I grew up, like many did, in the 60s and 70s South. Textured ceilings were part of life, like hardwood floors and Naugahyde furniture. For many years, I thought ceilings were wavy and swirly with peaks and valleys. Then we moved, and the apartment in which we lived had a smooth sheetrock ceiling.
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Awed, I spent most of my time looking up (and tripping over the dog.) It wasn’t until I grew up and began working that I noticed acoustic and other types of ceilings. The number of textures grew, so here am I to detail them for you.
People Walk Into A Room And Rarely Look Up. They’re Too Busy Admiring The Hardwood Floor, The Paintings, Or The Antiques. Few People, Then, Know There Are Types Of Ceiling Textures. Are There Categories As Well?
Actually, there are. There are smooth ceilings and textured ceilings. That smooth is both a texture and a category is surprising, but there you go. Let’s take a stroll through the types of ceiling textures.
Category: Smooth Ceiling Textures
Type 1. Some People Aren’t Old Enough To Know There Are Types Other Than Smooth Ceiling Texture. What Is Smooth Texture?
The smooth ceiling texture is the most popular and trending now. As the name suggests, the ceiling is smooth with no visible texturing. It’s usually sheetrock that’s painted along with the room’s walls.
Pros And Cons
The advantage of smooth ceilings is that they make a room look bigger. If the room is small, then the smooth ceiling will give an illusion of space.
The disadvantages, though, are that a smooth ceiling does very little, if anything, to soundproof a room. Another con is that a smooth ceiling costs more to hide nail marks and other construction imperfections. You’d have to drywall mud and scrape the whole ceiling. Last, damage such as watermarks and anything a kid can get into (like sodas that explode upon opening) can’t be hidden.
Type 2. If You’re Removing Old Ceiling Textures, You’ll Have To Refinish The Ceiling. This Calls For A Skim Coat
Scraping off a textured ceiling, such as a popcorn ceiling, leaves a bit of a mess. To return the messy ceiling to a pristine surface requires a skim coat (preferably two.) A skim coat consists of a diluted joint compound applied with a paint roller or sprayer. Then a trowel is used to smooth it out. Now, you’re ready to paint your newly smoothed ceiling.
Pros And Cons
One of the major advantages of using skim coating is that it levels out walls and ceilings from the lumps and bumps of the house settling. One vanity benefit of using skim coating is that if you’re applying glossy paint to the ceiling (smaller rooms look bigger using glossy paint,) then skim coating makes the paint look better. Last, skim coating is less costly and easier to repair when the ceiling needs repairs.
In the disadvantage column, and a big one is that this is not a DIY job. The skim coats have to dry thoroughly before the primer can be applied. Here’s the worst kicker, though: if you miss imperfections, you have to sand it all down and begin again.
Category: Textured Ceilings
Here is where we get into varied types of texture usually found in historic homes or mid-century modern homes.
Type 3. It’s Amazing How The Simplest Of Tools Produces Ceiling Texture, Like Stipple Brush, For Instance
This effect, like a starburst in a fireworks show, is achieved using a special brush called a slap brush. You use a roller to cover the ceiling with drywall compound, then apply the same compound on the end of the slap brush to the dry surface.
Pros And Cons
The main advantage of using stipple is to the builder. It saves time and money, hides imperfections, and looks pretty.
The biggest disadvantage to the homeowner is the difficulty of cleaning and repairing it. Another biggie is that, if the house was built before 1980, stippling could be an asbestos problem.
Type 4. When The Words Hawk And Trowel Are Used, I’m Expecting To See A Ceiling Texture With Bird’s Wings. What’s Up With That?
In another example of tools used to produce an effect, a plate and trowel are used to create the hawk and trowel ceiling’s appearance. Drywall mud is applied first and smoothed out. On top of this is layered drywall mud on a plate or table. The trowel is then used to scrape the layer of drywall mud. The appearance resembles a topographical map kids do in geography class in school.
Pros And Cons
Thick layers of drywall mud with a layer of paint does a great job of hiding any flaws from construction. It’s an interesting concept.
The snag is that textured ceilings are outdated. Removing them takes a professional with the proper tools who won’t damage the ceiling.
Type 5. Not Used To Seeing The Outside Brought In? We Bet Not Many People Would Recognize A Tree Bark Ceiling
Here, the roller itself is used to create a tree bark effect on ceilings. Drywall mud is thinned out to the consistency of pancake batter. It’s applied to the ceiling and then gone over with a heavy, textured paint roller. The amount of pressure used on the paint roller helps to create the tree bark look. This type of ceiling texture goes great with farmhouses or homes with Florida rooms.
Pros And Cons
As with all ceiling textures, it helps to soundproof a room, it’s cheaper to do, and it hides the vagaries of construction. Add to this the fact that tree bark ceilings add an element of the outdoors and natural beauty to a room.
However, the cons are just as important. Minimalism is a thing now, so textures tend to be considered old-fashioned. They’re harder to clean and repair, so most people skip them.
Type 6. Why Don’t Popcorn Ceilings Look Like The Fluffy Goodness We Snack On At The Movies?
The most popular ceiling texture ever, this type is applied with a sprayer. It contains not only drywall mud but tiny styrofoam balls to produce the fluffy effect of popcorn. Painting a popcorn ceiling isn’t necessary.
