Ceiling renovations are often overlooked when it comes to home improvements. The focus tends to be on flooring, fabrics and furniture—all the exciting, pretty things that can transform a room.
Popcorn Ceilings: Bedroom ceiling renovations at 2628 Ash Street, Vancouver.
These details are important and should demand attention, but don’t forget about the large canvas above your head. Having the popcorn ceiling texture removed can be one of the biggest changes a room can undergo. You may be surprised at what smooth ceilings can do for a space. Besides being a health hazard and having a dated look, ceiling texture absorbs light rather than reflecting it, so it can make the space appear darker and smaller. With smooth ceilings, the space opens up and feels larger.
With Ceiling Renovations, It’s All in the Timing
So when is the best time for ceiling renovations?
Popcorn Ceilings: Concrete ceiling renovations at 193 Aquarius Mews, Vancouver – Living Room
At RemoveCeilingTexture.com we work on ceilings anytime. Even if you’re living in the space, we can work around you. However, if you are planning a full renovation, it’s best to start from the top down. It’s easier for everyone involved in the reno if the ceilings are done first. While our custom process of creating smooth ceilings is not messy, the light sanding at the end to ensure a perfectly smooth finish means that there will be some minor dust. The perfect time for this is before you’ve installed new cabinets or flooring.
Picture Proof
Below are before and after photos of ceiling renovations we’ve done in Metro Vancouver. The comment we hear over and over again from homeowners we’ve worked with is that they wish they had had their ceiling texture removed sooner. They can’t get over what a difference smooth ceilings makes in the look of their home.
Whether you’re planning a full-scale home renovation, or want to renovate bit by bit, contact us today at 604-420-7578 or by email for a FREEQUOTEon ceiling renovations.
Popcorn Ceilings: Bedroom ceiling renovations at 3070 Guildford Way, CoquitlamPopcorn Ceilings: Living room ceiling renovations at 3070 Guildford Way, CoquitlamPopcorn Ceilings: Bedroom ceiling renovations at 2628 Ash Street, VancouverPopcorn Ceilings: Dining room ceiling renovations at 2628 Ash Street, VancouverPopcorn Ceilings: Concrete ceiling renovations at 193 Aquarius Mews, Vancouver – BedroomPopcorn Ceilings: Concrete ceiling renovations at 193 Aquarius Mews, Vancouver – Living Room
Thinking about ceiling renovations? Contact us today for a FREE quote on ceiling texture removal!
Like Leisure Suits, Textured Ceilings & Walls should be Abolished From Memory
Sure, there is a time and place for texture. For instance, fashion would be dull if textured fabrics were taken out of the picture. Velour, corduroy, silk… Some fabrics are so texture-rich it’s hard not to pet the velvet-draped stranger beside you (sidenote: do not pet this person!).
When it comes to your house, though, texture is usually applied to distract you from the fact that the ceilings or walls were not finished properly. That’s right, not only does ceiling and wall texture make your house look like it disco danced out of the 1970s, but it’s often used to cut corners. After all, it’s easier for a builder to just spray some lumpy guck everywhere instead of finishing the ceilings and walls to a smooth surface. And for some reason, this hideous look caught on.
The exteriors of homes haven’t escaped this texture-induced frenzy either. Often, exterior stucco has been “finished” to an absurdly rough coating. Stalagmites on cave floors? Amazing. Stalagmites applied horizontally to the exterior of your house? Not so much.
Texture removal on the exterior of a Coquitlam homeAfter texture removal, the exterior walls have better curb appeal
“Dahling, you must come see my fabulous ceiling texture” — Said No One Ever
Have you ever gone to the show home of an upscale real estate project? You’ve probably noticed that there is almost never ceiling texture or wall texture (inside or out). They know that a house has a better chance of selling, and for more money, if the surfaces are smooth and perfectly finished. If you browse Houzz for luxury interiors you will see that there is not a trace of texture to be found. But, if you’re not in the market for an upscale show home and you’re not ready for a Houzz-worthy interior renovation, with texture removal you can still get a professional, smooth finish on your ceilings and walls.
Texture removal creates smooth, upscale ceilingsCeilings have a professional look after texture removal
Texture removal makes it difficult for spiders to build websThe valances in this home required texture removal
The Texture Titan—Dr. Frankenstein’s Little Known First Experiment
At Remove Ceiling Texture, we believe that texture is an ugly monster of the past and should be banished to the pits of hell (yes, we feel pretty strongly about it!). We’ve made it our business to fight it wherever it rears its ugly head. Whether you have ceiling texture, interior wall texture or exterior stucco, we can make your surfaces beautifully smooth. If you’re looking to sell and want to get top dollar or just want to live without the eyesore, contact us today for a free quote on any type of texture removal. It’s time we all said farewell to this unnecessary beast.
