If you have an older home with 8 foot ceilings, you might wonder is it possible to raise ceiling height to a more modern 9 foot ceiling or even higher.
Raising ceiling height seems scary, messy, inconvenient, and expensive to most people, but here are a few ways to maximize ceiling height that you might even be able to DIY.
photo courtesy of Jeremy flickr.com/photos/jeremylevinedesign/6903353550/
Vaulted Ceiling
For a grand change in ceiling height, consider vaulting your ceiling (raising a ceiling into the attic).
Vaulting requires removing the existing 8 foot ceiling and framing the attic space above at the highest point possible, resulting in a sloped ceiling.
This ceiling height enhancement often requires structural beams or supports to be added.
Before undertaking this large renovation, you should take a look in your attic and see if there are any mechanical items in the area that will need to be relocated, such as your air handler, ducting, or a water heater. Relocating these items will greatly increase the cost.
Many homes with 8 foot ceilings will have a vaulted living room ceiling that makes a small living room feel enormous to offset the low ceilings in the rest of the house.
Some vaulted ceilings have stained ceiling beams for added drama.
Tray Ceiling
A tray ceiling is a ceiling that steps up in the middle to a higher ceiling height.
If you have an 8 foot ceiling with an attic above, you can do a minor remodel to the ceiling of one or more rooms of your home to increase the ceiling height in the middle of the room to 9 foot or more, depending on the available space in your attic.
This remodel will require new framing, drywall, paint, and possible electric work.
Tray ceilings often also include crown molding.
Also consider adding lighting to your tray ceiling for extra drama.
For help in deciding what color to paint your tray ceiling, see the article How to Select a Paint Color for a Tray Ceiling.
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Coffered Ceiling
Not to be confused with a tray ceiling, a coffered ceiling uses multiple trays creating a grid pattern in the ceiling.
Coffered ceilings are not very prevalent, however tend to look very expensive because they require a lot of effort and materials to install.
A coffered ceiling does not make the entire ceiling height taller since the grid on the ceiling remains 8 foot tall and the many trays increase to 9 foot.
Coffered ceilings are often added below ceilings in rooms with very high ceilings to make the ceiling feel lower and the room more cozy & comfortable.
If you have room in your attic, you can raise your entire ceiling height in rooms with an 8 foot ceiling, however you will most likely need to angle the sheetrock starting at the top of the exterior wall towards the center of the room to follow the roof line.
Once you get to the height desired, make the ceiling parallel to the floor.
Ceilings Appear Taller
There are some interior designer tips & tricks that you can use to make your low ceilings appear taller, even if you are not raising the ceilings in a house.
If you prefer a more unique aesthetic, consider putting mirror on your ceiling to make it look taller by making the room appear as if it continues through the ceiling. You must ensure that the mirror is properly attached to your ceiling because you definitely don't want it to come crashing down on top of you! Also consider what the mirror will be reflecting. Do you really want to see the top of your furniture and the underside of your light fixtures?
Another option is to replace your low hanging light fixtures with ones closer to the ceiling. You might even decide to replace your ceiling mount fixtures with recessed can lights or disc lights #ad.
Also consider replacing your traditional ceiling fans with ones that match the color of your ceiling, don't have exposed lightbulbs, and are very close to the ceiling. Even if the fan is only a few inches closer to the ceiling, the fan being the same color as the ceiling could make it seem as if your ceiling height increased by a foot. For most people, this will mean getting a white fan with white blades #ad. Note that ceiling fans that are "ceiling hugger" are not necessarily closer to the ceiling than some traditional fans, so look at the measurements of each fan to find the one with the lowest profile.
Having simple solid colored curtains and hanging your curtains near the ceiling, instead of just above the window, is a great optical illusion to make your ceilings feel taller. If getting new curtains, make sure that the combined width of all curtain panels are at least twice the width of your window, if not more, for a full and luxurious look. Hang them to where they cover mostly the wall and only a tiny bit of the window when fully opened.
Popcorn ceilings have a tendency to make a ceiling look darker and closer to the floor because they create dark shadows on the ceiling. Consider getting rid of your popcorn ceiling to make your ceilings feel taller. If you don't want to scrape the popcorn off of your ceilings, you can cover them. See the article Different Ways to Cover Popcorn Ceilings.
Painting your entire room and ceiling a white or very light color will make the ceiling appear taller if you currently have a dark colored ceiling and/or walls.
Adding lighting will make a room with low ceilings feel brighter & airier, thus making the ceiling feel higher. This is especially true of uplighting.
Using low furniture in your room will show more wall space and make your room appear taller.
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