Removing a Popcorn Ceiling on a Vaulted Ceiling

Check the ceiling for asbestos. Popcorn ceilings often contain asbestos, so in order to avoid potential harm, you'll want to test for this toxic material. Remove a small portion of the popcorn ceiling with a utility knife and send it to a laboratory that tests for asbestos. If the results return positive, don't attempt to do the project yourself; instead, hire a professional handyman. If the results are negative, proceed with the popcorn ceiling removal.

Remove all items from the room -- furniture, area rugs, etc. Remove any light fixtures and light bulbs from the ceiling. Turn off the electricity in the room.

Cover the floor and walls of the room with plastic. Unroll lengths of plastic sheeting and lay them on the floors, sealing them in place with painters tape. Drape lengths of the plastic sheeting on the walls and secure them in place with painters tape, as well.

Spray water on a 3- to 4-foot section of the ceiling with a garden sprayer. Saturate the ceiling with water to help loosen the popcorn from the ceiling.

Set up an A-frame ladder so that you have easy access to the wet ceiling. Climb the ladder and scrape a trowel against the ceiling to remove the popcorn treatment from the wet portion of the ceiling.

Continue wetting 3- to 4-foot sections of the ceiling, setting up the ladder underneath it and removing the popcorn effect with a trowel until the entire ceiling is cleared of the popcorn.