More Examples of Texture Removal:
Texture removal on concrete ceilings in YaletownTexture removal fixes peeling, water damaged ceilingTexture removal in a Port Coquitlam SkylightTexture removal instead of matching existing texture
Texture removal from the ceiling and valancesTexture removal from valances
Do you have interior or exterior texture that's an eyesore? Contact us today for a FREE quote on texture removal!
There is a big Do It Yourself movement right now. If you turn on HGTV, you likely won’t have to wait long for a DIY program. The book section at Home Depot is filled with DIY guides. The idea is that you’ll save money by doing a project yourself. The problem with this theory is that it doesn’t consider your time to be worth anything. Whether you’re working to earn income, socializing with friends or spending quality time with family, your time is valuable.
At RemoveCeilingTexture we’re often contacted by homeowners who have attempted to scrape off their popcorn ceiling texture. This is a messy, time-consuming process, but the real problem comes after the texture has been removed. There’s a reason texture is applied to ceilings. It’s to hide imperfections. Once the texture is removed, these deficiencies are obvious. The ceilings will still need to be finished by a professional.
This is what DIY texture removal and ceiling smoothing looks like. Remove Ceiling Texture was called in to fix the mess.Smoothing ceilings is harder than it looks! This was a DIY attempt.
This is after Remove Ceiling Texture was called in to professionally fix the DIY mess.Remove Ceiling Texture was able to fix the homeowner’s DIY disaster.
Hiring a professional contractor offers several advantages over attempting a project yourself.
Practice Makes Perfect
Could someone off the street walk into your place of work and do your job? Not likely. Perhaps you have a degree or have taken relevant courses. You’ve had training and experience. You are a professional at what you do. In the same way, professional contractors have had training and they have experience. This is what they do every single day. They have know-how that can’t be taught in a 30-minute DIY show.
Time is Money
What might take you several days or a week to get done, a professional contractor can accomplish in a day or so. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, the contractor doesn’t have to consult books or internet articles to make sure that he’s doing it the right way. As mentioned above, they have the knowledge and experience already. And second of all, this is their full time job. You have other things that need to get done. Maybe you work full time and can’t commit to the hours at a time that are often needed. You might have to drive kids to soccer games or piano lessons. When you’re constantly interrupted, it’s difficult to get much done at all. Just ask any mom with small kids!
Tools of the Trade
Many projects require specific tools. Unless your neighbour is Mike Holmes and he loves to lend you his tools, you’ll either have to rent or buy the tools necessary. And there’s a learning curve to many of these tools—it takes a few tries to get it right. A skilled professional knows the tools of his (or her!) trade like the back of his hand.
Quality Craftsmanship–Guaranteed Perfection
The other problem with the saving money theory, is that often the project doesn’t get done the right way the first time. You could end up spending more time and money having to redo the work you’ve already done. A professional contractor does it right the first time. They also guarantee their work. If something does go wrong or doesn’t look quite right, they’ll come back and fix it. Their reputation is on the line, so perfection is important. A project that has been done DIY-style is often apparent to most people. Even if it was done fairly well, it usually doesn’t have the polished look that it will when done by a professional.
So how should you go about hiring a professional contractor?
Finding a Qualified Contractor
Ask around. Friends, family or neighbours can be a good source of referrals. Not only can they tell you about the contractor’s performance, but you can see the work for yourself. Home building associations can also be useful. An internet search of the project you want done (for example: ceiling texture removal) should pull up a list of relevant contractors also.
Discuss your project with a few potential contractors to get their advice and suggestions on how they would do the work. At the first meeting, some may give you a rough estimate of costs, depending on the project’s scope and complexity. The first meeting is usually more to get to know the contractor and the contractor’s work. Unless you have been able to check out the contractor ahead of time you should not sign anything or pay anything at this stage.-1
If possible, have the contractors visit the project site before giving you a quote. For accuracy, it’s important that they see the entire scope of work and take their own measurements where necessary. While they are there, ask as many questions as possible. As the CMHC guide points out:
You won’t offend reputable firms with questions. If a contractor doesn’t seem to know much about the technical details of the job or doesn’t want to talk about them, you may have the wrong contractor.-2
It’s also important to ask about workers’ compensation and insurance coverage. Every reputable contractor should have these basics. Feel free to ask for samples of work and references. If they are experienced professionals, they should have no problem providing you with this.
