Family owned & operated since 1989

Popcorn Ceiling Removal & Repair

Torn paper, bad tape joints, and old patches exposed after the texture comes off

Popcorn Ceiling Removal & Repair in Rhode Island & North Carolina

Popcorn on your ceilings? In North Carolina it’s usually heavy acoustic texture — sometimes painted over twice. In Rhode Island it’s usually sitting on old plaster. Either way, Patriot Drywall & Plastering goes over it or takes it off, repairs what’s hiding under it, and refinishes a ceiling that looks like it was never textured at all — family-owned, on the job for 37+ years. Covered floors. Sealed vents. Debris gone when we leave.

REQUEST A QUOTE :

Renovation Progress_ Ceiling and Room View

Popcorn Ceiling Services We Handle

Every service below is available across both of our service areas — Rhode Island, Southern New England, and North Carolina.

Full Room & Whole House
Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, hallways, stairwells

Popcorn Ceiling Repair

Torn paper, bad tape joints, and old patches exposed after the texture comes off

Removing Painted
Popcorn Ceiling

The double-painted texture that doesn't scrape like the raw stuff

Plaster Ceiling Repair
After Removal

Cracks, loose keys, and sagging fields on older ceilings

New Ceiling Texture
or Dead-Flat Smooth

Orange peel, knockdown, swirl, skip trowel, or Imperial plaster

Water Stained &
Sagging Ceiling Repair

Found during removal, fixed before the new finish goes on

What's Under Your Texture Is the Real Job

Scraping is the part everyone pictures. It’s not the part that decides whether your ceiling looks right when we’re gone.

Most popcorn sits on a layer of paint — some of it was never sealed. When the texture comes off, the face paper on the drywall often picks and tears. Joints that were barely taped show up. Popped nails the texture hid become obvious. And in older Rhode Island homes, taking the popcorn off can reveal a plaster ceiling that needs a real plaster repair — not a layer of drywall slapped over it.

The real work is reading what’s under the texture and deciding patch versus overlay. A cheap scrape with no skim is how you end up with a ceiling that looks worse than the popcorn did.

Call us for an estimate today to make your next project smooth from start to finish.

Popcorn Ceilings & Asbestos — Homes Built Before 1980

Popcorn texture installed before the early 1980s can contain asbestos. We don’t treat asbestos — full stop.

If your home’s age raises the question, we’ll tell you to have the texture lab-tested before anyone brings a scraper inside. Testing is a lab sample, not a guess from a photo. If it comes back positive, removal has to follow that state’s rules. We will not scrape a ceiling that hasn’t been cleared.

Our Popcorn Ceiling Removal Process

  • Protect the rooms. Floors, furniture, and fixtures covered; work zone isolated so the rest of the house stays usable.
  • Take the texture off. Wet where it’s safe and effective, scrape clean, keep debris contained.
  • Fix what the texture hid. Torn paper sealed, open joints taped, soft board cut out and replaced, plaster cracks filled, fasteners set.
  • Skim and finish. Match the walls’ texture or go smooth — your call, our recommendation.
  • Clean up and vacuum. You shouldn’t be sweeping grit out of baseboards a week later.

Rooms go back into service once the finish dries — paint timing depends on the finish, and we’ll give you that at the estimate. Scheduling is built around the house: one room is a different day than a whole first floor.

Areas We Serve

North Carolina: Charlotte, Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville, Denver, Troutman, Iron Station, Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, China Grove, Salisbury, Cleveland, Stanley, Weddington, Marvin, Mount Holly, Newton, Maiden, Asheville

Rhode Island & Southern New England: Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, East Providence, Woonsocket, Cumberland, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Bristol, Barrington, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, East Greenwich, Coventry, West Warwick, Johnston, Smithfield, Scituate, Westerly — and surrounding towns

Don't see your town? Call anyway

Why Homeowners Trust Us for Popcorn Ceiling Removal

1

Family-owned since 1989

Crews who do this every day of the week, not once a year

2

Plasterers and drywallers

On the same crew — the right trade for whatever’s under your texture

3

Floors, Furniture & living

Areas protected before the first scraper comes out

4

Materials chosen

Materials chosen for a ceiling that takes paint and stays tight

5

Clean job sites

Clean job sites — debris leaves with us

6

Clear estimates & timeline

Matched to the house — not a per-room number pulled off a chart

Ceiling Finish Options After Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Smooth Imperial plaster

smooth-imperial-plaster

Our recommendation. Hard, dense, no sanding-dust storm; painters love it because the surface is like glass.

Level 5 drywall finish

Level 5 drywall finish1

Taping and coating seams and screwheads followed by full skim over the board and light sanding.

Orange peel/Knockdown

orange-peel_knokdown

Light, even texture that hides minor waves in older framing and matches walls that already have spray texture.

Swirl or skip trowel

swirl

When the house already has the pattern and dead-flat would look like a different room

Popcorn Questions From Your Areas

Don’t see your question here? Our team is happy to give you a straight answer over the phone.

How much does popcorn ceiling removal cost?

It depends on what's under the texture, the ceiling's height and access, whether it's been painted, the finish you want, and the square footage — which is why we quote after we see it, not before. The estimate is free.

Does the popcorn ceiling contain asbestos?

In homes built before the early 1980s, it can. If your home's age raises a question, we'll direct you to a lab test before anyone scrapes. We won't touch a ceiling that hasn't been cleared.

Can you remove the popcorn ceiling that's been painted over?

Yes — painted texture doesn't scrape like raw popcorn, so we adjust the removal method to protect the surface underneath, then skim and refinish. It's a common request in both of our markets.

Can you just scrape and paint?

Only if the surface underneath is sound and the paper doesn't tear — and on most houses, that's not the case. Plan on a skim and repair. That's what makes the ceiling look finished.

What if my popcorn is sitting on plaster, not drywall?

Then you need a plasterer, not just a scraper — and that's our home-turf work, especially in Rhode Island. We repair the plaster underneath, then refinish, instead of covering the problem with drywall.

Get Your Free Estimates Today

Professional, experience workmanship and straight answers – from a family owned business working for over 36 years in this industry