I hired Don to remove the popcorn ceilings in my home. The agreed price was $2,300.
Before the work started, I was told that popcorn removal would cost $2,300 and that priming and painting would be an optional additional service for approximately $2,000. Since I wanted to save money, I planned to do the priming and painting myself.
I was also told that a manual texture finish would cost approximately $2,000, while an orange peel texture applied by machine would cost approximately $2,300. When I asked which option was better, I was advised that orange peel was the better choice, so I agreed to pay the additional $300.
However, when the crew arrived, they told me that manual texture would actually be the better choice for my ceiling because it would hide imperfections and uneven areas better than orange peel. I contacted Don about this discrepancy, but the price was not adjusted. This was the first thing that caused me concern about communication and consistency.
After the popcorn was removed, I found that many of the ceiling-to-wall transitions had gaps, rough edges, cracks, and areas that required significant sanding, patching, and caulking before primer and paint could be applied. Some wall paint was also affected during the process. I took numerous photographs and sent them to Don.
Don explained that this can happen when popcorn is removed and that the sanding, caulking, and final preparation are normally performed as part of the painting process. Other homeowners may find that explanation reasonable. My concern was that I was never informed before the project started that the ceiling could be left requiring this much additional preparation work. Had I known that, I would have evaluated the project differently and may not have chosen to proceed.
I asked Don what he would charge to return and perform only the repair work necessary to leave the ceiling ready for primer and paint. I was not looking for free work; I simply wanted to know the cost of the repair portion by itself. I never received a separate repair quote. Instead, I was repeatedly offered the full priming and painting package for approximately $2,000.
At that point, I no longer felt comfortable moving forward with additional work. During conversations with the crew, I was told that the edge repair, sanding, priming, and painting could be completed in 2 hours very quickly, and the proposed approach did not give me confidence that the level of detail I was looking for would be achieved. I would personally rather spend additional time carefully repairing the edges myself than pay another $2,000 for work I was no longer confident about.
I am sharing this experience so future customers can ask detailed questions about exactly what condition the ceiling will be left in after popcorn removal, what additional repairs may be required, and what is included or excluded from each stage of the project. Had those expectations been made clear from the beginning, I believe this situation could have been avoided. read more