Best way to remove popcorn ceiling?

Removing popcorn ceiling is messy no matter what but if you lay down some plastic on the floor, cover your head and eyes, it is manageable. Spray a 4X4 foot square area at one time and let it soak in to soften and then use a trowel to remove the popcorn. Once the ceiling is smooth and dry, you should apply a good primer such as Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 primer and then a coat of ceiling paint. You may find that there are holes in the ceiling after removal so you will have to fill them with spackle and sand smooth. You must apply the primer or else the job will not look professional.

There is NO way to remove it without a mess. I removed popcorn ceilings in every room in our house right after we bought it. What worked was a scaffold to stand on, a spray bottle with equal amounts of fabric softener, vinegar and water, a large putty knife scraper, drop cloths (lots of drop cloths). I also used a large unnotched trowel. It took a good bit of time and determination. It was SO worth doing. It made a vast improvement in the house. Good Luck.

There IS a machine pros use which vacuums up most of the popcorn ceiling as you go. I’ve seen it on many episodes of Fixer Upper. And I can tell you from the home improvements at my house: have EVERYTHING covered in drop cloths, including adjacent rooms, right up to the edge of the ceiling. And it will still be a mess to clean up. But with the drop cloths and using plastic to seal off the other rooms, it will be just dust that gets into any tears or crevices. After you clean up the ceiling, you can go straight to priming or even painting. At the worst, you may want to cover the ceiling with drywall before you paint. Best wishes on your new ceiling. ☺️

I think this article will help you out as well! https://www.hometalk.com/diy/floors-ceilings/how-to-remove-popcorn-ceilings-34507258?r=2