Pros And Cons
Like all textured ceilings, soundproofing is the most important reason to use them. The aesthetics of a textured ceiling is also a reason to choose them.
Unfortunately, the popcorn ceiling is the most hated of all the textures. It’s difficult to remove, requiring a drywall scraper and a lot of muscle.
Type 7. I, Personally, Think Fish Scale Texturing More Closely Resembles Rainbows, Don’t You?
Also known as fan or shell textures, the fish scale texture isn’t used much. It’s so distinctive that it gives any room a special aura. It’s done with a brush and drywall or joint compound. Thin out the compound and apply it to the ceiling. Then take a wallpaper paste or similar brush, dip it in the compound, and make your fan-like pattern. This is a texture that you don’t want to DIY due to possible mess-ups, so hire a pro to do it for you.
Pros And Cons
These are the same as all the other textures in this list, with the exception that the fish scale texture tends to survive other types due to its beauty.
The only con is that it isn’t for the DIY-er. Leave this one to the professionals.
Type 8. The Last Place You Would Ever Think To Put Lace Is On A Ceiling, But It’s Just Beautiful
Perfect for historic homes and homes with tray ceilings, the lace effect is classic and stunningly beautiful. This type of texture is also called Spanish lace or knockdown. It’s intricate, takes the proper tools, as well as takes the time and patience to connect the dots, as it were, into a lacy pattern. This is best left to a pro.
It’s done by diluting your compound and pouring it into a spatter gun. Spray a small section of the ceiling, which will result in random splatters. Now a drywall knife is scraped across the splatters in such a way that it flattens the spatters. Then the whole thing is scraped so as to create a lacy pattern.
Pros And Cons
The advantage of a lace texture is its beauty and classic appearance. This, too, is great at hiding imperfections.
The only disadvantage to a lace texture is that it takes a professional with the proper tools and plenty of time and patience to make it come alive.
Type 9. Sand On A Ceiling? That’s A Switch: It’s Supposed To Be On The Floor
Well, if you’re at a beach house, definitely. No longer popular, it was the thing back in the day. This type of ceiling texture is basically sand mixed with water and sprayed on the ceiling. It should be mixed the night before the spraying is done for the best results.
Pros And Cons
Soundproofing and hiding flaws are this type of texture’s advantages.
The disadvantages are that it has ceased to be popular and is difficult to scrape off, much like the popcorn ceiling.
Type 10. The Skip Trowel Texture And The Santa Fe Texture Are Similar. It Depends On How Your Trowel Is Used
I used a picture of a trowel to show you how the skip trowel and Santa Fe effects are produced. If you want more coverage on your ceiling, then use the trowel in the Santa Fe method of scraping the drywall mixture for up to 60 percent coverage. Use it in the skip trowel method for more empty space between the lumps of drywall mixture.
Pros And Cons
As noted above, the soundproofing and coverage of flaws apply to Santa Fe texture, too.
The cons include being out of date as well as being difficult to scrape off in favor of a more modern finish.
Type 11. Have You Ever Noticed A Textured Ceiling That Resembled An Orange Peel?
It’s not common, but as with all textured ceilings, the orange peel texture has fallen by the wayside. It’s a little more difficult to see than a popcorn texture, but it does add interest to a room because it looks just like an orange peel. It’s done with drywall or joint mixture diluted to the consistency of pancake batter.
It’s then poured into the hopper of a sprayer and applied to the ceiling. It’s messy, as are many texture applications, so use a lot of plastic on the floors.
Pros And Cons
The song remains the same as far as flaw coverage and soundproofing go.
The disadvantage of using the orange peel texture is its difficulty of removal.
Type 12. Rosebud Texture? I Automatically Hear Orson Welles’ Voice
The rosebud effect is much like the lace effect in ceiling textures: classic and beautiful. A diluted compound is used here, too, but the brush making the pattern is a little different. A special rosebud brush with three to four-inch soft bristles is used to make the pattern. Please note that the compound must be thin enough because a thicker compound doesn’t net the proper pattern of the texture.
Pros And Cons
The coverage and soundproofing are the advantages here, as with other textures.
There might not be any cons because the pattern is so beautiful that you might want to keep it.
Type 13. Crow’s Feet Aren’t Something You’d Think To Find On A Ceiling, But It’s An Interesting Idea
This texture looks as if birds have walked around on your ceiling while it is still wet. It takes two to pull this one off: one to apply the diluted compound and the other to use a stipple or specially designed brush to imprint the pattern before it dries. It’s done by slightly twisting the brush for the next imprint once the previous one has been lightly placed. This, too, is messy, so have plenty of plastic sheeting on hand.
Pros And Cons
Flaw coverage and soundproofing remain the advantages of this type of texture.
The cons are the difficulty in dusting the texture and removing it for remodeling.
Type 14. Unaggregated Sounds More Like A Concrete Pattern. How Is It Used As A Ceiling Texture?
Unaggregated texture is more material, such as drywall or joint compound, rather than a method of texturing. It’s sprayed on and is typically used to result in orange peel, spatter, or knockdown patterns.
Pros And Cons
Coverage of flaws and soundproofing are the advantages here.
The disadvantages remain the difficulty in cleaning it and its removal.