Understanding your result
The headline is the range for the job, and the line under it gives the area and the range per square foot. The table shows the rate used and where it came from, the regional factor and the total.
For a contractor, the rate is the published installed price for the texture. For DIY, the cost is material, counted from the coverage figures on the texture calculator, times your price per bag or box, plus the sprayer rental; your time is not priced. For popcorn removal, the rate depends on whether the texture has been tested and found to contain asbestos.
Texture usually comes after the drywall is hung and finished, priced on the cost estimator. If the aim is a smooth wall instead, the skim coat calculator counts the compound to bury an old texture.
How we calculate this
The installed rates are from published cost guides (HomeGuide for orange peel and knockdown, Inchcalculator for knockdown, our estimate for hand and new popcorn textures); the removal rates are Fixr’s. Regions multiply the price by about 0.8 in lower-cost areas and 1.4 to 1.6 in high-cost metros. Coverage per bag and box for DIY comes from the makers’ published figures, on the coverage table.
The assumptions behind the numbers
| Assumption | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Orange peel installed | $1.25 to $1.95 per sq ft | HomeGuide |
| Knockdown installed | $1.00 to $2.25 per sq ft | Inchcalculator ($1.00–1.50), HomeGuide ($2+) |
| Hand texture installed | $1.50 to $3.00 per sq ft | Our estimate |
| Popcorn removal | $1 to $4 per sq ft | Fixr |
| Popcorn removal with asbestos | $3 to $7 per sq ft | Fixr |
| DIY material | Bag, box or pail at your price | Coverage from the texture calculator |
| Sprayer rental | $75 a day | Your rental shop’s price |
Assumptions last reviewed October 8, 2026.
The calculator does not include primer, paint, ceiling repairs after popcorn removal, the asbestos test itself, or protecting furniture and floors. Matching a patch to an existing texture is skill, not material, and is priced by the job. How each texture is made and what it uses is in the guide to drywall textures; how texture fits in a drywall quote is in the guide to what contractors charge.
Two worked examples
Orange peel on 1,200 sq ft of walls, contractor
- Rate: $1.25 to $1.95 per sq ft
- Total: $1,500 to $2,340
Under a light orange peel the walls still need a Level 4 finish; under knockdown, Level 3 would do and save some finishing labour.
Removing a 350 sq ft popcorn ceiling that tested positive for asbestos
- Rate: $3 to $7 per sq ft (abatement)
- Total: $1,050 to $2,450, before the test, disposal fees and refinishing the ceiling
Covering the ceiling with new board instead, which leaves the popcorn undisturbed, is worth pricing before you commit to abatement.
Where to find your inputs
Area. Ceiling or wall area, from the area calculators.
Texture. The pattern you want, or the one you are matching.
Who. A contractor, or yourself with rented equipment.
Asbestos result. From an accredited lab’s test of a sample of the popcorn.
Common mistakes
- Scraping untested popcorn. Test first, in any house built before about 1980.
- No primer. Texture over unprimed board dries unevenly.
- Texture to hide a poor finish. It hides marks, not ridges.
- No practice board. Patterns depend on mix and pressure.
- Forgetting paint. Texture is primed and painted afterwards.
- Assuming removal is cheap. Thick, painted or asbestos popcorn costs much more.
Questions people ask
- How much does orange peel texture cost?
- Published guides put orange peel at about $1.25 to $1.95 per square foot installed on a primed, finished surface (HomeGuide). A 1,200 sq ft set of walls is about $1,500 to $2,340 at national-average prices. DIY, it is a bag or two of texture and a day's sprayer rental.
- How much does knockdown texture cost?
- About $1 to $2 per square foot or a little more installed, according to published guides (Inchcalculator, HomeGuide); knockdown uses more material and a second pass with a knife, so it usually costs a little more than orange peel.
- How much does popcorn ceiling removal cost?
- Fixr puts removal at $1 to $4 per square foot, depending on thickness and ceiling height, not counting the asbestos test, supplies or disposal. Where the texture contains asbestos, removal by an abatement contractor runs about $3 to $7 per square foot.
- Is it cheaper to cover a popcorn ceiling?
- Often. Screwing new 1/4 in or 1/2 in drywall over the popcorn into the joists avoids scraping and disturbing it, and published guides put it at about $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot. It lowers the ceiling slightly and needs the light boxes extended.
- Can I texture walls myself?
- Yes. A hopper gun and compressor rent for a day, and bagged texture is cheap; the skill is in the mix and the pattern, so practise on scrap board first. Hand textures need only a trowel or brush and joint compound.
- Does texture hide bad drywall work?
- Partly. A heavy texture hides small marks and is why Level 3 is enough under it, but it does not hide ridges, open joints or crooked corners. A light orange peel hides even less.