Popcorn Ceilings

Popcorn should be in a pail from Fisher’s Popcorn NOT on your interior ceilings!

I’ll never forget when I was building our first house. I stopped in to see how the drywall team was doing.  All the drywall was hung, and the crew was working on the first coat of compound often referred to as the tape coat.  Everything looked great and as I was walking around the crew chief came over to me and said, “we have this great new machine that sprays the ceilings, so they have a popcorn texture.” I had seen this before in a few hotels and swirled ceilings had been around for a while at this point.  Well, I’m really glad I didn’t put popcorn ceilings in the 1988 house and have never done one since. 

On the contrary, I can’t fathom how many square feet of ceiling that we have removed this unsavory design mistake!  

From an upgrade perspective, there are a few different remedies to the challenge.  If there is insulation above it, especially blown in insulation, it might be best to install a new layer of drywall over the existing popcorn ceiling.  We have done this with 1/2", 3/8” and 1/4” drywall with great success.  There is also a machine on the market, that we have recently tested, with some good results.  It is specifically designed for this work and is not a simple sander.  

The joints from the ceilings touching the walls should be factored into this project.  To properly finish that area, joint compound would be applied about 8” or more down the walls.   A couple ways to tackle this; 1 - plan on painting the walls or 2 – put up some crown molding which would eliminate the need for painting the walls.  

We do like ceilings in certain designs to have a special feature.  For example, at Starcom Design Build, we have installed cedar, beveled 6” tongue and groove wood.  Beaded fur is a favorite especially on porches and bedroom ceilings.  Tray ceilings, with indirect cove lighting, can be a very cool design feature.  This is more for ambience than for reading light.  A tin ceiling was the right choice for a 100-year-old plus building that was a train station at one point!  Exposed beams can add warmth to a space, and these can be faux beams as well. 

I hope this gives you some ceiling inspiration. And again, save the popcorn for the movies!!