Nail up tiles normally require a grid of wood to nail into.

If you can put up the grid flat you could tile over the ceiling.

What about thin drywall?

Hmmm, it might be hard to get a grid to nail to, how thick does the wood need to be? It might be feasible to just focus on removing the popcorn where the wood needs to go. I'm guessing it doesn't have to perfectly flat, like it would to be painted, just reasonably flat?

Would it be crazy to take the ceiling down (already missing under the soffits) and use a drop ceiling grid system? Sounds a bit out there, is that something I would probably regret?

I just need an easy way to make it look nice without having to make the new areas match the popcorn. I hate how it collects grease and gets dirty near the stove. Not really something you can clean!

Hands down, the easiest solution is to just install new drywall on top of the old after knocking off the high points of the texture.

"Hands down, the easiest solution is to just install new drywall on top of the old after knocking off the high points of the texture."

A lot depends on how thick the texture is.

Pulling down sheets of drywall is not all that hard (unless someone also used mastic to attach to the joists).

If you pull down reasonable size pieces they can be handled by a single person.

I'm not familiar with ceiling work, and I'm open to simple finishes. Would it be less expensive to just remove the ceiling and replace with new drywall? The soffit areas will already need a ceiling built.

PinesEverywhere again -- another technique that is cheap, easy and unique.

Get several tubs of wall compound and apply to the ceiling with a trowel in a 6x6 Ft area. Apply it as if you were icing a cake leaving spaces for final blending. Use a damp (not soaking) brush or roller for the blending and finish swirling. I use several different brushes like a wallpaper smoothing brush, a heavy brick painting brush and then a fine smooth finish brush. Blend in any random pattern you wish ... sweeping arching strokes, criss-crosses, half-moons, swirls, anything. Make sure you leave very thin (down to the popcorn original level) at the edge of each 6x6 block so you can start your next patch smoothly without having a 'lip' to contend with.

I'm recommending the 6x6 area as it is a nice reach area for one person to work -- this patch can be expanded if you have a helper. Repeat process for entire ceiling area and go over it at patch edges with your damp brush/es so it all looks blended -- again like icing a cake. Your popcorn will be gone and replaced with a pattern of your choice and it will add dimension and height to the room. Let dry for about 3 days and you can even modify the pattern (within one day) by adding more damp brush or roller applications.

Paint all one color, or do a light color as a base and swish a similar but darker tone w/glaze on top. The varied surface will absorb the color different and you'll get a fresco look -- if that is what you might like.

Offering this up as an affordable and fun alternative, however, it still leaves you with a "textured ceiling".

That's it -- no more ideas!! LOL.

Thanks, PinesEverywhere. I appreciate the insight.

I'm almost certain the popcorn was put up when the house was built in 1988. It's in a cookie cutter housing development, so I think it was mostly a convenience issue to be able to quickly finish the ceilings.

My biggest concern is not so much the texture, though I don't think it's ideal over the range, but more that the remodel wll remove soffits that have no existing ceiling inside and also include removing some tiny bits of wall that will also need the ceiling addressed.

I could live with a ceiling 1-2 inches lower, even with only 8 feet to start. Looks like drop ceiling or remove and replace might be the two best options. Will have to discuss with the GC when I am ready for a discussion and quote. I just like to start off knowing what my options are so they can be explored.

You are very welcome and envisioning the end design is key. You sound like a good planner. You can always keep the old soffit area completely different if it will look like a surround of sorts -- but if it will look like .. "oh there was a soffit there before" maybe not a good idea. LOL.

Good luck -- get lots of quotes for your different design options and contractors have some great ideas too -- heck, they look at ceiling all day long!!

Good luck -- let us know later how you did -- it will be great!

I am in the middle of this project and am really liking the texture left behind after I scrape the "hills and valleys" off. Is there any reason NOT to proceed in this fashion? I am planning on finishing by painting with a flat latex ceiling paint.

Sorry, never saw that someone posted a question on this thread again with a similar questions. I'd say if you like it leave it!!

I'd go over the scraped finish with a heavy nappy roller first (flat or any sheen latex) with a thick coat to let the paint really seal your scrapings. Some additional clumps may come off on the roller so you may have to change it often Second coat with a finer roller and you should have a nice finish on top of your texture.

Thank you for the reply, Pines! We finished scraping over the weekend and got the first coat of paint on. Happy with the results! Was a good choice for us to get the popcorn off, but leaving a little texture to hide a few imperfections. Saved money and time by not having to go back up with more compound and not having to scrape it clean.