Randy’s Painting & Drywall

Macungie, Lehigh County

Popcorn ceiling removal in Macungie, PA.

More of Macungie's homes date from the 1980s than from any other decade, and that decade sits right across the mid-1980s line for asbestos in ceiling texture. Test first, then smooth.

Request a private consultation Call or text (484) 546-3660
Two painters working a ceiling on poles and a ladder, the kitchen below sealed in clear plastic.
Ceiling work, the room sealed in plastic.

Popcorn ceiling removal for Macungie homes

About a third of the borough's homes were built in the 1980s, more than in any other decade, and that is the detail that matters for a textured ceiling here. Sprayed popcorn was still going onto ceilings in those years, and the mid-1980s line that governs asbestos testing runs straight through them.

A house finished in 1981 and one finished in 1989 can look alike from the street, but only the first is clearly inside the window, and the year a house was finished isn't always the year its ceilings were sprayed. Since no one can tell by looking, a sample goes to a lab before any scraping, and a positive result makes the removal work for a certified asbestos abatement contractor. Clear texture comes down wet, and the ceiling is then repaired, skimmed and painted.

Macungie

A 1980s borough on both sides of the testing line

The borough's houses from before 1940, about one in six, were plastered when they were built, and a spray texture on one of them came later. The four decades from 1940 to 1979 added only a few hundred homes, about 170 of them in the 1970s, and any original texture in those sits squarely in the testing years.

Ancient Oaks, about two miles northwest along Route 100 in Lower Macungie Township, shows the whole era in one place: its original section went up from 1961 to 1971, the West section began in 1972, and the South section followed from 1985 to 1989. The township as a whole is younger, with more than half its homes built since 1990, so a sprayed ceiling there is most likely in a house from before then.

A ceiling and walls patched in white compound, a work table of tools in the middle of the room.
Ceiling and walls, patched mid-job.

Worth knowing

  1. Test 1980s texture as a rule

    With so much of the borough built in that decade, testing any 1980s ceiling texture is the sensible default, whichever side of the line the house appears to fall on.

  2. Ancient Oaks by phase

    A house in the original 1960s section and one in the late-1980s South section sit on opposite sides of the cutoff. Knowing which phase yours belongs to is the first clue, not the last word.

  3. Protecting the rest of the house

    Floors and walls go under plastic, vents and doorways are closed off, and the wet debris is bagged inside the room before anything is carried through the house.

The work

How the work goes

The same care on every job, in every town. The full guide to popcorn ceiling removal.

A smooth white kitchen ceiling with recessed lights and a ceiling fan above glass-front wood cabinets.
A finished kitchen ceiling. Mike Galuppo’s photograph, from his Google review.

  1. The walkthrough

    Randy looks at the ceilings with you, how they were built and how the rooms are lit, and explains what removal and refinishing will involve. You get a written estimate; like the walkthrough, it is complimentary.

  2. Test before anything else

    If the texture may date from before the mid-1980s, a sample has to be taken by an accredited asbestos professional and tested by a lab before the ceiling is touched. If it tests positive, the job belongs to a certified asbestos abatement contractor, not a painter.

  3. Containment

    The room is emptied, floors and walls are sheeted in plastic, and power to the ceiling fixtures is shut off. The texture comes down as wet, heavy debris, and it should stay inside the room it came from.

  4. Wet scraping

    The texture is misted lightly, given time to soften, and scraped off in small sections. Too much water can damage the drywall beneath it, and painted texture resists water, so it needs a slower approach.

  5. Repair and skim

    Gouges, open seams and loose tape are repaired, then the ceiling is skim-coated so it reads flat under side light. Each coat dries before it is sanded, which is where most of the time goes.

  6. Prime and paint

    The finished ceiling is primed so compound and bare paper take paint evenly. It is then painted, usually in a flat finish that keeps minor flaws overhead from catching the light.

Questions

Popcorn ceiling removal, Macungie.

Our house in Ancient Oaks South dates from the late 1980s. Does the texture still need testing?

It's the cautious course. The usual cutoff for asbestos in ceiling texture is the mid-1980s, and a house finished in 1987 or 1988 sits just past it, but old stock and building dates aren't always tidy, and a lab result is better than a guess.

We're buying a 1980s townhouse in the borough with popcorn ceilings. When should the texture be tested?

Any time before it is disturbed, but knowing early helps, because a positive result changes who does the removal and how. Until then, leave it alone: no scraping, sanding or drilling for new lights.

Can the texture be scraped off dry to keep the mess down?

Not as a rule. Misting softens the texture and keeps it heavy and damp, so it falls as wet debris instead of dust; only painted texture gets a dry pass first, to break the paint so water can reach what is underneath. Either way, it happens only after a clear test.

More in Macungie

Other services here.

  1. Level 5 drywall finishA skim coat over the entire surface, for walls that hold up under raking light and dark paint.
  2. Skim coatingRough, patched or uneven walls resurfaced smooth, often after wallpaper comes down.
  3. Plaster repairCracked, loose and failing plaster in older homes, repaired and made sound.
  4. Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and millwork, prepared properly and finished clean.
  5. Exterior paintingSiding, trim, porches, stucco and brick, prepared to stand up to Pennsylvania weather.
  6. Drywall installation & repairNew drywall hung, taped and finished; cracks, holes and water damage repaired invisibly.
  7. Drywall texture matching & removalTexture matched so repairs disappear, applied where you want it, or taken off for a smooth wall.
  8. Wallpaper removalOld wallpaper and wall linings stripped without tearing up the wall beneath.
  9. Wood stainingDecks, porch floors, doors and trim, inside and out, stained by hand.

Consultation

Request a private consultation.

Private walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary. Tell us a little about the house and the rooms, and Randy will be in touch to arrange a time.

Hours
Monday – Friday8:30 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday10 AM – 3 PMSundayClosed
Service area
Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and the greater Lehigh Valley; Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Fully insured — proof on request. Residential and commercial.

Randy’sPainting & DrywallReply card
The project
Preferred contact

Walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary.