Test it for asbestos first.

Lots of contractors did poor jobs of taping and sanding ceilings if they knew they were going to spray them. You may want to consider touching up the mudding job to hide the seams and imperfections better before you start painting. I've even seen some where they didn't even prime before spraying.

Flat paint will hide imperfections much better. It's the light reflecting off the uneven surface that shows everything, so the glossier the paint, the more that will show.

Your mother may have what is considered a spatter sprayed ceiling. It is basically the same thing but without any "popcorn" added. When sprayed on lightly it looks like what you describe your mother has.

After the spatter spray is dry, you paint over that with your choice of paint. Spraying is often the best way to get a nice uniform look.

BTW - I like sprayed ceilings, but my husband uses fine particles and we prepare the ceiling good enough to paint first. I also like glitter!

Cathy

Nasty business. I hope it doesn't contain asbestos and that it wasn't covered with paint. Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: removing popcorn

I just did that in my kitchen. I removed the popcorn ('stipple' where I come from) myself but had someone come in and "spantex" the ceiling. They patched, re-primed (prevent any bleed through yellowing) and painted, then applied the spantex. It is like drywall mud and you can do many different styles. I know someone who actually painted the ceiling a lighter shade of the wall then had it spantexed........heard it looks wonderful! I'm not that brave so I opted for white ceiling, but the spantex takes on a greyish color, not pure white. I like it and it's being done in all the new homes being built. Don't know if you can see but I'll post a pic anyway : )

The first step before an acoustical (popcorn) ceiling removal project is always to have it tested regardless of how new the original ceiling. Most areas have abatement centers that will test for free and only need a small sample to perform their test. A common misconception of running furring strips over the ceiling and re rocking w/ wallboard is risky because you are still disturbing and letting potentially harmful asbestos fibers fly around when installing the strips. On exterior asbestos slate sidings that were common in the late forties, and fifties, it was common to run furring strips over the existing siding and then residing or stucco. The slates were a hardened material that did not emit fibers unless they were cut with a saw or broken up rampantly, so the furring was the best method leaving them undisturbed. This doesn't work w/ acoustical ceilings.

I think I know how the ceiling was done in my moms home I hope to do in mine after scraping popcorn. I tried a sample board on a scrape of sheet rock. I took drywall compound and added water to get to "runny pudding" and applied with a roller. It looks really similar. I am sure the effect I want is not srayed on/knock down. I may try adding some latex primer paint to the mixture. My husband thinks I am crazy to do this but I really hate popcorn ceilings. As long as he isnt involved in helping or costing too much he will probably be ok with it.