The ceiling often gets neglected when designing a new garage. You may find the ceiling that has exposed roof trusses or unpainted drywall. Not only does it affect your garage’s lighting, but it also compromises the temperature.
Adding or redoing a garage ceiling not only gives a polished look but also increases the value of your home. A finished ceiling gives a more hospitable appeal and turns your garage into a more functional space.
Why Treat a Garage Ceiling?
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A Minneapolis architect Petra Schwartze stresses that,
Treat the ceiling with the same attention you give to a wall. Too often, ceilings are an afterthought. The ceiling treatment should enhance and support the rest of the room’s décor and intent.
Treating a garage ceiling right starts with choosing the suitable material. Ceilings made from a more rigid material will hold up under stress, including snowfall and rain. And, adding extensive light fixtures and overhead storage is only possible with garage ceilings that can hold significant weight.
Best Garage Ceiling Materials
Here’s a comprehensive guide for choosing from different types of ceiling materials.
Drywall
Drywall is a popular choice for many garage ceilings because it’s easier to install and gives a seamless look. You can paint drywall garage ceilings in any color or shade.
The drywall material is also used as a base because it is cheaper, repairs quickly, and acts as insulation.
If you’re wondering, drywall is made out of softer material called Gypsum, which doesn’t crack. Depending on your budget, you can choose from regular drywall, fire-rated ‘Perlite,’ impact-resistant, moisture-resistant, and flexible drywalls.
One of the significant benefits of using drywall is that it makes garages fire-resistant so that people can evacuate safely during an emergency.
Moreover, you can choose from the newest drywall that is eco-friendly and leaves zero carbon footprint.
Aluminum Soffit
Aluminum soffit is one of the most common and durable roofing materials. The aluminum is a popular choice for roof overhangs and has an attractive appeal.
The aluminum soffit garage ceiling finished with gloss concrete sealer provides a good light reflection. Moreover, the shiny surface will match both modern and traditional interior design styles.
A few advantages of choosing aluminum soffit are:
- It never needs painting, scraping, or priming.
- You can overlay aluminum soffit to hide old wood soffits and fascias.
- Choose from the regular or heavy gauge for added durability and lasting performance.
- Choose from an array of styles and colors panels
Corrugated Metal
Corrugated metal is the least expensive type of metal roofing. Installing metal ceiling panels will cost about $1.2 to $5 per square foot.
This is perhaps the last material you’d expect to see on any ceiling, but the lighter metal easily reflects light, making it a popular choice as the garage ceiling. However, you are free to choose your preferred shade while buying corrugated metal sheets.
The problem with corrugated metal is that it runs the risk of rust and corrosion, and the debris from trees and snow can puncture the metal.
However, it also lasts longer than most roofing materials. With proper care, you can use a corrugated roof for over 20 years.
OSB (Oriented Strand Board)
OSB is one of the most famous building choices on the market today. It’s preferred over plywood because of added durability, light-weight design, quality finish, and lower price.
Oriented strand board or OSB is a type of engineered wood made from adding adhesives and compressing layers of wood strands in specific orientations.
OSB makes almost 66% of the structural panel market.
You can also use OSB to make ceiling shelves and bike hooks.
Probably, the most beneficial aspect is that it can support lighter suspended loads without the need for locating a stud.
Expect to pay anywhere around $6 for a 4×8 feet OSB sheet.
Plywood
Plywood is the most economical choice for any garage roofing. The effective wooden ceiling material provides needed weight support for most garage ceilings. Although it isn’t as strong as OSB, it doesn’t compromise the appearance of your garage.
You can purchase pre-cut pieces and nail to either the top or bottom of the trusses for quicker installation. Apply a coat of quality liquid latex sealer to make your plywood ceiling waterproof.
4×8-feet construction-grade plywood costs roughly $10 a sheet.
PVC Tiles
Polyvinyl chloride or PVC ceiling tiles are often used in moisture-resistant ceiling tiles. They look enough like wood to fool all. You can choose from a wide range of colors, textures, and sizes of PVC tiles for your garage ceiling. Some of the more expensive PVC tiles come with a matte finish for added decor.
There are a few drawbacks to using PVC tiles. PVC beadboard doesn’t have much structural strength hence;, they can sag if insufficiently nailed (Don’t forget to install plywood base before overlaying it with PVC sheets). PVC also contains dangerous chemical additives that can leach out or evaporate into the air, causing poisoning.
Vinyl Beadboard Soffit/Vinyl Siding
Vinyl soffit material is cheaper, easier to install, and attractive. Although it’s less durable than aluminum against cold weather-related damage, you won’t notice the difference when used indoors. However, vinyl beadboard ceilings are prone to cracking and warping, so be careful before installing it.
Vinyl siding, on the other hand, is a plastic exterior siding used for decoration and weatherproofing. You can use it to finish your garage ceiling.
Polycarbonate Roofing
Polycarbonate is a popular roofing choice for garages. The transparent garage ceiling material easily lets sunlight in. You can choose polycarbonate for a transparent roofing choice and aesthetic appeal.
Polycarbonate is a strong material with high impact resistance, so don’t mistake it for regular glass. It’s also heat and UV rays resistant. However, it adopts a yellow hue with prolonged exposure to the UV rays.
How to Make Most of Your Garage Ceiling?
Here are a few ways to make your garage ceiling more efficient.
1. Insulation
Consider insulating your garage ceiling to maintain the temperature inside. If your garage is a part of the HVAC system, it needs to be insulated like the rest of the house.
2. Overhead Storage
Don’t forget about the garage ceiling surface that can be used as an overhead storage facility. Using overhead space for storage helps to save floor space which can be used for many other purposes. Consider installing overhead metal or wood shelves to store all kinds of items and bike storage.
3. Lighting
Use your garage ceiling ideas to brighten the entire garage space. If your garage is darker, you can add an extra light fixture on the ceiling to increase overall brightness or paint your garage ceiling white or grey-white to help reflect the light.
Conclusion
If you want to make your garage more functional, consider remodeling your garage ceiling with suitable material and paint color. A well-done garage ceiling will complement your garage wall and flooring, hence increasing its value and décor.
