removing popcorn ceilings vancouver Archives

February 4, 2014April 8, 2023

The Lowdown on Textured Ceilings

This condo at 518 Moberly Rd in Vancouver had the textured ceilings removed

If your home was built from about 1950 onwards, there’s a good chance you have textured ceilings, also known as popcorn ceilings or stippled ceilings. It’s even being used today in the countless highrises sprouting from the earth like fungi. You might think, wouldn’t they be able to sell the units for more money if the ceilings were smooth and actually looked finished? Yes, they most likely would, but the problem is that old adage: time is money. Textured ceilings are quick and cheap and they need to sell the units as quickly as possible. This keeps us at RemoveCeilingTexture.com quite busy.

The Nitty Gritty of Textured Ceilings

So let’s break it down. What are the arguments for and against textured ceilings?

“Textured ceilings are quick and cheap to build.”

This argument really only works for the developer. But this is about you, the homeowner.

Ceilings transformed from textured to smooth at a condo at 1230 Haro Street in Vancouver

You’re likely not pocketing the savings the developers made by spraying the

texture. Do you know what else is quick and cheap? Leaving the concrete floors unfinished and not painting the walls. How many developers do that? For some reason textured ceilings have become almost an industry standard and people put up with it.

“Textured ceilings mute sound.”

If you live in a modern condo building, the texture is not making a difference in sound transmission. Generally, you shouldn’t be able to hear your neighbours walking around.

Living room of Vancouver condo now has smooth ceilings - 1230 Haro St, Vancouver — Living room of Vancouver condo now has smooth ceilings – 1230 Haro St, Vancouver

However, if your upstairs neighbour insists on channeling her inner Victoria Beckham by walking in heels at all hours, textured ceilings will not make one iota of difference. You’re going to hear that clickety-clack whether or not you have textured ceilings. Likewise, the creaks and groans of an older home are going to come through regardless of the texture on your ceilings. The sound may not even be coming through the ceilings. If walls are missing insulation, sound will travel through. Unless you have a seriously sound proofed room that can silence a nine-year old boy and his drum set, you’re going to get some sound transfer.

The other sound issue people talk about is echo within a room.

Removal of textured ceilings in the dining room of a Vancouver Condo - 1230 Haro St. — Removal of textured ceilings in the dining room of a Vancouver Condo – 1230 Haro St.

Echoes occur when sound waves bounce off of hard surfaces such as walls and ceilings, multiple times. It’s true, if you have an empty room with no furniture, textured ceilings will slightly dampen echoes. But once you add softer components such as sofas, chairs, beds, carpets, rugs, etc., the sound waves will be absorbed by these softer items and won’t create an echo. So your textured ceilings are not helping.

“Textured ceilings don’t bother me.”

Are you sure about that? They may not bother you visually, but what they harbour could be affecting your health. Asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems can be aggravated by the dust and allergens that are present in every home. In most homes you vacuum, you dust…problem solved, right? Not so fast. The dust gets stuck in the nooks and crannies of textured ceilings. It can then fall back down at its leisure, making your symptoms worse.

Smooth ceilings appear higher - Vancouver condo at 1331 Homer St. — Smooth ceilings appear higher – Vancouver condo at 1331 Homer St.

Resurfaced concrete ceilings at a Vancouver condo - Bedroom at 1331 Homer St. — Resurfaced concrete ceilings at a Vancouver condo – Bedroom at 1331 Homer St.

Smoothing Out the Nitty Gritty

The good news is that you’re not stuck with textured ceilings. From penthouse condos to heritage homes and everything in between, we can provide smooth ceilings for pretty much every type of dwelling (we’ve yet to do a hobbit-hole, though).

At RemoveCeilingTexture.com, our name only tells part of the story. Removing the ceiling texture is only the first step to smooth ceilings. Once the texture is gone, you’ll often see inconsistencies in the ceilings. If you were to paint at this stage, they wouldn’t look very good. The next, crucial step is where our expertise really shines: resurfacing the ceilings. Our process will leave you with flawless, smooth ceilings that look fantastic.

Contact us today for a FREE QUOTE for getting rid of your textured ceilings. Send us an email, or call us at 604-420-7578.

