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Homes

Front Porch: To find your room's next big canvas, just look up

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published January 13, 2006

If you've recently gazed skyward in a well-decorated home, chances are the ceiling looks as snappy as the floors.

It's a craze that's spreading among home stores to do-it-yourselfers, with options ranging from faux wood to decorative tiles to simple but beautiful paint colors.

"People are taking interest in rooms as a whole and not just painting their ceilings white," says Ann Miller, design manager for Armstrong Building Products in Lancaster, Pa. "It's about looking at your whole space - kitchen, living room and bath - as a holistic environment."

Armstrong, which has developed a line of ceilings that work well in old and new homes, offers products for every budget and decorating style.

The selection includes rich laminates that cover a ceiling and make it look like real wood planks to attractive 1- by 1-foot tiles that fit together to resemble tongue-and-groove woodwork. They can also be painted or stained to mimic more expensive materials from antique pewter to carved wood.

The company offers real wood planks that can be painted to fit any color scheme or decor.

Armstrong, best known as a flooring company, has been in the ceiling business for more than a century, Miller says, "but things started getting hot again in the last two or three years."

Trends come and go, but the Victorian emphasis on the ceiling as a thing of beauty and detail is no longer lost on modern homeowners.

"The ceiling has really become the sixth wall," says Julie Yenichek, a spokeswoman for Lowe's, which carries a range of products for ceilings, including wood beams, tin-look tile, real planks, textured tile and crown molding.

In the past, Yenichek says, the ceiling was a "focal point" - not an afterthought - enhanced by architectural elements, such as ornate plaster medallions. Those old-fashioned bulky versions have been replaced by lightweight options that can draw the eye to a distinctive lighting fixture, such as a pendant light or chandelier.

Faux tin tiles can recreate the nostalgic look of stamped metal for less money and without the maintenance, especially in homes near the water where metal tends to corrode.

And in urban environments, high loft ceilings provide a perfect canvas for planks and beams, which define the ceiling, bring it down and add intimacy.

Lowe's carries a selection of paintable faux tin tiles as well as wooden laminate plank systems. But, Yenichek adds, paint alone can make a dramatic statement in a room. Lighter shades open up a space, which is why the plain, matte white ceiling was long the preferred standby. But if you opt instead for a darker ceiling and lighter walls, such a combination will unify the room.

"Another option is contrasting ceiling color to the wall color," she says. "This will draw attention to the ceiling, making it a more prominent element in your room."

For homeowners who want to remove a 1960s or '70s "blown-in" or "popcorn" ceiling and replace it with something more decorative, Yenichek advises using a garden sprayer (with an attached wand) to spray water on the ceiling to soak the material. It can then be scraped off with a long metal edge or tool such as a scraper or one that you would use to apply plaster on walls.

Another option for creating a unique and interesting ceiling, she says, is to add plaster to a smooth ceiling for a handcrafted texture. You can then paint and glaze in any color you wish.

Floors and ceilings, "prepare to be jealous" of each other, she jokes. "The ceiling is finally getting the attention it deserves."

[Last modified January 12, 2006, 08:39:04]