Last year, I tackled the same project in a spare bedroom. Our house is approximately 25 years old to give you an idea of how long the popcorn had been up there. I didn't wet the ceiling at all--I dryscraped it with a piece of 2x4. I didn't get it down to a smooth ceiling, but got about 2/3 of the stuff off so that when I was finished, it looks like orange peel. Cleaned that mess up, vacuumed it well, and put a coat of Gardz on the entire ceiling. Let that dry, and then painted the ceiling with two coats of white paint. Don't know if this helps, but I still remember my sore arms and neck.

I removed all the popcorn ceilings in my entire house with a garden sray tank, water, and a scraper. The process was spaying water and letting it sit, spray more water and when it's really loose scrape it off with a wide scraper. Skim with dry wall mud, sand (should only have to hit it a little with the dry wall sanding paper) prime, and paint. It's hard hard work but makes all the difference in the world. Popcorn ceilings should be illegal. Getting rid of them made my ceilings look a foot higher.

I removed painted popcorn, scrap the painted popcorn first with a scraper. The perlite comes off in balls. Then spray with solution of fabric softener and water. Let it soak for a while. Mine came off (the brown thick paint came off in sheets), 15 x 11 room took me 2 days. Tape off room with painters plastic. Scrape ceiling with trowel. spray ceiling with water solution, wait 10-15 minutes to soak through. Watch out for overworking an area, you'll gouge it. Then use Magic Trowel to skim coat the ceiling. Here is a link that might be useful: Great tool for DIY skim coat

Hey there -- I'm not a ceiling person but I have tackled stucco and popcorn ceilings two different ways. #1: The drop ceiling grid (as people have mentioned and you mentioned) is relatively easy, affordable and not messy. You will loose anywhere from an inch to two inches for the drop grid and of course you have to buy the framing and tiles you want. I've done one ceiling with black frames and high-end marbled acoustic tiles (also including lighting) and I've done a huge basement with silver framing and tin tiles -- both fabulous. #2: Cheapest and quickest way to cover popcorn is paint, paint and more paint. I would use a large nappy roller and lather it on, two heavy coats and maybe a third. The popcorn effect will diminish with each coat. New drywall is the absolute best and most comprehensive fix. I would investigate, however, why the popcorn finish was used in the first place (very important). Often this technique is used on uneven surfaces, really large areas, commercial use areas, track subdivisions, etc. I'd advise you against knocking off the points with either scraping or sanding. You will experience chips and clumps falling down. Popcorn finishes have a composite mixed in with the paint for adhesion to its primary surface (either vermiculite or polystyrene). Once you start the chipping or sanding you will have to go down to the bare, bare surface and then patch, paint anyway. Going completely over what is in place now with a drop ceiling or paint -- or pulling the primary surface down and dry-walling is they way to go. Even nailing into that textured surface or trying to "glue" something to it will cause the cracking, chipping, clumping and it will not be secure. My two cents -- good luck.