ceiling texture - what kind is popular in Austin? (Orange: new home, asbestos)

[kiacook]

I'm having the popcorn removed from my ceiling and need to choose a new finish. Contractor thinks orange peel is a good choice, but in doing research it looks like there in an option called knockout which looks ok and some people prefer smooth. What is the preferred option for new homes in Austin? Modern homes?

[Gorfml]

Either one of those are fine... Pretty standard these days.

[Gestbsjgd]

I don't like any texture on the ceiling, but I'm not everyone. Personally I think smooth looks the most modern (as long as there's no gloss whatsoever) and works great with recessed lighting.

Which one do you prefer, OP? If you're okay with smooth I would go with that. You can always come back in and add texture later, but it's a lot harder to change once the texture is already on there.

[johnrex62]

A texture will help hide any imperfections in the tape joints and any waviness in the ceiling joists. A smooth surface will amplify such defects.


Both Knockdown and Orange peel are very trending right now and is become a matter of personal preference.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, if you want a smooth texture, you better have world class people doing the drywall tape and float!

Medium orange peel is typical in Austin homes built in the past decade and it continues to be popular AND most crews know how to apply it well. You don't want your house to the be first where the crew tries to do a new finish.

[verybadgnome]

If the house is pre-1980 I would not scrape the ceiling without having it tested for asbestos first (Western Analytical Laboratory is what I used). And despite what your contractor may tell you wetting it down before scraping does not bypass the problem. Option two is to "entomb" the popcorn with a layer of drywall.

[DMfan]

When I moved in to my house, removing the popcorn was a top priority as it was pretty dingy. I had really wanted a smooth finish, but was persuaded otherwise by the crew and I would say I now have closer to the orange peel finish. I'm really happy I went with a slight texture because there definitely were imperfections that the popcorn hid and the orange peel at least does a better job at camouflaging them than smooth would. It's really not a noticeable texture either unless one is staring at it and it seems like it would be overall smoother than knockdown (gentle rolling hills vs plateaus and mini cliffs if that makes sense).

Best couple thousand spent on the house so far!

[riaelise]

I have a 1989 home with textured ceiling...no sure if it's popcorn. Previous owner removed it on the first floor and the volume ceiling. Other part of second floor still has it. At first I wanted it gone but I don't want to spend the money and have to deal with dust. It's grown on me now and I don't mind it but I do mind the non textured patches and the ceiling needs a coat of paint. My former newer house had orange peel texture.

[kiacook]

Thanks - this is all great input. I slightly preferred the knockdown, but I spoke to my contractor - he says the ceiling is old and the drywall is probably wavy under the popcorn so the orange peel will be hide the imperfections better. He's probably right. I don't feel that strongly about it - just want something that looks good and appears modern.

[paul6835]

IMO, knockdown looks good where you have warm colors and lots of texture. A light orange peel looks better with cool colors and modern design. Also, use a matte finish on the ceiling.