Go for a flat ceiling. I've never heard of such a thing as what these guys told you.

Flat, definitely flat! The advice they are giving you is wrong, and you will be almost as unhappy with a textured ceiling as a popcorn one (nothing is actually worse than popcorn) for exactly the same reasons.

Flat - all the way

What do they mean by "knock down"? Is that what I might refer to as a t-bar ceiling? Just wanted to clarify?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockdown_texture

Hope this link works. http://www.google.com/search?q=knock+down+wall+finish&hl=en&tbo=u&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&rlz=1I7ADRA_en&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yYTsUKBykYzRAYGvgdgH&ved=0CEgQsAQ&biw=1152&bih=620

Flat, don't believe these guys and maybe look for someone else to do the work. I don't trust their word.

One wonders whether they are hoping to come back again in three or four years to refinish the knock down texture to a flat ceiling, once you realize that is what you really should have had in the first place. ;-)

Are you by any chance in California? The finish is called a California Knock-Down and it's very common here.

melsdeal,

A knock down is the easiest and most inexpensive option. This is a common practice they use in tract homes to speed up the process. Flat ceilings are more in tune with today's trends. Do you want a perfect Level 5 flat? This takes more labor and time for the drywall subcontractor to do. You may also want to consider a semi-smooth finish if you are on a budget. And finally, you may want to consider matching the existing wall texture pattern.

Best of luck with your project!

Steve Rehder

Thank you everyone for all of your responses! feeny- that link is exactly what the contractors are talking about and I have never liked that look. Rehder Construction, Inc.- I realize it is the easiest, most inexpensive option. I guess I will have to pay extra to a company willing to put in the extra time it takes. I don't know what level 5 flat means but I will google it! I don't consider flat a trend like I do popcorn and knock down. I grew up in an old house that my elderly parents still live in. It has had the same flat ceilings now for 90 years and they still look beautiful! I was just there today admiring them! I don't have wall texture that I would need to match, thank goodness because I do not like wall texture at all! oldbobbi-I'm not in California, I'm in the midwest and it is common here too!
Thanks everyone! I'm going to go with FLAT!

melsdeal,

Please see this link for the levels of drywall finish http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drywall. This is a good reference (scroll down to the bottom). A skilled drywall subcontractor will use very harsh, direct lighting to detect any imperfections. Skim, coat, and sand...repeat (if necessary)!

Yours,

Steve Rehder

Our home is 22 yrs old. The ceiling has a popcorn texture that we're wanting to remove to update the home. I like a smooth ceilings over the knockdown style. The company is suggesting we go with a knockdown style vs a smooth ceiling to hide any imperfections that might show up. Is this this true???

We just renovated our 1980s era condo. Ceilings were popcorn of course. We went with the knockdown ceilings as our building wasn't the most expensive when built and had many imperfections in walls, ceilings. We have a very subtle skim pattern...almost imperceptible, and quite frankly I don't even notice...even with standard condo 8 foot ceilings. It was all a matter of where do I want to spend the money....I'd rather spend it on things I actually notice. Ask for a sample board of the different patterns of knockdown...seriously, I don't think you will find it offensive at all. it will just depend on the style of your house and how much money you are willing to invest in what aspect of the renovation.

Very few flat ceiling have a level 5 finish. If you are painting it with flat paint slight imperfections are not noticeable.

Chose knock-down instead of flat for the $400k+ renovation of my 1938 Colonial Revival. SO happy I did! TOTALLY prefer it to flat--the dimension and character it gives to the ceiling are lovely! People are stunned when they find out it's not original to the house.

I read somewhere, possibly even here on Houzz, that the popcorn ceilings were done for more than just easy, cheap installation; they are also known as acoustic ceilings as they deaden sound. Now everyone is going with open concept design, high flat ceilings, and no carpeting, and wondering why they can hear every sound anywhere in their homes. Melsdeal, your childhood home, being 90 years old, is likely of more sound construction than the cardboard boxes that get built these days, and I doubt very much there's even a hint of "open concept". No offence to all the designers here, but in my experience, it's all about how a room looks, not how practical or liveable it is. I'm sure that 10 years from now, we'll all be back to acoustic ceilings, closed in rooms, and dusty-blue-and-country-geese, or some other blast from the past, lol! Just something to consider.

A contractor knows every blemish in the finish of the ceiling will show with a flat finish. That's why he is reluctant to do the flat finish. if his workers don't do a first rate job, it will show.

I have been wrestling with the same decision: smooth vs knockdown. For me, being the chief painter and brush washer - I am seriously considering the knockdown due to the fact I will have that much less to paint before I can move in.
The main concern I have is this: I was thinking of putting planks on my kitchen ceiling (see photo) after a year or so, and I wonder if this texture will make a big difference when trying to lay the planks flat.??
What do you think?

@dcxena, Thank you for the insight and posting the pics.
LoL - One of the few things we are taking from the old farmhouse to our new one is a light fixture almost exactly like the one you have.
I think your ceiling looks nice and I am more convinced now.

I find it very cool that you have exactly the same light fixture! My house was built in 1938 and I hunted hard for reasonably priced, restored ones from that period. Found them on Etsy (let me know if you want the name of the vendor I prefer). This is a "Virden" light fixture; check out this old catalog: http://www.oldhouselights.com/antique_lighting_catalog_virden_frame.htm

Wow! Sweet old catalog.
This place was built in 1900, but I knew the light was from some time after late 20's. We are going to put edison bulbs in it and hang it in a foyer area in the new place and I've been looking around for something new that won't clash with it for the connecting hall. Not so easy to blend old with new sometimes :) but we really want to switch to LED's for the majority of our lighting. Thanks again!

