Popcorn Ceiling vs Smooth

Ceiling mostly affects the sound isolation from other rooms. If that's not your concern, you shouldn't worry. It's more depended on walls and position. If you're planning to sound-proof the room, than flat ceilings are much easier to work with.

I will say that I've personally noticed that popcorn ceilings - once called acoustic ceilings - seem to work in preventing the kind of echo chamber you get with a flat ceiling. I would definitely vote to keep it based on my personal observations.

There are plenty of treatments that can be added to a ceiling to damp reflections. Google them to see. Also, a heavy carpert/pad on the floor will go a long way towards killing ceiling-floor reflections.

The *best* way to go, but more expensive, is to have a gradually sloping ceiling so that it does not present a flat, reflective surface opposed to the floor...

-RW-

There's two ways to install a popcorn ceiling. I've been doing this for over 40 years since it is partly what I do for a living. You can install it purely for cosmetic reasons, and also with acoustics in mind simply by how thick you spray it on/how many coats you spray on. Lay it on a good 1/4" thick and you'll have some serious acoustics. Brand is important. Some are more porous than others.

Acoustically, popcorn should be a little better. If you want it to look good you can always paint it. A lot of people are afraid to do this. If you are interested, here's how.

1. Pick the right paint. I recommend Sherman Williams ProMar 200 flat. Anything up from there may be a but too thick for this application. If you want to go with White paint, use the untainted base called extra white.

2. Roll as much as you can with a 9 in roller - 1 to 1.25 inch nap. Be sure to roll in all different directions so you don't leave lines. Also, do 2 coats. If the room is dark, you may be able to get away with 1 coat, but the 2nd is much faster and easier than the 1st.

3. Cut the edges in with a regular 3in roller. Just mash it right up against the wall (I assume you will be painting the walls also so it won't matter if you get paint on them. Don't use a brush unless you absolutely have to, like around a fan.

Some other tips:

The job will be a little messy, so be sure to put drop cloths on anything you don't want paint on.

You will loose a little popcorn but don't worry. It won't be too much - it may seem like you are loosing a lot but that won't be the case.

You will get a lot more life out of your roller covers if you periodically pull them off the roller, flip it around and put it back on. (You'll just know when to do it. Its obvious.)

If you take your time you should get surprisingly good results. You may want to try it first in one room just to see how good it will look. Removing old popcorn is a real pain. You may just decide to paint all of it once you see how it comes out.