No Cottage Cheese Please: Alternatives to the Old Stippled Ceilings

During the last half of the twentieth century, a ceiling treatment known as "stippling" became a common practice among home builders and renovators.  The advantages included its ability to mask imperfections in older homes or defects due to poor workmanship, its alleged noise-reduction quality, and the spray-on method was cheaper than painting, although it sometimes contained asbestos.  The stalactite-like effect could also be achieved by a hapless individual with a bucket of thick white joint compoud and a brush, which would be jabbed repeatedly overhead to form a circular pattern over the entire surface of the ceiling.  However, fashions change and  more natural and hand-made finishes became increasingly popular.  The ban on the use of asbestos in the late 1970's coupled with the fact that people had lived with these ceilings long enough to realize what a pain they are to clean, repaint and repair or renovate brought on the demise of the cottage cheese ceiling.

It's Time to Chunk Out the Cheese!

The stippled treatment can be easily if not messily removed by soaking with water to soften, then scraping it off with a trowel or putty knife.  If the treatment was applied before the asbestos ban, leave it to the pros!  Another option would be to tear it out and replace it with new drywall to acheive a smooth finish.  Again, if asbestos is involved, leave it to the pros.  If a smooth drywall finish is desired, a simpler method could be used by skinning over the entire ceiling with  new drywall of 1/4" thickness.  This process does involve drywall finishing techniques which are simple to the do-it-yourselfer.

Ok the Cheese is Gone; What Now?

Once the ceiling has been refinished or replaced with drywall, trim mouldings can be applied to achieve a coffered look or faux beams can add much character to a room.  A little paint can work wonders as well. Simply painting the ceiling a color to coordinate with the wall color can add an  instant wow factor.  Who says ceilings have to be white?  For the more adventurous and artistic homeowner, a faux painting technique might be preferred.  For example, a sunroom ceiling that appears to have skylight panels revealing a blue sky with overhanging branches.    For an architectural effect, many custom builders and home renovators choose products such as beaded plywood or planks, sometimes embellished with faux beams or trim mouldings.   Galvanized metal roofing material can be applied to a ceiling for a rustic or industrial look.  Decorative tin ceiling tiles can be purchased in several different metal finishes or painted to achieve a unique look.  This product won't likely be found in the local hardware store but there are many catalogs that specialize in reproduction materials for renovators.