Close-up view of corner after ceiling texture removal at a condo at 1331 Homer St, Vancouver

Living room with smooth ceilings - condo at 1331 Homer St, Vancouver — Living room with smooth ceilings – condo at 1331 Homer St, Vancouver

Tired of your textured ceilings? Contact us today for a FREE quote!

January 8, 2014November 23, 2023

Ceiling Finishes

Your Own Personal Sistine Chapel

Ceiling finishes are pretty much only limited to your imagination. From Michelangelo-esque works of art to wallpaper to coffered ceilings, the one thing required before beginning is a flat surface. Popcorn ceiling texture gets in the way of most ceiling finishes.

Ceiling Finishes: Smooth ceilings in North Vancouver - Fireplace — Ceiling Finishes: Smooth ceilings in North Vancouver – Fireplace

At RemoveCeilingTexture.com, we specialize in not only removing the texture, but more importantly, in creating sleek, blemish-free surfaces. They are beautiful left this way, or use them as a base to apply mouldings, medallions or stencils to get the look you want.

Sashimi, Steak Tartare, Egg Nog: Must Our Concrete be Raw Too?

If you live in a highrise building, you likely have concrete ceilings. Designers of these buildings use various concrete ceiling finishes to achieve whatever look they’re going for. Sometimes they’re left bare for a raw, industrial look. This look isn’t for everyone.

Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings - Texture removed from concrete ceilings in Vancouver — Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings – Texture removed from concrete ceilings in Vancouver

While it may look glamourous in magazines or movies, in real life it can feel cold, impersonal and just plain unfinished. Other times the concrete’s sprayed with ceiling texture just like drywall ceilings are. Why? It’s cheaper to spray popcorn texture than it is to finish them to a nice smooth surface. If you have over 100 condos in a building to finish, speed usually triumphs over quality. RemoveCeilingTexture.com can remove the texture, fix any cracks and holes and skim over the concrete to create a warmer, finished look.

Smooth Ceiling Finishes

Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings - Dining room in Port Coquitlam has the texture removed — Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings – Dining room in Port Coquitlam has the texture removed

Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings - Close up of texture removal around a light fixture in North Vancouver — Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings – Close up of texture removal around a light fixture in North Vancouver

Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings - Stain in North Vancouver living room is gone, along with the ugly texture — Ceiling Finishes: Smooth Ceilings – Stain in North Vancouver living room is gone, along with the ugly texture

Contact RemoveCeilingTexture.com today for a FREE, no obligation, quote for ceiling texture removal. Send us an email, or give us a call at 604-420-7578. We’d love to discuss your project and answer any ceiling related questions you may have.

December 2, 2013November 2, 2016

Increase the Value of Your Home

We can work around things like fire sprinklers when removing ceiling texture.

Do you want to increase the value of your home? That’s kind of like asking someone if they like pancakes. No rational person answers no to that! So unless you’re one of those weird, pancake-hating ~~monsters~~ people, here’s a simple way you can add some value to your home. (If you do hate pancakes, that’s okay. I’m sure your mother still loves you.)

Increase the Value of Your Home with Ceiling Renovations

Easy way to increase the value of your home: This West Van condo had ceiling texture removed

Renovations. The very word invokes fear in some and manic glee in others (you know who you are). But before you haul out the chainsaw and start hacking away at walls, a huge mortgage-your-house transformation may not be necessary. If your home is in decent shape but could use some tweaking, consider having RemoveCeilingTexture.com remove your ceiling texture and refinish the ceilings. Removing the popcorn ceilings can dramatically change your home’s appearance. Ceiling texture is outdated, dusty and full of allergens. It also makes rooms feel small. Smooth ceilings reflect light better and make spaces appear larger.

If you are planning a large renovation, smooth, refinished ceilings can be the crowning glory. But a smooth ceiling is also a great option if your house just needs a little bit of TLC and you’d like to increase the value of your home. The great thing about RemoveCeilingTexture.com’s ceiling texture removal process is that you don’t have to put your life on hold while the renovations are being done. We can work around you. In just a few days your ceiling will go from a lumpy, breeding ground for spiders to a smooth surface that makes the space feel more welcoming.

The kitchen in a Main Street condo gets an update simply by removing the popcorn texture on the ceilings

Seller Beware: Smooth Ceilings Sell Better

We’ve dealt with many buyers who are in the process of putting an offer on a home.

