Popcorn ceiling, also known as stucco ceilings, textured ceiling, or cottage cheese ceiling, is a type of ceiling that has a certain paint-on or spray-on treatment. The materials used for popcorn ceiling include styrofoam or stucco, which gives them a bumpy appearance similar to popcorn and hence the name. We’ve listed a few pros and cons of popcorn ceilings below.

Pros

1) Hide Imperfections

The bumpy appearance of the popcorn ceiling makes it perfect for camouflaging any imperfections. This is possible since its texture on walls creates small shadows that darken the shade of the surface when there is light. The darkening effects help to better mask a multitude of imperfections such as cracks, leaks, damage, poor drywall artistry, and others.

2) Cheap

Popcorn ceilings are a more affordable option than painting and can effortlessly be installed. You can easily find a contractor to do it or even do it yourself if you’re used to painting as it is a sprayed-on textured installment.

3) Noise Dampening

Popcorn ceilings offer noise insulation qualities due to its increased surface area. Noise reduction is possible as the thick textured raised bumps help in absorbing sounds. This can be especially helpful in rooms where noise is an issue such as high-traffic entryways or hallways, rooms that echo due to high ceilings, or a great advantage to grab your midnight snack without causing much noise! The thicker and more porous the texture, the better it will be at muffling sounds.

Cons

1) Difficult to repair

Repairing popcorn ceilings can be hard. If there’s a leak, crack, or other ceiling damage, the destroyed part will need to be cut out replaced by a perfectly matched color and texture, which can be extremely difficult to achieve. In many cases, the recurrence of the issue is most likely to happen. If you want a uniform and perfectly repaired ceiling, unfortunately, the entire ceiling will need to be redone from scratch.

2) Difficult to clean

The bumpy surface of the popcorn ceiling makes it hard to clean as dust, cobwebs, spiders, and other little insects attach to it quickly. A brush head or vacuum cleaner might help to get rid of dirt, but constant cleaning using such devices can also break the popcorn ceiling, resulting in more harm than good. Dirt in between the crevices is too hard to reach and clean. Moreover, smoke can also stain the popcorn ceiling.

Are you considering popcorn ceilings for your home?