Removing Popcorn Ceiling

Throw a movie night and invite some friends. That should deal with the lion's share of it ;)

Oh, and before anyone chimes in:

blah blah blah asbestos yada yada danger spacesuit gasmask whatever

as alanhart suggested...blah blah blah...after asbestos testing came up positive in a 850 sq/ft unit we nearly bought in Manhattan, the abatement (not including skim coating) was going to cost $23,000 based on 2 independent estimates. Also this work would have required permits, blah blah blah....

we walked, yadda yadda yadda...

You don't test for asbestos, you don't abate, you tear that shit out and throw it away. It's a natural substance that causes no problems except for those who both chainsmoked and worked in an asbestos factory for decades.

I did it in two diffeent apts about 600 sf--not a big deal at all, they scrape it off and then sand and tape the joints--I think it was $2000-$3000 but hard to tell for sure as part of a whole renovation

It's an incredibly messy task. I wouldn't recommend trying to do it yourself.

khd: agree with the alanh approach, see no evil, test no evil. Stripped approx. 1700 sqft of awful popcorn once. Didn't test, I hope the contractor took appropriate precautions. Certainly not very much left by the time we moved in.