings?
For most homeowners, yes, for three reasons:
- It looks dated. Buyers and guests read a popcorn ceiling as an older, un-updated house. A smooth ceiling is one of the most visible updates you can make to a room.
- It's hard to live with. The texture is a dust and odor trap, it flakes when you bump it, and stains bleed back through paint.
- It's a good time to paint. Once the ceiling is smooth, it's the natural moment to repaint the walls, so the whole room is finished in one visit. See interior painting.
If you're getting ready to sell, smooth ceilings help listing photos look clean. Our post on staging your home to sell covers other quick wins.
Older homes: asbestos comes first
Some popcorn texture contains asbestos. The EPA banned spray-on asbestos for decorative uses like ceiling texture in 1978, but material already made could still be used for a while after that, so the year your house was built matters. You can't tell by looking at it.
If your home was built before about 1980, or you don't know when the ceiling was sprayed, ask about it at the walkthrough before any work is planned. Please don't scrape, sand or drill into an older textured ceiling yourself, even a small patch.
What the work looks like, start to finish
- Walkthrough and estimate. We look at the ceilings, their height, whether the popcorn has been painted over, and how old the house is.
- Prep and containment. Furniture is moved or covered, and floors and walls are sealed in plastic before anything starts.
- Texture removal. We take the texture off with a Festool dustless sander hooked to a dust extractor, so far less dust gets into your home.
- Repairs. Taking the texture off usually uncovers nail pops, cracks and taped seams. Those get fixed.
- Skim coat. The ceiling gets usually 2-3 thin coats of compound, with drying time between, so it ends up truly smooth instead of "less bumpy". This is the step that separates a good result from a ceiling that shows every flaw.
- Prime and paint with flat ceiling paint.
- Cleanup and walkthrough. Daily cleanup, then a full cleanup and walkthrough with you at the end.
We finish every ceiling smooth. We don't retexture (no knockdown or orange peel).
How messy is it, and do I need to leave?
It's still messy work, even with a dustless sander and extractor. Floors and walls are sealed in plastic before anything starts, we seal off the rooms we work in and clean up every day, but most homeowners are more comfortable staying somewhere else while we're working, and we recommend it.
A few things that help on your end:
- Take down small decor, wall art and anything fragile in the rooms being done.
- Plan where pets will be during work hours.
- Think about which rooms you need to keep using, so we can plan the order around your household.
How long does it take?
Every ceiling is different, so we give you a timeline with your estimate after we've seen the rooms. What makes a job longer:
- Painted popcorn. Paint hardens the texture, so it's slower to remove.
- More square footage and more rooms, especially doing the whole house at once.
- High, vaulted or stairwell ceilings, which need more setup.
- Drying time between skim coats. Rushing it shows in the finished ceiling.
- Repairs that show up once the texture is off.
Can you remove popcorn that's been painted?
Yes. Painted texture takes longer to remove, and that's reflected in the estimate. It's one of the most common situations we see.
Remove it, or cover it?
Removing the texture and skimming gives you a smooth ceiling without adding anything overhead. Covering the old ceiling with new drywall is another route some homeowners take, especially when the texture shouldn't be disturbed. We'll tell you what we see at the walkthrough.
What affects the cost
We don't publish a per-room price, because two "12x12 rooms" can be very different jobs. What drives the number:
- Total square footage of the ceilings
- Ceiling height (vaulted and stairwell ceilings need more setup)
- Type of texture, and whether it's been painted over
- How much drywall repair shows up once the texture is off
- Skim coating to get a truly smooth ceiling
- Painting, which is included in our ceiling work
- Moving furniture and protecting floors and walls
If you're comparing quotes, check that each one includes the skim coat, prime and paint, and cleanup. A cheaper quote that stops at removal usually leaves you with a rough ceiling and another contractor to hire.
Popcorn ceilings in Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin homes
We remove popcorn ceilings across Nashville, including Green Hills and Belle Meade, plus Brentwood and Franklin. Older ranch and mid-century homes and a lot of 1970s-80s subdivisions around Middle Tennessee still have original texture. Those are exactly the homes where the asbestos question comes first.
Ready to get rid of yours?
See how we handle popcorn ceiling removal in Nashville, read what clients say on our reviews page, or request an estimate. You can also call (615) 975-6464.
The House Painters - Nashville. Painting homes since 1999, serving Nashville since 2010. 7-time Best of Nashville.