How to Take Off Aggregate Texture From Drywall Ceilings

Remove all furniture from the room. Cover any furniture that cannot be moved with plastic.

Tape plastic drop cloths on the walls from the ceiling to the floor using painter's tape. Cover the entire surface of the floor with plastic drop cloths.

Mix a mild solution of dish soap and water in a garden sprayer. In a typical garden sprayer add two squirts of the dish soap. Pressurize the garden sprayer using its pump handle.

Spray a section of the ceiling until it is damp. Do not spray it too much to the point that the water is dripping off the ceiling. Let the water soak into the texture for 10 to 15 minutes.

Dampen the next section you plan on scraping before working on the first section. Spraying one section ahead will keep you working on the ceiling continually.

Scrape the section of the ceiling that has been soaking using a 6-inch drywall knife. Hold the knife at a low angle to the ceiling as you scrape to avoid gouging the drywall. Do not dig into the ceiling but rather let the blade of the knife scrape off the texture without damaging the drywall underneath. Long even strokes are best when removing the texture.

Work your way around the ceiling until you have removed all the texture. Spray difficult sections a second time with the sprayer and scrape them again with the knife.

Wrap the texture in the plastic carefully and dispose of it properly.