Ever Wondered Why Hotel Ceilings Are Usually Jagged?

This is a question that has been on my mind for quite a while without really getting around to asking anyone. But then I realized something, I live in the 21st century where google and the internet exists freely for the general public to utilize. And lo and behold, a wealth of knowledge was revealed to me; the ceilings are called popcorn ceilings and it serves a rather significant purpose. It may be something you take for granted but by the end of the passage its existence will no longer fly above you and you embrace the reason of

its existence.

So popcorn ceiling, what a strange name for stuff like this; I find it quite fascinating how simple things that we often take for granted have quite a story hidden beneath its superficial skin. This kind of ceiling is a very cheap and easy to install addition to a room. It can be sprayed onto the ceilings as well as sprayed off with water and some light scraping. Usually a white color, this technique is used throughout many hotels across the United States and holds the famous “popcorn” and bumpy texture. Not only is the material cheap but it also helps to hide blemishes on the ceiling while avoiding the normal flat room look. It also serves a functional purpose underneath its aesthetic ability. I personally found this to be the most exciting aspect of the material. The texture and material of popcorn ceiling helps to absorb sound such that rooms don’t quite have an echo, but instead hold a much more comfortable feeling. Sound resistance is also very important when you want to relax away from home without having to worry about other residents at a getaway hotel.

A few versions of rough ceilings can be made, the base popcorn ceiling is the

result of the material sprayed directly onto a surface. A “knowckdown” texture is the result of a light scraping off the extreme cliffs and valleys formed by the spray on surface leaving a more attractive look but sacrificing some of its acoustic talents. The lowest and smoothest look is the stipple texture which instead of being sprayed on, it is made manually with a thick paint roller. It is much more attractive because it is smoother and has shallower cliffs and valleys.

However, many great inventions have some trade-off that moves it away from all that desirable. Although the jagged texture can absorb sounds due to its high surface area, the same high surface area can also trap loads more dust and can leave residents sneezing and hollering about. But at least they’ll be quiet about that.

So the next time any questions appear in my head – or in yours – never hesitate to use google. It is a vital key to education and satisfying your learning needs. But if you’re more traditional then by all means use the physical object of the paper-back book, an endangered species in the digital information era.

 

Sources Cited
Wallender, Lee. "Texturing Walls and Ceilings? Why Do This?" About.com Home Renovations. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://homerenovations.about.com/od/wallsandtrim/a/artwalltexture.htm>.
Belew, Adrian. "Elephant Blog." : Consulting The Popcorn Ceiling. N.p., 25 Sept. 2007. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://elephant-blog.blogspot.com/2007/09/consulting-popcorn-ceiling.html>.
"Popcorn Ceiling." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_ceiling>.