Do Popcorn Ceilings Reduce Your Home’s Value?

Published on 29 August 2022, 07:22:56 AM

Those aging popcorn ceilings could be dragging your home’s value down. 

Glance up and you’ll see what we mean. Not only are popcorn ceilings in pre-1990s homes potentially harbouring asbestos, they can be tricky to repair.

Patch, paint, hide, or replace — how you replace popcorn ceilings costs you money, and your property’s resale value.

The Point of Having Popcorn Ceilings 

Popcorn ceilings are an outdated 1940s to 1980s trend, but they have their uses. The cheesy stippled texture covers cracks, imperfections, or repairs like water stains. 

Back in the day, popcorn ceilings were a fire-resistant sound dampener. Cheaper than hand-trowelled textured ceilings, Artex plaster multiplied across Ontario faster than bungalows in a suburb.

Today, they are a retro reminder of your home’s age. 

When to hire a building inspection lawyer for permit problems. 

Why You Should Worry About Popcorn Ceilings

Look way up, inside your attic, on your roof, and at your bedroom ceiling. What you’re seeing could be asbestos.

Not all popcorn ceilings have asbestos, but yours could if your home was built before the mid-1980s. Spray-on plasters in popcorn ceilings can be up to 10 per cent asbestos. 

Who’s liable if your home inspector misses something?  

Use of asbestos in ceilings was banned in 1978, but plaster supplies already on the shelves were exempt. Traces still linger in some post-1980s Ontario homes, and imported building products. 

Before you do anything to a popcorn ceiling, get a professional to check it for asbestos. What to do if you think your home has asbestos.  

Pluses of Popcorn Ceilings

• Modern textured ceiling applications are safe. They’re an easy DIY fix for an ugly ceiling, and who knows, popcorn ceilings could make a comeback.  
• Cracks in popcorn ceilings can be patched with spray-on aerosols or brushed-on, premixed textured plaster.
• Painting is a simple touch up. Dust off loose stipple, apply a sealer to lock in stains, and use a sprayer or thick nap roller. 
• Drywall, rigid foam panels, or wood are simple cover ups. Glue, screw, or nail new materials over your existing ceiling.

Removing a claim under Ontario’s Construction Lien Act. 

Minuses of Having Popcorn Ceilings

• Popcorn ceilings can make your home appear dated.
• Stucco may deteriorate with age. If you see dust, cracks, or holes, remove pets and family, shut or lock doors and windows, and turn off fans. Call an asbestos abatement professional. 
• Removing stipple is messy and time consuming. If you really hate the look, it can be loosened with water, and scraped off with a trowel or putty knife. Painted stipple requires chemical strippers. Hire a professional, or follow the container’s safety instructions. 
• The pockmarks trap light, making your room appear darker. Lighten up your space with drywall or cedar instead. If you really must remove a popcorn finish, plan to spend around $5,000 per 139.35 m².

Financing and building a laneway suite in Toronto.  

Why You Need a Real Estate Lawyer

Axess Law’s professional real estate lawyers keep home seller’s legal expenses affordable. When you’re ready to sell, we review offers to purchase to ensure your home seller’s rights are protected. 

Your agreement of purchase and sale can give you the right to accept new offers through a 48-hour escape clause. If you’re concerned a buyer may not follow through with their offer, our lawyers include this essential clause to prevent you from losing other opportunities to sell.

Buyer unable to get mortgage financing? Axess Law confirms the offer to purchase gives you, and buyers, the right to cancel a sale by mutual consent. Being proactive prevents time consuming and costly legal disputes. We word your agreement to allow you to keep the deposit when you incur expenses or delays as a result of a buyer’s withdrawal, or walk away with a handshake alone.

Find a real estate lawyer near me. 

Home inspections can turn up problems with your home that worry buyers. Before you lose the sale to easily repairable defects, let Axess Law negotiate with the buyer’s lawyer. You may be able to make repairs at your own expense, or reduce the price to encourage a buyer to go through with a sale.

Questions you ask real estate lawyers in Ontario.  

A clear title allows you to complete the sale on time. Axess Law’s virtual real estate lawyers search your title for financial claims or construction liens that could hold up a sale at the last minute. We advise you how to get clear title, and transfer your property to a new owner. 

Affordable Real Estate Lawyers, Anywhere You Are 

Access lawyers for less in Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, or anywhere in Ontario  when you buy, sell, or transfer property. Axess Law’s flat fee real estate lawyers are affordable, and our rates are all inclusive (excluding taxes, disbursements, and third-party charges). Axess Law offers you only the legal services you absolutely need. Your final invoice includes no surprises or hidden charges. Your itemized statement of adjustments is explained when we deliver it, and we answer any questions you have about it. 

Your Ontario real estate lawyer’s role. 

Book Online or By Phone

Making appointments is easy when you dial our 647-479-0118 lawyer line in Greater Toronto Area, or toll free to 1-877-402-4207 from anywhere in Ontario. Axess Law has virtual real estate lawyers throughout Ontario who can video conference remotely with you 7 days a week to close your real estate transaction. Book online with our easy-to-use web form, or stop into any Axess Law location near you to make appointments in person. Axess Law has onsite parking, and easy transit access.