Ceilings are all the same, right?
Not exactly.
If you have intentions of building, renovating, or redesigning your home, research shows there are several different styles and variations of ceilings. From standard drywall ceilings, tin ceilings, drop ceilings, and more.
Just when looking at standard ceilings, there are many different styles and looks to ceiling textures. These textures, use plaster, mud, or other various combinations, to make an easy option for changing the look of your room.
Here we begin to describe the how and why of adding some pizazz to your ceilings, whether new or old, outlining the different common ceiling textures.
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Sheetrock Ceiling Texture
The infamous ceiling texture that has been around since 1917 is a drywall option. This rough texture gives a bit of an artistic appearance to your ceiling. Rather than using spray paint, you can apply it without the use of any particular brush instead of using a hand technique. It goes well with any kind of room whether it be in the modern style with classy wallpaper or a wooden furniture-filled farmhouse room.
Knockdown Ceilings
Knockdown is akin to the skip trowel style texture. The knockdown texture by covering the ceiling in a watered-down compound. As the compound starts to drip it dries in place, leaving behind “mini-stalactites”. After which, you must scrape them away to leave behind a stuccoed texture.
Similar to a skip trowel, this is a great method for hiding minor imperfections or creating an aura of depth in a room. It needs a bit of extra labor in that you need to manually knock down the texture with a trowel after the texture has dried.
Crows Foot Ceiling Texture
This type of ceiling texture requires two people to apply. One partner will need to apply the stipple brush pattern while the other applies mud in the other sections. This tends to be a messy project, so we would advise laying down plastic around the room to prevent ruining your floors.
Stipple Brush Ceiling Texture
This is a very challenging ceiling texture to apply. You will need a roller and a slap brush to make this texture. The fact that it is not a very smooth texture can help cover up any imperfections, holes, cracks, etc., allowing the eye to focus on the texture itself. This is still a very technical texture to apply, without the proper skills it could become quite messy.
Popcorn Ceilings
We would be ashamed to write this article and omit the omnipresent popcorn ceiling. Popular among homes built up to the 90s, the bumpy look of cottage cheese or popcorn ceiling is the most cost-effective way to make your ceiling uniform-looking.
They are not as popular as they once were, mostly because of the difficulty in cleaning them. When there is dust, residue, cobwebs, or anything rather delicate, it becomes rather challenging to clean it all without knocking off some of the texture. These days, it is quite common for us to receive requests on how to remove the popcorn ceilings or replace them.
With that, the popcorn ceilings are great for muffling and diminishing the sounds (which is where their formal name “acoustic ceiling” comes from), people still use these textures in living rooms or music rooms for this reason.
Swirl Ceiling Texture
Creating this ceiling texture requires either a roller or a sprayer. Another technique would be the swirl method, which requires a trowel. Applying this texture requires a lot of patience and the swirls will depend on which tool you decide to use. The trickiest part of this technique is getting the design in before the mud begins to dry out. The wider the ceiling surface, the more you’ll want to get help from a friend.
Spray Sand
This is one of the newer methods of ceiling textures, but it is a more feasible option for design, particularly in terms of ease of creating and the items needed. The only tools needed are the mud mixture and a spray gun. Within minutes you can create an amazing ceiling design reminiscent of Michelangelo, it only depends on your creative abilities. You will need to mix the sand with cold water and leave it overnight as preparation for application.
This texture is a lot like that of an orange peel but has the appearance of something a proper artist would do, as well as doing a great job of hiding any imperfections.
Hawk and Trowel Ceiling Texture
As what can be drawn from the name, the only tools needed for this texture would be a hawk and trowel. Another drywall ceiling texture that is not smooth still has a dramatic impact on your ceiling. One of the simpler options to create, not requiring a high amount of skill to complete, unlike any of the other ceiling textures described here.
Comb
The best way to describe the Comb ceiling design would be: elegant and chic, with a truly artistic touch. A very easy-to-make design, it only requires a texturing comb tool. First, you apply the mud to the ceiling, creating a smooth layer, after which you use the special comb and create patterns dependent on the homeowner’s style. Everything from straight thin lines to waves to arcs is within the realm of possibilities. When performing the work by yourself, remember to clean everything after each stroke, wiping away all material from the edges, without this note it can alter the pattern you aim to create.
Most of these designs are suited to beginner-level, but if you are still hesitant about doing it yourself, don’t hesitate to call in designers with experience to help you complete the job.
Smooth Texture
In modern times, many the new homes built opt for a simple smooth ceiling. This is not without creativity, however, as you can still paint the borders or use crown moldings for a spicier touch, and there are no restrictions on how to get creative with smooth ceilings.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ceilings Textures
Here is a list of all the pros and cons of having a ceiling texture in your own home:
PROS:
After years, you will notice that drywall tends to crack around the joints, causing you to invest in repairs that are more expensive than applying ceiling textures. You can easily use ceiling textures to cover up any of the newly formed imperfections in your home.
When living in a rental, you are bound to run into this problem. To save yourself some money and time, it is worth it to just use ceiling textures. Whether your ceiling has bumps or holes, you can easily cover them up with ceiling textures, and once dry, the ceilings look flawless.
After application, you can expect it to remain in place for a long time, unlike old ceilings where you can still see some unintentional variations in the texture and patterns from long ago.
CONS:
Just like everything else, there are drawbacks involved.
Some of these patterns are time-consuming and difficult to apply. Which can require you to hire a professional, costing you a bit more than intended. Acquiring some of these tools and special equipment is also something of a drawback if you do not already possess them as many of us do not.
Ceiling textures like popcorn or lace are harsh to scrape off if you care to try and replace them later on.
