Popcorn ceiling removal in Grand Rapids typically runs $1,500 to $8,000 for a residential job, and the final cost varies a lot by job size, scope and site conditions, that range is a planning number, not a quote. A single bedroom or a hallway sits at the bottom; a full main floor with lab testing, containment, disposal and clearance monitoring sits at the top. What actually decides where your house lands isn't square footage, it's the lab result. Textured ceiling material in homes built before the mid-1980s can contain asbestos, and scraping it dry is the fastest way to put fibres in the air of a room you sleep in. We pull a sample, send it to an accredited lab, and you get a written report before anything is touched.
What's Included in a Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Every job we do on a textured ceiling starts the same way, with a sample in a bag, not a scraper in a hand.
- Sample collection and accredited lab analysis. Ceiling texture is sampled by room or by uniform area, not by guesswork. Results come back in writing.
- Containment. Poly sheeting on floors and doorways, zipper doors, and HEPA-filtered negative air units when the material tests positive, so the rest of the house stays out of the work zone.
- Removal. The texture is wetted down and scraped, not ground or sanded, then the ceiling is HEPA-vacuumed and the debris is bagged, sealed and hauled to a licensed disposal site.
- State paperwork. When the ceiling is confirmed asbestos-containing, we file EGLE advanced notification of 10 working days before the first cut and pay the 1% project notification fee. That is filed by us, in our name, before work starts, not left to you.
- Independent clearance air monitoring. A third-party consultant runs the air samples after removal and hands you the clearance certificate, which is the document a buyer's inspector or the next contractor will ask for.
- Cleanup and walkthrough. Work area wiped down, bags out, containment down, and you walk the rooms before we pack up.
We're a Michigan licensed asbestos abatement contractor doing residential work only. We don't skim coat, paint or re-texture drywall, that's a finishing trade, and we'll tell you straight if you need one.
What It Costs
Here's the breakdown most people want before they call.
| Item | Typical planning range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling texture testing (accredited lab) | $350–$650 | Covers sampling and a written report |
| Popcorn ceiling removal, one room or hallway | $1,500–$2,500 | Assuming clean lab result and easy access |
| Main floor, three to four rooms plus hallway | $2,500–$5,000 | The most common Grand Rapids job |
| Whole house, multiple ceilings, heavy stomp texture, or confirmed asbestos with full containment | $5,000–$8,000 | Includes negative air and clearance monitoring |
| Vermiculite found in the attic during the job | $3,000–$12,000 | Priced separately as its own scope |
Every figure above is a planning range, not a quote. The final cost varies a lot depending on job size, scope and site conditions, ceiling height, how much furniture has to move, whether the texture is a light spray or a deep stomp, how many rooms share the same material, and whether the lab comes back positive. Two houses on the same block in Alger Heights can land thousands apart.
One thing worth knowing before you budget: if the attic insulation in your older Grand Rapids home is vermiculite, it may contain amphibole asbestos, and the Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust offers partial reimbursement for some vermiculite removal. Ask us and we'll tell you what documentation the trust wants, because most homeowners don't find out until after they've paid.
Free on-site estimate · no obligation
What Moves the Price Up or Down
- The lab result. Clean texture is a straightforward scrape-and-dispose job. Confirmed asbestos adds containment, negative air, sealed disposal and independent air monitoring, all of which carry real cost, and all of which are required.
- Texture thickness. A light 1970s spray comes off quickly. A heavy hand-applied pattern takes longer per square foot.
- Ceiling height and access. Vaulted ceilings, stairwells and rooms packed with furniture slow everything down. Empty rooms go faster.
- Plaster versus drywall. Plaster ceilings in Heritage Hill and Eastown homes behave differently under a scraper than 1980s drywall, and the prep changes with them.
- Number of continuous areas. Five small bedrooms cost more than one big open room of the same total square footage, because containment gets set up five times.
- Disposal volume. Asbestos-containing debris is bagged, sealed and manifested, and the tipping fees are higher than general construction waste.
- What happens after. Finishing the ceiling, skim coat, primer, paint, is a separate trade and a separate line in your budget.
Our Process
Inspect and sample
We look at the ceiling, the attic hatch, and any adjacent material that will be disturbed, then sample what needs sampling
Lab report and written scope
You get the result and a written price for the work the result calls for, before anything is moved
Notification filed
If it's asbestos-containing, EGLE advanced notification goes in 10 working days ahead and the 1% project notification fee is paid by us
Containment build
Floors covered, doorways sealed, negative air running, warning signage up
Wet removal
Texture wetted, scraped, bagged, sealed. No dry scraping, no shop vacuums
Independent clearance
Third-party air monitoring after the work area is cleaned, with the certificate issued to you
Walkthrough and handover
Lab report, notification record and clearance certificate in one folder, so the paperwork is right when the house is sold
Why Homeowners Around Grand Rapids Choose Us
Grand Rapids is an old-housing city, and the material is still up there. The textured ceilings on the main floors of West Side two-stories, the pipe wrap on boiler lines in Eastown basements, the nine-inch tile under carpet, it all comes from the same decades, and Kent County's rules about who can remove it and when the state has to be told are strict.
We work residential only. We're not a demolition or restoration outfit doing abatement on the side, which means the containment, the notification and the clearance get the same attention on a $1,800 hallway as on a full house. Every job starts with a lab result, not a guess, and ends with a clearance certificate in your hand.