water stained ceiling tile

How to Tell if Your Ceiling Needs a Makeover

When examining our homes or commercial spaces for potential renovations, the last place we tend to look is up. We can easily tell when walls need to be repainted or when a floor needs repairs, but ceilings are often taken for granted. But ceilings play an important role in a building both aesthetically and functionally. As you’re taking mental notes on the condition of your living room or office space, don’t forget to aim your eyes upward. When you do, there are a few things to look for and think about before deciding whether your ceiling needs a makeover.

Consider the Room as a Whole

It’s true that ceilings typically don’t need repainting as often as walls. After all, a ceiling is far removed from furniture, pets, and human activity (mostly). You won’t find many scuffs, scratches, or spills. However, when it is time to give the walls a fresh coat of paint, it’s also a good time to consider painting the ceiling. While many people opt for a white ceiling, there’s no color restriction here. Your ceiling color might depend on how you color your walls. Even if your ceiling is in good shape, it might be wise to repaint it as you repaint the walls so everything is done together.

Whether you’re painting ceiling tiles or a flat surface, the room will be more cohesive when painted as a whole. Remember to paint the ceiling before you paint the walls if you go this route.

Location, Location, Location

Ceilings require a different amount of attention depending on which room they cap. Living rooms and offices are typically climate controlled and prevent excess moisture and extreme temperatures. As a result, ceilings are less likely to receive damage. However, other rooms experience a bit more fluctuation. Bathrooms and basements, for instance, undergo high variations in heat and moisture. Hot showers alone can wreak havoc on a bathroom ceiling, especially if the paint never fully dried when initially applied.

These changes cause ceilings to expand or contract, and moisture can creep between the ceiling and the paint, forming bubbles and scratches beneath the surface. If this goes unaddressed for too long, the damage can worsen exponentially. If you notice these cracks and bubbles, it’s a good time to sand the surface and give it a fresh coat of paint. Remember to let the paint dry completely before using the shower again, and also have a fan installed or cleaned to ensure proper ventilation.

Function, Not Just Fashion

Ceilings aren’t just meant to top off a room like frosting on a cupcake. They serve a purpose, too. Their main purpose, of course, is to provide another layer over your head for shelter and to keep heat inside the room. But ceilings also play a role in controlling sound. This is especially important in apartment buildings and commercial spaces where several rooms of people are stacked on top of one another or placed next to each other.

While traditional ceilings naturally keep some sound from escaping a room, installing ceiling tiles goes even further. Acoustic ceiling tiles are the ultimate solution, especially for homes and offices with high ceilings. Made of mineral fiber, these tiles are typically suspended from a ceiling to block soundwaves from all angles. The best acoustic ceiling tiles have a high noise reduction coefficient. The higher this number, the better the tiles are at soaking up noise.

If your office or home already has acoustic tiles installed, it might still benefit from acoustic ceiling paint. After all, bare tiles can look a bit bland. Whether you’re revamping an entire room, repairing the bathroom or basement, or investing in better soundproofing for your office, it’s time to hire ceiling tile contractors and ceiling painters to get the job done efficiently. AllPro Painters will help you through the whole process, offering free color consultation and estimates for both residences and commercial spaces. Call us today at (702)-623-9417 for more information!