"My 2,200-square-foot house has a horrible texture coat all over it. I'm thinking about having the texture coat removed, and then painting the house. But I can't find anyone to remove the texture coat. One contractor said it couldn't be sandblasted because that would damage the underlying wood. Help!"
- Susan Riess

The most important thing is to know exactly what kind of material was used in the texture coat, according to Kurt Meyer, owner of highly rated Home Transformations Inc. of Woodbury, Minn., which services Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs.

"Some materials that create the texture effect are relatively easy to remove, and others are more time-consuming," he says. "Virtually all textures are removable, but the kind of work and the amount of work to successfully do it can vary dramatically. She needs to work with a contractor who's experienced enough to talk to her about her options and recognize that it may be very expensive."

Removing paint from homes built before 1978 also involves new EPA regulations about safely working with lead paint. "If there's any lead paint in it, I wouldn't attempt sandblasting it if I had children under 6 or anyone pregnant in the home," he says. "It's not worth the health risk to get a different aesthetic.