Ceiling Ideas: Paint, Texture, Trays, Beams and More

The ceiling is the biggest unbroken surface in most rooms, and it's often the last one people think about. Once the popcorn is gone, it's a great place to add character. Here are ceiling ideas that work in real homes.

Start with a clean surface

Nearly every ceiling treatment starts with a smooth or lightly textured ceiling. If yours still has popcorn, that comes first. See popcorn ceiling removal.

Paint the ceiling a color

A ceiling doesn't have to be white. A soft tint of the wall color makes a room feel finished, a darker color makes a large room feel cozier, and a pale blue or warm white brightens a room without feeling stark. See painting ceilings like a professional.

Add texture

A hand-applied texture like skip trowel adds warmth and depth, especially in living rooms and dining rooms. See common drywall textures.

Tray and coffered ceilings

A tray ceiling steps up in the center; a coffered ceiling uses a grid of beams to create recessed panels. Both add architectural interest and are often painted a contrasting color inside the recess.

Beams

Wood or faux-wood beams add a rustic or coastal feel, particularly on vaulted ceilings.

Panels and tin tiles

Wood planks, beadboard or pressed-tin panels give a ceiling a vintage or farmhouse look, and work well in kitchens and porches.

Lighting

New light fixtures, recessed lights or cove lighting change how the whole ceiling reads. Plan them before the ceiling is refinished, so any patching is done in one go.

Ceiling work in Orlando

New Ceilings removes popcorn, applies smooth and textured finishes, repairs ceilings and paints them across Orlando and Central Florida. See texture and finishes and painting.