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Popcorn Ceiling Removal

popcorn ceiling removal

Say Goodbye to the 80's!

Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Popcorn belongs in a theater, not on your ceiling. Our professionals will smoothly remove that outdated popcorn ceiling using industry-leading equipment and safety measures. We’ll leave a sleek, modern surface primed for a new era. Consider it a time-travel service for your home’s aesthetics. We handle the entire process from assessment to clean-up, leaving no trace except a perfectly smooth ceiling.

30 Min or Less

We’re here to help you find answers—and we’ll respond to your question within 30 minutes or less during our office hours.

Free Color Consultations

We are happy to offer free color consultations to aid you in your decision-making process of your cabinet painting project.

Painting With A Purpose

By hiring us to paint, it creates opportunities for us to give back to the community and make a meaningful difference.

Our Most

Frequently Asked Questions

While our name, Gables & Grove Painting, might suggest that we only operate in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, the truth is that we love to service as much of Miami-Dade County as possible, despite doing a lot of work in our home neighborhoods.

Here’s a list of communities we serve—and if you don’t see yours listed you should give us a call anyway!

  • Coral Gables, Miracle Mile, Coconut Grove, Cocoplum
  • Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, and Cutler Bay
  • The Roads, Shenandoah, Little Havana, Overtown, Allapatah, Riverside
  • Key Biscayne, Virginia Key
  • Brickell, Wynwood, Midtown, Park West, OMNI, Civic Center
  • Edgewater, El Portal, Design District, Morningside, Little Haiti, Upper East Side, Buenavista, Baypoint, Shorecrest, Little River, Bayside, Belle Meade
  • Miami Beach (South Beach, Mid Beach, North Beach), Venetian Islands, Watson Island, Fisher Island, North Bay Village
  • Bal Harbor, Surfside, Aventura
  • West Flagler, Flagami, Coral Terrace, Westchester, West Miami, Ludlam, Olympia Heights, South Miami
  • Fontainbleau, Blue Lagoon, Airport West, Virginia Gardens, Miami Springs, Doral, Palmer Lake, Grapeland Heights
  • We have done work in Broward and Palm Beach counties

Popcorn ceiling removal can be a messy process. There will be dust and debris, but we take steps to minimize the mess by covering furniture and floors and doing a thorough clean-up afterward.

Ok, let’s be completely clear about this—removing popcorn ceiling is not the most fun you’ll be having in your home this year. That pesky thing called gravity takes dust and debris and sends it everywhere. But wait a minute! Gables & Grove has a specific process for minimizing all of that. We call it the Gables & Grove Popcorn Removal Process, and here’s how it goes:

  1. We don’t just throw down some drop cloths and hope for the best. First, rolls of construction paper go down on your floors. Perfect protection from corner to corner, edge to edge. 
  2. Then we completely cover that paper with a thin layer of Painters Plastic. 
  3. Next come the misting sprayers to dampen the popcorn. Too little mist and you’ll create dust. Too much mist and you’ll have soggy drywall ceilings, and that’s a no-no.
  4. Now we scrape. Starting in the far corner we take wide drywall knives and manually scrape the popcorn from the ceiling, taking care to not damage the drywall above.
  5. All the large debris is down and now on top of that plastic we put down. We get out big contractor trash bags, ball the plastic up, and export that debris from your home direct to our work vehicles—not your trash cans!
  6. A new layer of Painters Plastic is put down over your paper-covered floor.

Let’s take a break right there and talk about how your ceiling goes from popcorn-free to truly smooth. The following describes  how we did  it for many years, and how every one of our competitors continues to do it:

  • Go up with a first coat of compound, and let it dry overnight
  • Come back the next day and sand that coat as smooth as possible (dust!)
  • Apply a second coat of compound, and let it dry overnight
  • Come back the next day, and sand that coat as smooth as possible (dust, dust!)
  • An expert finisher (the guys and gals who do compound work) can achieve a pretty smooth finish with two coats. But, you guessed it, usually a third coat of compound is applied, and left to dry overnight
  • The next day is sanded down nice and smooth  (dust, dust, dust!)
  • And one coat of primer is applied. The primer will reveal all kinds of ugly knife marks and imperfections in the finishing process that have to be touched up…with more compound…and more sanding (dus…ok you, know what I was going to say!)
  • Touch-up priming, and now we’re finally ready for two coats of ceiling paint

Do you see the pain that can come from that process? Let’s list out some problems:

  • That took at least 4 days
  • It caused dust storms like Oklahoma had in the 1920s
  • Then you had up to ½” of compound hanging over your head
  • It took a lot of work to get a smooth finish, and it was never actually perfect
  • The compound+primer substrate dried a gray-white, which even after two coats of ceiling paint gave a “dull” feeling to your new ceiling

