I had original popcorn ceilings. Using a foam roller I painted them with a ceiling paint. It was very messy. I wore a shower cap to keep all of the white bits from getting into my hair. Also, put drop clothes everywhere. If I were to do it again, I would hire someone to come in and spray on two coats. That would be much faster and far less messy. That being said, once you have painted them, they are easy to paint over. I repainted the foyer ceiling another color and the paint rolled on easily with no mess.

As long as you don't use too much paint on the roller, you should be fine. I always do two coats, waiting for the first to dry completely before starting the second. Home Depot and Lowe's sell a slotted foam roller specifically for this.

I ONCE had popcorn ceilings in a three story condo.

The painter gave it one good coat of BM ceiling paint and it was fine,,,messy but fine.

We had a leak above the kitchen, which caused the popcorn ceiling to fall, requiring painting after repair.

I discovered two very important things about popcorn ceilings.

First, when they fall, it's a challenge to get them repaired PROPERLY so they don't look patched. I finally found a guy who said he could repair it so it wouldn't be noticed. He simply tore out the old ceiling to an edge where the new would be blended in with the old, making a gradual transition.

Second lesson. It can be a real challenge getting a straight line around the wall ceiling area because popcorn ceiling is sprayed on.

Good luck!

Sg

I had the same problem and after much thought and time spent speaking with paint folks at Home Depot and with painters, I decided to hire painters to take care of the problem. They sprayed latex on the ceiling, one coat. Perhaps 2 coats would have been better. I was looking for a way to "seal" the ceiling and to prevent flaking. The ceiling is about 35 yers old. I am glad that I had someone do it.