You can do all of above but scraped only if it is not painted

I agree with Rockin' Also, you might scrape, then re-finish with a "knock-down" type finish - easier to get to look nice after scraping than is a flat, smooth finish. Good Luck! Mark

I had an entire downstairs popcorned! To remove would have been a real mess. We sheet rocked the ceilings, taped and painted. Easy and quick!

You will want to have the ceiling tested for asbestos before you do anything. If it is "hot" you can build over with bead board or wallboard but you can not disturb the surface. if is is "hot" and you would like to scrap you will need to have an abatement specialist come in and remove. Another thing to keep in mind is that building over will lower the ceiling height.

Covered ours with a very thin sheetrock which did not result in any noticeable reduction in ceiling height. I agree that it should be checked for abestos. If it was built from the 80s on I think there is a minimal chance that it's absestos. But should check to make sure.