Melsdeal We had our stippled ceilings removed before we moved into our condo. They hang plastic on the walls and floors and it looks like it has snowed in there! They then coat with two coats of "mud" , sand each one, and then add two coats of paint. It looks beautiful! So glad we had it done. It should not be that expensive for one room (around a thousand at most I would guess)

Old post.

I wish I'd seen this post sooner.

Removing popcorn is not just very messy, but in older homes there is also a danger of exposing yourself to asbestos.. Anything oil based also carries the danger of exposure to VOCs, and oil-based finishes also harm the environment more than water based ones.

There is a better solution. We're talking no mess, no dust, no toxic vapours (in fact, no vapours at all), with a finish as smooth as a mirror and unlimited design options. It's called stretch ceiling. A fully recyclable membrane is stretched across the ceiling, either over an existing ceiling, or in a new build, instead of installing drywall and covering it with popcorn. Tracks, or profiles, screwed into the walls or existing ceiling around the edges hold the membrane in place. These profiles and the membrane take up less than one inch of room height.

If you later desire a change, a new membrane can be inserted into the same tracks, or the tracks can be unscrewed and the screw holes easily filled with a little bit of filler. You will not need to do this as maintenance, however. The system lasts a lifetime.

We take care of installation for you, and installation is included in the price that we quote.

We carry over 280 colours, in high gloss, matte, satin, and fine canvas-textured finishes.

Here are a few examples, please feel free to visit our profile for more, and add them to your ideabooks!

Call us for a quote, we do not charge for a site measure/quote in areas that are near our offices. If you are further away, you can still get a free quote by supplying us with your measurement information. We have a network of authorized dealers across North America and beyond.

Absolutely love a regular flat ceiling with moulding but ... having said that have to deal with new old purchase of area that has knocked down. california.. rough whatever you want to call it. So what is the call.. flat or matte paint? Have this one area to deal with... Thanks

I heard that some million dollar homes are bringing BACKpopcorn, in some cases even the glitter! (Florida)

Don't be fooled , We just removed the popcorn ceiling in my daughters house ourselves, the ceiling under the popcorn was perfect just a little sanding here and there and all we had to do was paint after. Now I am removing the popcorn ceiling in my house with the same result except for one room where the popcorn ceiling had been painted we didn't even have to sand. From a standpoint of someone that has done two homes themselves , one built in 1992 and the other built in 2005 if you want smooth ceilings and the contractor tells you it is more expensive to do smooth he is totally trying to up charge you or he hasn't a clue how to remove the popcorn and he messes up your ceiling himself , unpainted popcorn just spray with water and it falls off brilliantly as you scrape. Painted you may have to spray twice in some areas but the popcorn falls off in large pieces. The ceiling doesn't need to be floated after it is removed just painted

Unless the remover gouges the drywall

Flat. Contractors like to advise what is easiest and lowest cost for them. They are not designers and should not provide design advice.

I bought a 2017 brand new model home in a new subdivision. I wasn't sure what the textured ceiling was at first, but my sister and son said it is knock down. I love it. It gives it charm. It is not at all like my sons old Popcorn Ceiling which he had removed. No glitter or sparkles. It is actually more versatile with decorating. Either modern or old fashioned style will work. It is kind of relaxing to look at. Our house is in Michigan but it appears like a ceiling from another part of the country. It was not worth getting one built without it since it would take 9 months. I am 61 years old and always had flat ceilings. It doesn't show imperfections. Step outside the box and try something new.

We just purchased an older home with flat walls and popcorn ceilings (underneath the popcorn are smooth tape lines so they weren’t trying to hide much of anything). We are changing all of it, except the bathrooms and kitchen, to knockdown. Our last home which was brand new had knockdown texture except in the bathrooms and kitchen and I LOVE it. If you mess up hanging a picture or get a hole/gouge in the wall it’s easier to hide/spackle. We do have multiple young boys in the house so holes, dents, scrapes, marks, etc happen a lot! But our walls look fresh all the time. Knockdown is nothing like popcorn. It doesn’t collect dust, cobwebs, or randomly fall on your head if you hit it.

knockdown ok for modern mid century home with high ceilings 9 and 12 feet)???

Marihoula, yes. As for the others the reason the flat surface they are talking about is costing more is because he is referring to a glass type finish, it is a skilled art, there is no room for error. It's not just flat, it's glass flat. knock down on the ceiling is no problem I don't see it becoming the popcorn of tomorrow. Popcorns main downfall was grabbing all the dirt in the air and you could see it piling up. I have had Knockdown on ceilings and walls. I wouldn't regret putting it on a ceiling again, it's a ceiling not that big a statement. But, I would be leery of it on the walls again, if you touch that wall to do anything, patching it so you think nothing ever happened there is tricky. The house I moved into had it and the prior owners did some really lumpy horrible patching. I got creative and fixed those areas but it never looks like when it was first done because it has a unique spray on "knock down" pattern.

Smooth ceilings are wonderful for new construction… But we bought a 1953 rancher as a re-

build and we went for brocade ceiling texture. If the walls are somewhat uneven, as they will be with older homes, it hides the flaws.

"The ceiling doesn't need to be floated after it is removed just painted." What does floated mean?

I’ve got knockdown texture in my 11x8 bathroom that has a thermasol steam shower that I built over 12 years ago. My home was built in 1918. For the people that are saying you will have to redo them, pay no attention. Knockdown looks way better than popcorn imo and I will always choose that over flat. Flat is boring imo. If you prefer modern looks and styles, than flat is for you.

I’m an older house type of guy.

smooth walls ans ceilings always give a high end look