Creative and easier ways to remove popcorn ceilings

[northoftheborder]

3. One way to do it which worked pretty well.

When I was repainting and readying a house for sale, I decided to ask the painter to take off the "popcorn" instead of just painting over it. His method was to spray it with water, (it softens and dissolves easily) and then scrape it off in damp clumps. He spread the floor with plastic and it was pretty messy, but he did it one room at a time, and it went fast. I would not recommend scraping it off dry, the dust created would be unhealthy to breathe and would certainly take longer than the wet method. I don't remember if he climbed on a ladder to do it, he must have in the living room, as it had a vaulted ceiling. I didn't pay attention to his equipment other than he had an electric sprayer I think (probably the one used for spraying paint.)