How to Knock Down a Textured Ceiling

Prep the area. Remove all furniture in the room. Put plastic over doorways and windows and tape this down. Seal off all vents in the room with tape. Lay plastic drop cloths over the floors and tape them down. Cover the walls with plastic and tape them down.

Put on safety gear. You will need a respirator mask, safety glasses and gloves. Wear clothes that can be disposed of -- preferably with long sleeves.

Begin knocking down the ceiling in one corner. Start in the far corner of the room. Use a utility knife to cut through the ceiling panels. A hammer will also work to punch through stubborn sections. Tear down each panel and dispose of it. If you cannot break through the texture, wet it down with your spray bottle. Scrape off the texture and then try again.

Take out the old drywall screws or nails. There will be bits of drywall left on the ceiling joists as well as nails or screws. Remove all these and clean off the ceiling joists.

Clean up the mess. Place large chunks of drywall into a garbage can. Vacuum up the area with a shop vac. When removing the dropcloths, fold them up to hold the debris instead of having it spill everywhere.