The Best Way to Take Off Popcorn Ceilings

Move all furniture out of the room. Take down all pictures, drapes, curtains and other movable fixtures.

Cover any heating or air conditioning ducts with plastic to protect them from dust. If the furniture is too heavy to move, or you have no place to put it, cover it up with large sheets of plastic. If you have a ceiling fan, cover it completely with a trash bag or plastic sheet to keep the dust from getting inside the motor and ruining it. Cover all electrical sockets and light switches by taping pieces of plastic over them. Lay down a large piece of plastic so that it covers the floor and extends one foot up the wall. Tape it in place with blue painter's tape. Removing the popcorn ceiling is dirty, dusty work, and the dust will filter into everything.

Wrap the bottom of your ladder's legs with rags to protect the plastic from punctures.

Fill a spray pump bottle with warm water and two to three tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Spray a 4- to 6-square-foot section of ceiling. You want to dampen the texture, but you don't want to saturate the ceiling so much that it soaks into the drywall underneath. This wetting-down helps to soften the texture of the ceiling and also helps to control the amount of dust produced.

Don a respirator to protect your lungs and safety glasses to protect your eyes. Wear rubber gloves and protective clothing.

Wait 15 minutes after spraying. Scrape the popcorn texture off the ceiling with a wide-bladed tool, like a floor scraper. Don't gouge too deep or you can damage the drywall and drywall joint tape below the popcorn texture. A putty knife works to remove the texture in the corners and other tight places. If you have difficulty removing any section of the popcorn texture, spray the area for a second time and wait 15 minutes.

Fold the plastic covering the floor carefully to keep the dust from becoming airborne when you are finished removing the popcorn texture from the ceiling, and dispose of it in the trash.