Living room of Vancouver condo feels larger with smooth ceilings

They contact us to see how much it will cost to have the ceiling texture removed, and they’re going to factor that into the offer. If your ceilings are already smooth, your home will naturally fetch better offers from potential buyers. If the choice for a buyer is between your home and a similar home, you want to get whatever edge you can. If one has modern, smooth ceilings and is move-in ready and the other has dingy popcorn ceilings that will need to be dealt with before the buyers move in, it’s clear which one is going to be the winner. *Unless the purchasers hate pancakes. In that case they are loose cannons and there’s telling what they’ll do!

Ceiling texture removal in Vancouver - Bedroom — Ceiling texture removal in Vancouver – Bedroom

It couldn’t be easier to increase the value of your home. RemoveCeilingTexture.com provides FREE, no obligation quotes for ceiling renovations and ceiling texture removal.. Contact us today at 604-420-7578 or send us an email.

Would you like to increase the value of your home with ceiling texture removal? Contact us today for a FREE quote!

November 23, 2013November 2, 2016

Ceiling Refinishing

Most fads of the 60s and 70s have pretty much disappeared. Except pet rocks. Like parrots and other long-living animals, pet rocks often outlived their owners, ending up abandoned in animal shelters.

This condo at 55 Blackberry Drive in New Westminster has had ceiling refinishing

Anyway, for some unexplainable reason, popcorn ceilings, sometimes known as stippled ceilings, are also still hanging in there. What you may not know is that you can do something about it! Ceiling refinishing is an option that will leave you with smooth ceilings.

Can’t I Just Scrape Off My Ceiling Texture?

Getting smooth ceilings isn’t as simple as scraping off the texture. There are other things to consider, outlined below, and this is why a professional who has a lot of ceiling experience should be hired. At RemoveCeilingTexture.com, our entire business is built around ceiling refinishing. We have the expertise necessary to turn your outdated, textured ceilings into smooth, flawless surfaces.

Asbestos:

If your home was built prior to the early 80s, the ceiling texture could contain asbestos. Asbestos fibres are generally not dangerous unless they are airborne, which they will become if you scrape the texture. These fibres are microscopic and when breathed in can get lodged in your lungs. This can lead to breathing problems, scarring and in extreme cases, mesothelioma. If you do have asbestos in your texture, you can still have smooth ceilings. RemoveCeilingTexture.com’s unique process can give you smooth ceilings without disturbing the asbestos fibres. The fibres are sealed in and won’t be disturbed unless there’s some sort of home demolition, or a major earthquake, in which case, ceiling texture would be the least of your problems.

Painted Ceiling Texture:

People often don’t know what to do with dirty ceiling texture. It can’t be cleaned, so they just slap some paint over it. This method is not an ideal solution. Who wants to repaint their ceilings every 6 months? If the texture has been painted, it won’t scrape off easily, if at all. It’ll be very difficult to remove it without gouging the ceiling. This is another great reason to have the professionals at RemoveCeilingTexture.com deal with your ceilings.

Uneven Ceilings:

The reason stipple is applied to ceilings is so that they don’t have to be finished properly. This saves the builder time and money. If you do manage to remove the texture from your ceilings, you will likely find that they’re in rough shape. They may be uneven or wavy. Wavy ceilings are seen especially in condos with concrete ceilings. The concrete frames they use are not perfect, so you’re left with waves, ridges, holes and other blemishes. This is where ceiling refinishing comes in.

What is Ceiling Refinishing and What is Remove Ceiling Texture’s Process?

If there is no asbestos in the ceiling texture, the texture is removed with a special sander/vacuum. This is not some Red Green inspired duct-taped contraption, but a refined piece of German engineering created specifically for the wall and ceiling industry.

*If there is asbestos in the ceiling, we skip the sanding step and add an encapsulant to the mud compound for the skim coating step below.

The first step to smooth ceilings is sanding the texture with the Festool specialty sander

The Festool sander is German-engineered for the wall and ceiling industry

Next comes the crucial step that will make your ceilings look professional: ceiling refinishing. A mud compound is applied by hawk and trowel, the same method used by plaster artisans for centuries. Depending on the condition of the ceiling, one to three coats are applied in this fashion, with time for drying between each coat.

