Fix 6 of 6
Smooth ceilings and better light
Spray texture and one lonely ceiling fixture date a ranch house faster than almost anything. Smooth ceilings and lights placed where you sit change how the whole house feels.
Before the 1980s, ceiling texture could contain asbestos, so we send a sample to a lab before we touch it. If it is clear, we scrape or skim the ceiling smooth and paint. If it isn't, we leave it alone, or you hire a licensed asbestos abatement firm, and we plan around that. Lighting is laid out on paper first: recessed lights on dimmers, fans on boxes made for them, and switches where your hand goes. A licensed electrician does the wiring, under a permit.
What the job includes
A lab test of the texture before any work
If the test is clear, texture scraped or skimmed smooth and painted
Recessed lights, with dimmers
Ceiling fans on boxes made for them
Switches new or moved to where you use them
An electrical permit and inspection
What changes the cost
What moves the cost of a ceiling
No figures here: the number comes after the walk-through. These four things decide it.
The lab result
A clear result means we can scrape or skim. A positive one means leaving the texture, painting it or hiring an abatement firm.
Ceiling area and height
Tall and vaulted ceilings need scaffolds and more time than a standard eight-foot ceiling.
How many lights, and where
Every new light needs a hole, a wire path and attic access. A new layout costs more than swapping a fixture.
Above the ceiling
Insulation depth, ducts and tight spaces decide how easy it is to reach and where a recessed light can sit.
How it goes
How a ceiling job goes
Typical days, for planning. Your written schedule sets yours.
- 01A few days
Step 1: Sample and lab test
We take a small sample with the area wetted and sealed, and send it to a lab. Nothing is scraped until the report is back.
- 02Two to four days
Step 2: Prep and smooth
Floors and furniture are covered, the air returns taped, and the ceiling is scraped or skimmed smooth.
- 03Two to three days
Step 3: Lights and wiring
The electrician runs the wires and sets the boxes. The city inspects the rough work.
- 04Two to three days
Step 4: Paint and finish
Primer, two coats of paint, the fixtures, and the final walk.
Questions
Before you pick a fix
Can you test the texture yourselves?
We take the sample and send it to an accredited lab, and the lab reports. We don't guess from how the texture looks.
What if the test is positive?
Then we don't scrape it. You can leave the texture, paint over it while it is intact, or have a licensed asbestos abatement firm remove it before we start.
Can recessed lights go anywhere?
Almost. They need room above the ceiling, clear of joists and ducts. The attic tells us where they fit, and we mark each one on the plan before we cut.
Tired of the texture?
Text a photo of the ceiling in the room you use most, with a light on. We tell you what we would test.