Weekly Design Inspiration: Ditching Popcorn Ceilings for Eye-Catching Ceiling Treatments

Aug 13

The era of ceiling treatments is upon us...and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Since the 1950s, houses have been built quickly by developers in order to accommodate the ever-expanding population. These houses are all built similarly and often with the same shortcuts to speed up development time. One such shortcut is the popcorn ceiling. This choice was made by developers because it significantly sped up the time it took to install a ceiling. The popcorn texture hides imperfections in the ceiling such as uneven mudding or dips and curves which makes it a significantly cheaper option than a flat finish. Refinishing your popcorn ceilings adds significant value to your home as most homeowners find the texture outdated.

There are many options to choose from when you begin your search into ceiling texture alternatives. Here’s a few that have caught our eye.

There are many ways to go about installing shiplap so that it meets your budget. At the top end you can buy planks that have an overlapping edge to space them out. This is one of the fastest ways to install real wood shiplap as you can even buy the boards pre-dipped. Another option is to use pine planks or mdf and use a spacer to give it the shiplap look without spending as much on materials, although it will take significantly longer to install.

If you’re not afraid of losing a bit of ceiling height, one economical and quick choice is to use ceiling boards or sheets with easy-up tracks and clips from Armstrong. This is a great solution if you are doing a quick renovation as it is very easy to install. The main drawback with this method is you lose some ability to modify your design as the sheets are precut.

Panels and shiplap don’t work for every home, in those cases I love to use ceiling beams to draw the eye up instead. You can find reclaimed wood for a more rustic style or use basic MDF to create faux beams.