Popcorn ceilings are one of the most common things that people hate about older homes.
The popcorn texture seems to suck light out of a room and make it feel smaller because the popcorn creates little shadows on the ceiling, thus making it feel dark.
If you have dated looking popcorn ceilings in your home, you do not have to remove the popcorn for an updated look - you can cover the popcorn ceilings instead.
Here are a few different ideas for how to cover popcorn ceilings.
Warning - homes built in the early 1980's or before may have asbestos in the popcorn ceiling, so use proper precaution when working around that material. Consult a professional before attempting any modification to or around your popcorn ceilings. At minimum, do an asbestos test before getting anywhere near a popcorn ceiling.
photo courtesy of Talissa Decor Ceilings flickr.com/photos/faux-tin-ceilings/3598760164/
Decorative Ceiling Tiles
Decorative ceiling tiles #ad that look like stamped metal or wood are a beautiful way to cover popcorn ceilings without having to remove the popcorn.
These tiles come in ornate traditional styles as well as more modern styles in many different materials, such as metal or styrofoam, and can be metallic colored or painted.
Newer decorative ceiling tiles are either nailed or glued to the ceiling. Avoid ceiling tiles that sit in a metal drop ceiling grid because the grid usually hangs much lower than the ceiling (which will make your ceilings shorter) and might make your room feel like a commercial office building.
You can leave the ceiling tiles the color they are or paint them the color of your choice.
Drywall Mud
You can use a heavy coat of drywall mud to cover your popcorn ceiling and give it a new stamped or sprayed texture.
You can also use drywall mud on popcorn ceilings to make the ceilings completely smooth, however smooth ceilings will require a lot of sanding.
Adding drywall mud is possibly more work (or the same amount of work) than removing the texture off the ceiling using a drywall sander with vacuum attachment #ad (make sure to test for asbestos first).
Wood
You can add wood planks, bead board, wood flooring, paneling, reclaimed wood, shiplap, or other wood products over top of your popcorn ceiling to give it a new updated look.
Consider creating a custom design to make your home one of a kind.
Wood can be a pricey cover up, but it will give a custom look to the old popcorn ceiling.
New Drywall
You can add another layer of drywall over the top of your existing drywall popcorn ceiling to get an updated look.
This process can be quite labor intensive, but you will have a clean slate to work with.
An added bonus is that you will also make the room more sound proof.
For More Information on Covering Popcorn Ceilings, See the Video Below:
