How should I remove paint from bathroom ceiling?

[rflook]

Hi,

I am currently decorating my house to make it look presentable for sale. The bathroom ceiling has been getting flakey for a while now so I have decided to tackle it. However, what I thought would be an easy fix, has turned into a bit of a nightmare really.

I have been tackling the ceiling by using a putty knife, but the problem appears to be how the ceiling was decorated by the previous owners. Some parts of the paint seem to have what can only be described as a grey, fine substance under it. Where this exists, the paint is easy to take off. However this substance isn't everywhere and therefore in some places, the paint seems to have been painted directly onto the ceiling (not sure if it is plasterboard or not). In these locations the paint is impossible to take off with the putty knife without accidentally digging in to the ceiling itself.

What would people recommend for completely removing all paint from the ceiling. I have seen some threads saying heat guns would be a good idea, others seem to indicate steam tools would be good and others even extoll the virtues of vigorous sanding. Any help truly appreciated.

 

[footprints]

My guess is the fine grey coating is old distemper that is a mix of chalk and size it stops the paint sticking so it flakes after a time as the size breaks down. Where they cleaned off back to plaster the paint has stuck well.

This type of scraper is much better than a putty knife. http://www.screwfix.com/p/heavy-duty-scraper-4-/16530?kpid=16530&cm_mmc=Google-_-Product%20Listing%20Ads-_-Sales%20Tracking-_-sales%20tracking%20url&gclid=CM-04c32qtMCFZQy0wod4HYADA&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CMnS9s32qtMCFekB0wod9QILgA

I would steam myself (assuming the plasterboard is skimmed) taking care not to overheat the plaster causing it to "pop", it depends how thick the paint is, can you feel an edge or can it be feathered in with sandpaper? f you are just "tarting up" to sell a textured ceiling paper or paint might be the way to go.

Sorry will not be around to reply for a few days, hope this helps.