New technology has made traditional methods of leveling residential ceilings obsolete.
Maybe you’re an interior designer renovating an old space challenged by structural limitations of the past. Perhaps you’re a homeowner tired of staring at your outdated popcorn ceilings—you know the kind.
Uneven or unleveled ceilings are an immediate eyesore to all who enter (and trust me, people notice). Unleveled ceilings occur when one part of the ceiling is an inch or more higher or lower than the other side. Whatever the case, leveling has traditionally required dropping the high point of the ceiling to the level of the lowest point.
Most American contractors deal with this using the traditional method of leveling: they start building a new frame to support the new drywall ceiling and then fill in the space with drywall. But this is yesterday’s approach.
There is a better way. It’s cheaper, easier, and more attractive than the traditional method: stretch fabric ceilings. It’s a simple, two-part system: a perimeter track that mounts continuously to the edge of your ceilings and/or walls and a wide-span polyester fabric that tucks into the track and holds on tension.
A stretch fabric system is significantly more efficient than drywall. Two people can install 1,000 square feet of the finished ceiling in less than a week. On the other hand, if you wanted to level the same ceiling the old-fashioned way, you’d need approximately ten thousand pounds of supplies such as drywall, plaster, and paint, and the whole process would require weeks of labor.
But it’s not just about the better efficiency. Stretch fabric ceilings open up a whole plethora of design possibilities: you can digitally print on them or pair them with LED lights to accomplish your desired aesthetic, and you can also use stretch fabric to improve your acoustic surroundings. None of these options are available with drywall.
Design-wise, stretch fabric ceilings are available in many color options and different finishes, including a very popular high-gloss (mirror-like). And with digital prints, you can turn your ceiling into the statement piece of your house. This is especially great for homes with high ceilings, because you can see the printed ceiling design from a distance rather than up-close.
The cost of fabric ceiling installation varies from $6 to $8 per square foot. A new drywall ceiling with proper finishing will cost about $6 per square foot. What sets apart the value of the stretch fabric, besides everything mentioned already, is the Lifetime Residential Warranty on all of our stretch fabric installations.
So if you are constantly annoyed by a ceiling that needs leveling or has textured, popcorn-style paint, but the cost and the mess of traditional construction methods have been an obstacle to taking action and fixing your space, I urge you to check out a stretch fabric ceiling system. You deserve beautiful and level ceiling, and it may very well be exactly what you were looking for!