Ok, let’s go back to the Gables & Grove Popcorn Removal Process to see how we do it nowadays. At #6, we left off with fresh plastic on the floor…

  1. Our skilled finishers apply one very thin coat of compound to the ceiling. The purpose of this skim coat is to cover any drastic elevation changes, pits, holes, deep gauges, etc.  It’s so thin that it dries within two hours. We lightly sand that skim coat, and prime the ceiling. Why lightly, why not sand it like the other guys? We don’t need it to be perfect, because coming up next…
  2. We hang Systexx, the fiberglass drywall covering that becomes a permanent part of the ceiling and dries to a breathable, perfectly smooth, rock-hard crystal-white finish within 4 hours. 
  3. Then we paint—two coats of your new color on this perfect, strong, crystal-white surface.
  4. You’re done.

Notice a few things?

  • Barely a murmur about dust, or dust storms
  • Your walls are perfectly smooth at the rate of 300 sqft/hour, which means your work is done in ⅓-¼ of the time!
  • Perfectly. Smooth.
  • We’ve minimized the amount of stinky compound that is being applied
  • You’re going to get the true value of your color because we’re going over a crystal-white surface, not that dull-gray.

So, to answer to the question, “Is removing popcorn ceiling a messy, dusty process?, is “it’s up to you!”

Well the short answer is that it’s no longer 1987. And aside from being funny, it’s true, and there’s more: popcorn ceilings date a home but they also collect dust and may contain asbestos. Removing popcorn not only modernizes your space and provides a cleaner, smoother finish, but will also improve your air quality. A true win-win! And the best news: it doesn’t have to be messy. Read on to learn how we’ve removed the pain from popcorn process.

We’re always open to partnerships with other tradespeople and businesses in the community. If you’re a plumber, roofer, landscaper, general contractor, real estate agent, interior designer, or other professional who works with clients needing painting services, we’d love to partner with you.

Simply refer potential projects to us and we’ll happily return the favor when opportunities arise. We’ll provide an agreed-upon finder’s fee or reciprocal discounted service for each confirmed lead or job you send our way.

To get started, give us a call or shoot us an email to discuss partnership options. We look forward to collaborating and building our local business networks together for mutual benefit. With your help connecting us with new clients that need our services, we can continue delivering the high-quality painting results Miami residents and businesses have relied on Gables & Grove for.

We sure do, and we’re happy to report on some of the pretty cool commercial work we’ve done!

We’ve worked on lots and lots of custom homes for GCs and home builders, helping them put the literal final touches on masterpiece single-family homes and condo/penthouse units.

We’ve also repainted office buildings and spaces (dental, medical, law offices), parking garages, schools, different restaurants, several beauty salons, The Junior League of Miami in Coral Gables, half a dozen YouFit gyms, the Natuzzi showroom in the Design District, a Fendi storefront at Merrick Park, Green’s Garage in Coral Gables, Victoria’s Secret on Lincoln Road, and even a few walls in Wynwood.

Most recently, we were hired to paint and complete multiple sections of the new Formula 1 race track at Hard Rock Stadium. Vroom vroom!

We have many years experience working with general contractors, architects, and designers on new construction and remodel projects, providing drywall finishing and painting as well as exterior priming, painting, and staining. Did you say drywall finishing? Yes, we did—check out our Drywall Learning Center! Do you have an office, facility, school, etc. that news repainting? Visit our commercial page to learn more, or book a free appointment today!

We accept all major credit cards, checks, and cash.

We offer various financing options. Please contact us to find out if you qualify.

Material and labor costs fluctuate over time, which is why we keep our quotes valid for 30 days to reflect the most accurate costs at the time of estimation.

We have several competitors in our market, but we distinguish ourselves through our commitment to quality and customer service.

While your project invoice can be forwarded and paid by another party, the signer of the contract is legally responsible for all invoices. Please inform office@gablesandgrove.com if you would like to add another party to your billing information.

We pride ourselves on our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Our numerous positive customer reviews and referrals speak to our high standing in the industry.

Our owner is a dedicated professional who is passionate about delivering high-quality painting services. For privacy reasons, we can’t share his name here.

More Than Painting

We're your go-to resource for all of your home improvement needs. We know the industry inside and out—and if we don't have someone on staff who can do it themselves, we'll know someone who does.

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Freshen up your brand-new paint job with Gables & Grove Fresh Start. Enjoy regularly scheduled painting, repairs, pressure washing, surface sealing, light bulb changes, and more!

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Our Popcorn Removal Portfolio

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