Popcorn, Knockdown or Orange Peel? How to Tell
| Texture | What it looks and feels like | Common in |
|---|---|---|
| Popcorn / acoustic | Lumpy, like cottage cheese. Soft and crumbly. Flakes off if you rub it | Homes built roughly 1950s through the early 1990s |
| Knockdown | Flat “islands” with smooth gaps, like splattered mud pressed flat. Hard | Many homes from the 1990s on |
| Orange peel | Fine, hard bumps | Many newer homes, often on walls too |
If it’s hard and doesn’t flake, it’s probably not popcorn. Changing a hard knockdown ceiling to smooth is a skim-coating job, not a removal job, and costs differ. The smooth finish page explains it.
Bixby Homes That Usually Have Popcorn
- Older homes in and around the original town. Houses near downtown Bixby and along the older section-line roads that date to the 1970s and 1980s often have popcorn. Test for asbestos if the house is from before the mid-1980s.
- Rural and acreage homes. Older country homes south and east of town may have popcorn, painted ceilings, or a mix of textures from several remodels.
- Additions. An older home with a newer addition may have popcorn in the original rooms only. Sample each section separately if you’re testing.
Newer Bixby Homes
Most of Bixby’s newer subdivisions were built after popcorn fell out of style, so if you’re in a newer home and dislike your ceiling texture, you probably want a retexture or smooth skim coat, not popcorn removal. The same local ceiling and drywall companies usually do both. Mention which you have in your request.
What to Expect
The removal process is the same as anywhere: test if needed, protect the room, wet-scrape, repair, finish, prime and paint. See the full process and the cost guide. For older homes, read asbestos testing first.
Use the form below. Bixby requests go to a company that also serves Broken Arrow and Tulsa.
Request a Popcorn Ceiling Quote
Tell us about the house. A local Broken Arrow-area ceiling company will call or text you back to set up a walkthrough and estimate.
Please note: Broken Arrow Popcorn Removal connects homeowners with independent local ceiling contractors. We are not a contractor and do not do the work.