Home Improvement Articles and Remodeling Ideas

Ceilings and Floors: Decorating Your Home from Top to Bottom

When you want to improve the overall look of your home, you should give some thought to updating your ceilings and floors. Here are a few design tips that can help you get started.

By Writer: Christina E. from Raleigh, NC on January 14, 2006
Category: Ceilings

Some of the areas we often neglect in our homes are the ceilings and floors. Ceilings are often more neglected than floors, however. But when it comes to floors, many of us tend to think of them merely as places “we walk on.” We are diligent shoppers in search of perfect sofas, coffee tables and more, only to arrange our newly acquired furniture pieces under stained ceilings and atop a 20-year-old carpet that lost its resilient fibers long ago. The remedy? Take a step back for a moment, and take in the nuances of your room’s space as a houseguest would.

Are there problems with your ceilings and floors you have learned to live with so well that you have completely forgotten they still exist? Have you put the creaks, chipped paint, stains and frayed edges so far out of your mind that you don’t even realize your houseguests see these things as eyesores? Just think about it—if you were in their homes, wouldn’t you notice that you are walking around on a worn-out carpet or looking up at a water-stained ceiling?

Several things can be done to update your ceilings and floors. You can paint your ceilings, apply stencils or wallpaper to them, adorn them with ceiling panels, and even more. The options for your floors are just as vast. Options for floors range from putting in new carpeting to installing stone floors. Here are some ideas about what to do with your ceilings, and what to do with your floors.

What to Do With Your Ceilings

There are many ways—creative and traditional—that you can update the appearance of your ceilings. Of course, the type of ceiling you have will dictate the ease or difficulty with which you can complete a project. Ceilings come in a variety of types. There are the flat Conventional ceilings (standard height is 8 feet). There are ceilings that follow the roofline such as Cathedral and Shed ceilings. Cove ceilings have rounded corners. Suspended Ceilings are flat ceilings that are suspended below the original ceiling structure. Tray ceilings are in the shape of an upside-down tray. Vaulted ceilings are half-cylinder shaped, or arched roofs.

Paint

The most used paint color for ceilings is white. It is probably used most because white paint reflects light best, and it basically goes with everything in one’s décor. Ironically, however, white paint can have the tendency to make low ceilings appear even lower, and make high ceilings appear too lofty. The solution to this quandary is to follow the 8-inch rule.

If your ceilings are eight inches or below, you should paint your walls a color that is at least one to two shades lighter than your room’s wall color. Conversely, if your ceilings are more than eight inches high you should paint them one to two shades darker than the wall color. In both cases, the paint will actually create the illusion of more space in a room that has a low ceiling and a more intimate space for a room with a high ceiling.

You can paint most ceilings by applying paint directly onto the ceiling, as you would a wall. Certain types of ceilings such as Popcorn ceilings require more effort and time. Popcorn Ceilings are made of a mostly chalk, a clay and an aggregate mixture. When the mixture becomes wet, it turns gummy. Thus, trying to paint it can be a messy task. But if you do the hard work now, repainting it in the future proves an easier job.

Stencils and Wallpaper

Stencils and Wallpaper are great ways to accentuate your ceilings. Both are inexpensive ways to add drama to your home. You can use wallpaper to create the look of an expensive mural having been painted on your ceiling. Or use stencils to accent a modestly painted ceiling or your crown molding. Laser-cut stencils offer more detail than traditional stencils, so do some shopping before deciding on what you would like. You can find many styles, designs and colors of stencils in home-improvement stores as well as arts and crafts stores.

Ceiling Panels

Ceiling panels are available in a wide selection of styles, sizes, colors and materials, which often includes aluminum, brass, chrome, copper, steel, tin and more. And they can give your room décor a bold, contemporary look. Or, depending on the style you’ve selected and the manner in which the panels are painted your room is capable of reaching a very formal look or producing a snug, inviting bungalow feel.

Beautifully crafted ceiling panels are popular for many reasons. One reason is because many panels are metal, which means they are durable. And metal panels are easier to maintain than other materials. Metal panels are also not subject to cracking, flaking and peeling. And when it comes to decoration, the designs of metal panels can be the most elaborate and grandiose of styles. Or they can be modestly embellished, which is great if you want them to complement a simplistic décor.

What to Do with Your Floors

One of the best things about floors is their ability to work in partnership with the wall color, i.e. the floor and wall colors match up with like cohorts on the color wheel. Floors also have the ability to act independently of wall color, i.e. the floor color exists independently of the wall color altogether. Keep in mind that the colors you choose for your floors can affect how your room will seem height-wise and how light or dark. When you choose colors residing in the pale section of the color wheel for your floors, your room space will appear larger. On the other hand, choosing dark colors will make your space seem more intimate.

Carpeting

The type of carpeting that you choose for your room should reflect how you live. For example, if the room you want to place carpet in is a high-traffic area then your carpet should be resilient, long lasting and stain resistant. Nylon carpet is long lasting, resilient, stain-treated, which means you can remove stains easily from it, and it is relatively inexpensive. Wool carpet is also long lasting and resilient, but trying to remove stains from wool is not easy.

You should know that no matter what type of carpet you choose, your choice of carpet color is very important. Dark-colored carpets of any carpet type will show dust, light-colored stains and litter. And stains such as soil and dark litter will show very well on light-colored carpets.

Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are durable, versatile, exotic and easy to maintain. They never go out of fashion and can not only dramatically impact the overall look of your home but can add value to it too. Harwood floors come in a wide variety of wood species, colors and widths. Homeowners can install North American hardwoods (such as oak, maple and ash) or an exotic hardwood; can choose from strip, plank and longstrip styles of hardwood; and can choose a pre-finished or an unfinished hardwood floor.

Stone Flooring

Similar to hardwood floors, stone floors are durable and versatile, which make them practical floor coverings for inside the home. They possess natural beauty. They are easy to clean and maintain. They are extremely cost efficient especially when you take into consideration the many benefits they offer. And, just as important, stone floors have an eye-catching appeal as well as design-style unlike any other.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate floors can mimic the look of real wood and stone. They are strong, durable. You can install them in practically any area of your home. And you can easily care for them—think laminate counter top—by sweeping or some light mopping. Laminate floors are also resistant to superficial scratches and moisture. Thus, many homeowners have chosen laminate floors as an alternative to actual hardwood floors.

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