You Get What You Pay For
A few quotes should be enough to make a decision. They should be in writing and state clearly what is included. There should also be an expected time frame. If the quotes are vastly different from each other, make sure each contractor understood the project completely. If something was missed on one quote, you won’t be able to compare them properly. While price is important, it shouldn’t be the only thing you consider. Think about your interaction with each contractor. Did you feel comfortable asking questions or were you made to feel stupid? Did they communicate well with you or did you have to drag answers out of them? Did they offer suggestions or were they not very familiar with the type of project? If you aren’t comfortable with your contractor, the cheapest price isn’t necessarily worth it in the long run.
The Nitty Gritty
Once you’ve hired the contractor, the open communication should continue. The best way to avoid misunderstandings is to talk. If you have questions or concerns, don’t be afraid to voice them. Likewise, if something unexpected comes up that could change the scope of the project (as sometimes does with renovations and construction), your contractor should discuss it with you as soon as possible and give you options on how to solve the issue. You should always feel involved in the process and never forced into any decision—after all, it’s your house and your money.
Upon Completion
When the project is complete, inspect the work to make sure that you’re happy with it. If there is a problem, contact your contractor right away. They will be glad to fix it. Remember, contractors often work on referrals, so your satisfaction is important to them.
Some people love puttering around the house, working on a project bit by bit for weeks on end. If this is you and you can live with less than perfect results, by all means, go the DIY route. But if you demand quality results and want things done properly the first time, hire a qualified professional—you won’t regret it.
This DIY ceiling texture removal job left the ceilings uneven, patchy and full of ridges.The homeowner made a mess of smoothing his ceilings as he attempted to DIY.
Remove Ceiling Texture cleaned up the DIY mess and the homeowners were left with perfectly smooth ceilings.The DIY ceiling smoothing attempt was professionally fixed by Remove Ceiling Texture.
Did you attempt to DIY with your ceilings? Contact us today!
Behind the sleek glass of highrise apartment buildings is concrete, and lots of it. When building these super-structures, concrete is poured into forms and left to cure. After the forms are removed, the ceilings generally aren’t perfectly flat. To disguise the residual waves, popcorn ceiling texture is often applied. Does this mean if you have concrete ceilings you’re stuck with ugly ceiling texture? Not if RemoveCeilingTexture has anything to say about it!
With Concrete Ceilings, Professionals Make All the Difference
We were called in to have a look at the popcorn covered concrete ceilings of a condo at Marinaside Crescent in Yaletown. The popcorn was an ugly blemish on the homeowner’s gorgeous False Creek views and she wanted it gone.
Texture was removed from the concrete ceilings in the living room of this Yaletown condo
She could attempt the messy and tedious process of removing the texture herself, but as mentioned above, concrete ceilings are often wavy and can even have cracks due to the shrinkage of the concrete as it matures (thermal expansion and shrinkage of concrete). The ceilings would still need to be finished and would have to be as smooth as glass because the partial southern exposure will magnify any imperfections. So instead of hiring a “jack-of-all-trades” renovation company, she trusted RemoveCeilingTexture with her ceilings. Our expertise and entire area of focus is just that: ceilings. We know all about working with tricky ripples and unsightly cracks in concrete ceilings (read about another downtown Vancouver condo with concrete ceilings).
Ugly, Textured Concrete Ceilings No Longer Compete with Million Dollar Views
The ugly ceiling texture is removed and no longer competes with the million dollar view of False Creek
As you can see from the before and after photos, the rough, bumpy ceilings were completely revamped. Furthermore, because the homeowner hired ceiling experts, she doesn’t have to worry about imperfections in the concrete ceiling making a nasty appearance. She can now fully enjoy the impressive Vancouver skyline.
Smooth, finished concrete ceilings give this Yaletown condo’s bedroom an updateA professional can make concrete ceilings smooth as glass
Do you have concrete ceilings that need finishing or texture removal? Contact us today for a free quote!
Not all damage to popcorn ceilings comes from a leaky roof or a clumsy upstairs neighbour. The owners of this New Westminster condo found themselves in the midst of a fire, which left a good chunk of their apartment, including their popcorn ceiling, severely damaged. That’s why they got in touch with Vancouver’s Ceiling Experts at RemoveCeilingTexture.com.
As depicted in the before and after shots, you can see that we were able to remove the fire and smoke damaged popcorn from the concrete ceilings of this New Westminster condo and resurfaced the ceiling to a perfectly smooth, paint-ready finish.
Does your home have damaged/ugly popcorn ceilings? Click here to contact us!
