How to Hide a Popcorn Ceiling: 3 Options vs. Removing It

You can hide a popcorn ceiling by covering it with thin drywall, wood planks or ceiling tiles, or by painting it. Covering it leaves the popcorn in place and lowers the ceiling slightly. Removing the popcorn gets you a smooth or newly textured ceiling at the same height, and it's often the simpler job.

1. Cover it with new drywall

Thin drywall, usually 1/4 or 3/8 inch, is screwed through the popcorn into the ceiling framing, then taped, finished, and textured or left smooth. The popcorn stays sealed underneath. Light fixtures, fans and vents have to be extended to the new surface, and crown molding may need to be reset.

2. Cover it with planks or paneling

Wood planks, beadboard or tongue-and-groove paneling are fastened to the ceiling framing over the popcorn. It's a good look for porches, Florida rooms and beach-style homes, and it changes the character of the room more than any other option.

3. Cover it with ceiling tiles

Decorative ceiling tiles glue or fasten over the popcorn. They come in many styles, from faux tin to simple panels, and some reduce noise.

Or paint it

Painting freshens up a dingy popcorn ceiling without covering it, but it makes removal much harder later. See how to paint a popcorn ceiling.

Covering vs. removing popcorn

Covering adds material and lowers the ceiling, and the fixtures have to be moved down. Removing the popcorn takes the ceiling back to drywall, which is then finished smooth or with a light texture and painted, with nothing added. Popcorn texture applied before the mid-1980s can contain asbestos, so older ceilings are tested before removal. See how popcorn removal works and which texture to choose after popcorn removal.

Popcorn ceiling removal in Orlando

New Ceilings removes popcorn ceilings across Orlando and Central Florida, finishes them smooth or with a light texture, and paints them. Every job starts with a free written quote. See popcorn ceiling removal.