Ceiling Finish Ideas from Common to Unique

Whether you are building a new home or remodeling, your ceiling's finish is just one more aspect to consider. This is one area homeowners often overlook until the time comes to finish the ceilings.

Here are some ceiling finish ideas, from the very common to some of the more unique materials.

Flat sheetrock

Most homeowners go with sheetrock for their ceiling's finish, just because it is cheap and easy to install. If you choose to keep it simple, you can paint the finished drywall in either white or any color of your choice. Most people typically stick with white paint.

Popcorn sheetrock

Popcorn finish is very common, especially in older homes. Painters will often spray this heavy texture onto the finished ceilings to give them some depth. Once dry, you can paint the popcorn ceiling; most people stick with a white paint.

Wood mouldings

Mouldings give a home a finished look. If you have ever been inside an older home, you might have noticed a wood moulding around the top of the walls, near the sheetrock ceiling. Mouldings are coming back into popularity, particularly in traditional homes. They can either be stained or painted.

Wood panels

Ceilings covered in wood panels can look very neat and "finished". They can be installed in rows, or even in patterns if you like. You can create a very custom look with wood panels, not only with the pattern, but you can choose any type of wood and any stain or paint color you like.

Wood beams

Wood beams create a sort of rustic look. Heavy wood beams, in particular, work well in a woodsy cabin or a mountain lodge style home. Like wood panels, you can choose any wood specie and any stain color you like.

Suspended ceiling

Do you have really high ceilings? If you want to create a cozier atmosphere--say, in your kitchen -- you can install a "false" ceiling that hangs on cables from the actual ceiling. This is a somewhat newer look, but it works great when you want to drop a ceiling down a little (or a lot).

Acoustic tile

Acoustic tile is commonly used in classrooms or retail stores. It is not very popular in homes, mainly because it doesn't always look the nicest. On the plus side, it can work in basements where you might need to get into the ceiling for some reason, since the tiles fit inside a grid and are easily removed.

Metal tile

Tin is becoming more popular as a ceiling finish in homes. You can get patterned tin tiles that are easily installed as a kitchen back splash or from a ceiling. They can look nice if you want to cover water stains or attract your guests' attention to the ceiling.

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