Greetings,

In rental properties I often have problems in which I need to pull
down the ceiling. Drywall ceilings are destroyed in this process and
drop-in-tile ceilings are considered "low class" by some tenants.
They also lower the ceiling height. I have torn down a drywall
ceiling which was water damaged... for the THIRD time in the same
property. I have the notion that I would like to replace it with a
1/2" OSB or Plywood ceiling held up by brad nails. After popcorn
texture is applied it would look no different from a regular drywall
ceiling but I could hire a $10/hr guy pull it down if need be and
reattach / paint it. OSB and Plywood are also much more water
resistant than drywall.
I believe that screws would make this process much harder if not
impossible. What is the minimum spacing of 2" 18 AWG brad nails (16
AWG?) that I would need to hold up this 1/2" board with 16" joist
spacing? (too many will make the boards harder to pull off). If for
some reason it is not possible with brad nails then what is the
minimum finish nail requirement or some other fastener which I can
pull out instead of having to unscrew after the heads are filled?

Thank you for your time,
William

PS: The last question I posted received some very helpful answers but
also a lot of off topic responses and responses which were not
addressing the question which I asked. No, you WILL NOT be able to
tell after I lightly texture coat with a single coat drywall mud mixed
with paint then popcorn. I'm not going to fix the water problem.
Period. If you want to talk about "source of water", "stopping
water", "addressing water" or how stupid I am you are welcome to among
yourselves, but I might not be able to find the time to respond to
you. This is a question about safely (if possible) affixing OSB to
the ceiling with (brad) nails.

Thanks!