Dress up: designs in a variety of materials and textures add pizzazz to tired white ceilings

Building Products, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Stephanie Herzfeld

Things are looking up for the boring painted white ceiling. Soaring ceilings are de rigueur in many new homes, and they're becoming major focal points in entryways, family rooms, dining areas, and other spaces because of new stunning designs made of a multitude of materials.

Michael Coakley, president-elect of the Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association and a commercial ceiling and drywall contractor in the Washington, D.C., area, says that he's installing lots of fancy ceilings in commercial projects. Ranging from puffy clouds to curved styles and adorned with ornate molding and trim, his clients are demanding highly detailed ceilings for grand public spaces.

While Coakley admits that many of these designs aren't showing up in private residences just yet, they're a harbinger of what's to come. He says it's fairly simple for builders and remodelers to add oomph up above because most products can be glued, stapled, or hung from traditional T-Bar systems.

"You really can dress [ceilings] up in a number of ways and it's not too expensive," he encourages.

Manufactured to look like high-end, hand-applied plaster, lay-in gypsum-based ceiling systems are on the rise. They add interest and elegance, but they cost a lot less than their plaster counterparts and aren't as hefty.

"It really cuts and handles just like drywall," comments Isaac Benayon, vice president of International Architectural Ceiling Tiles (Interact), of his firm's lightweight gypsum ceiling product. Interact's tiles weigh 6 to 7 pounds apiece, compared with competitors' gypsum products that weigh 10 to 15 pounds each.

Graeme Gee, USG's specialty ceilings business manager, says gypsum tiles are laid into 2x2 suspension grids--an easy installation that allows contractors to add additional wiring down the road.

Priced from $5.50 to $15 a square foot uninstalled, manufacturers also stress that gypsum tiles are mold- and moisture-resistant, require little maintenance, and won't crack or sag.

Nonetheless, plaster still is a viable ceiling choice. Arches, domes, curves, and other noteworthy shapes are fashionable in plaster. Metal framing and preformed arches and curves, along with drywall suspension systems, allow pros to achieve these dimensional looks with plaster.

Carpenter Jon Schmidt of Chicago-based McNulty Bros. estimates that ready-to-use metal pieces and suspension systems cut his plaster ceiling installation times in half. "These products are big time savers," he comments.

And suspension systems can easily be trimmed on the jobsite with traditional tools, Schmidt says.

LOVELY LAMINATES

No longer just for floors, laminate planks, which install with simple clip systems, are dressing up ceilings, too. Like gypsum-based products, wood-look laminate planks also are mold- and moisture-resistant, easy to clean, and won't sag.

"WoodHaven replicates a natural wood look but at a more affordable price [$3 to $3.25, retail] and with less maintenance than genuine wood;' says Naeem Malik, national sales manager for Armstrong ceilings, of his firm's laminate ceiling product.

Other manufacturers, including BHK, make similar laminate planks and offer coordinating molding.

IN TIME

For those who prefer an old-fashioned look, contemporary products that replicate real metal tiles are gaining ground.

Available in plastic (like Outwater Plastics' line) and mineral fiberboard compositions (Armstrong's Tin Look Tiles, for example), tin-look ceiling tiles offer pros and their customers metal looks that are cost effective and easy to install, manufacturers say. They can be glued, nailed, or laid in, but they're more durable than genuine metal ceiling tiles, claim the makers.

Cheryl McGee, product manager for Outwater's plastic tiles that sell for $2 to $3 per square foot uninstalled, says that "real steel products can bend and crease." She adds that her firm's tiles don't cut installer's hands like metal ones can.

The appeal of the Tin Look line from Armstrong is in how effortlessly the tiles are finished, says Malik. "They come standard in white, but they're very easy to faux finish. Most people like a metallic end result" that's indistinguishable from true tin, he says.

However, Brian Greer of Brian Greer's Tin Ceilings, Walls, and Unique Metalwork, claims that his tin ceiling tiles also are simple to faux-finish and that they feature safety hems on the corners and edges.

As important, many homeowners prefer the real McCoy. "Some people just want tiles that are made in a historically accurate way," notes Greer.

Whether your clients crave modern or retro looks, you can dress up any bland white ceiling with a variety of materials at various price points. "From 3-D shapes to bold colors, everyone is trying to get away from flat ceilings," Gee says.

Tiles Inc. Above View ornamental plaster ceiling tiles drop into standard T-Bar grid systems. The tiles, which feature a Class A fire rating and weigh only 2 to 2 1/4 pounds per square foot, come in 50 standard designs. Custom designs, 1,300 custom colors, and a number of faux finishes are available upon request. 414-744-7118. www.aboveview.com. Circle 275.