During the ceiling refinishing process a mud compound is applied

The last step is sanding. Our method of applying the compound is so precise that the ceilings don’t really need much sanding at all. Just a light sanding and the finished product is revealed: a smooth, flawless surface.

Ceiling refinishing and repair in Vancouver

Refinished ceilings with potlights in Vancouver

I Immediately Regret This Decision

A North Vancouver homeowner called Remove Ceiling Texture after a failed DIY attempt

So you thought getting smooth ceilings would be easy. You armed yourself with a scraper and the same single-minded determination that wives often witness when husbands refuse to follow the IKEA directions (seriously though, you need the Rosetta Stone to figure out those Swedish hieroglyphics). You thought, “I’m a handy guy (or gal), how hard could it be?” You got up on your ladder and you began the tedious process of scraping the popcorn texture. You soon regretted this decision. Either the texture didn’t come off nicely and you’ve damaged the drywall, or the texture did come off, but then you saw that the ceilings were uneven and looked terrible.

Failed DIY ceiling texture removal attempt in North Vancouver. RCT was called to fix the ceilings.

It’s shortly after this happens that we get a lot of calls from bashful homeowners. Our name may be Remove Ceiling Texture, but only because “Remove Ceiling Texture & Refinish Ceilings & Repair Ceiling Imperfections & Fix Homeowner’s Ceiling Mistakes” makes for a pretty long domain name.

Instead of trying to do it yourself, contact us from the start. We provide FREE, no obligation quotes for ceiling refinishing. Call us today at 604-420-7578 or contact us here or use the form below.

Do your ceilings need refinishing? Contact us today for a FREE, no obligation quote!

October 29, 2013April 8, 2023

Interior Design: All About Ceilings

This homeowner incorporated smooth ceilings and potlights into her interior design

Smooth is better: Update your ceilings by having them resurfaced

Ceiling texture removal plays a part in interior design for this North Vancouver home

Interior design is the art of taking a space and making it functional and pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, ceilings are an often overlooked piece of the interior design puzzle. This is such a shame because the surface area is so large that any change will make a big difference in the feel of your home. A simple thing such as having the popcorn texture removed from your ceilings, will make the space feel larger, brighter and more modern. In addition, smooth ceilings provide better air quality. Once the ceiling texture is gone and the ceilings have been resurfaced, there will be no nooks and crannies for dust, spider webs and other allergens to hide. Modernization and less asthma attacks: a win-win situation.

Bulkheads & Valances: Ceiling texture doesn’t make them more attractive

Let’s face it. Bulkheads and valances are not the most attractive features in a home.

No Realtor selling a home advertises all the first-class bulkheads. However, they can be necessary to cover up ducts or pipes, especially in basements. Without doing a major renovation, you just have to live with them. Likewise, no interior designer or architect designs a home trying to get as many valances in as possible. Sometimes they’re just unavoidable. But what if your bulkheads or valances are also covered in ceiling texture? It’s as if the builders said, “Ceilings covered in horrible, popcorn texture that collects dust? Check. Now let’s see where else we can spray this nasty stuff.” While you may have to put up with these unwelcome necessities, they should at least not look diseased. Ditch the texture. At RemoveCeilingTexture.com we can remove texture from anywhere.

Ceiling texture removal from the ceiling and valances

Lighting: What’s interior design without a little mood lighting?

The new flooring is in, the furniture is picked out and now you’ve found the perfect lights. When you show off your interior design and the new light fixtures, do you really want people inspecting your dusty ceiling texture too? A smooth, texture-free surface will make the important things, like fantastic lighting, stand out.

This Vancouver homeowner incorporated smooth ceilings and potlights into her interior design

North Vancouver home gets ceiling texture removed after installing potlights - both great interior design ideas — North Vancouver home gets ceiling texture removed after installing potlights – both great interior design ideas

Whether you have bulkheads or valances covered in texture, or you have new lighting that requires smooth ceilings or you just want the modern look that texture free ceilings give, contact us today for a FREE quote on ceiling texture removal and ceiling resurfacing. Or give us a call from anywhere in BC at 604-420-7578.

Do you want smooth ceilings incorporated into your interior design? Contact us now for a FREE quote on ceiling texture removal!