Popcorn Ceiling vs Smooth

From an aesthetic point of view the smooth ceiling will be more attractive. Acoustically speaking there may be a negligible difference between popcorn ceilings and smooth ceilings. Be sure to test for asbestos if you decide to smooth the ceiling as it was often used as a binding agent for popcorn ceilings.

I recently moved and during the process of searching for a new apartment over a five month period I looked at a great number of places. Room acoustics was not the highest on my list of priorities, but one place I visited noticeably stood out as having the best room sound in terms of lack of echo and best speech intelligibility. It had smooth ceilings, wall to wall carpeting and crown molding. I believe that the crown molding was an important factor as many other rooms had similar dimensions, carpeting and a mix of smooth and popcorn ceilings.

I've read that others have also noted a positive difference in room sound when adding crown molding so it's a factor to consider if your room lacks it.

Ceiling mostly affects the sound isolation from other rooms. If that's not your concern, you shouldn't worry. It's more depended on walls and position. If you're planning to sound-proof the room, than flat ceilings are much easier to work with.

I will say that I've personally noticed that popcorn ceilings - once called acoustic ceilings - seem to work in preventing the kind of echo chamber you get with a flat ceiling. I would definitely vote to keep it based on my personal observations.

There are plenty of treatments that can be added to a ceiling to damp reflections. Google them to see. Also, a heavy carpert/pad on the floor will go a long way towards killing ceiling-floor reflections.

The *best* way to go, but more expensive, is to have a gradually sloping ceiling so that it does not present a flat, reflective surface opposed to the floor...

-RW-

There's two ways to install a popcorn ceiling. I've been doing this for over 40 years since it is partly what I do for a living. You can install it purely for cosmetic reasons, and also with acoustics in mind simply by how thick you spray it on/how many coats you spray on. Lay it on a good 1/4" thick and you'll have some serious acoustics. Brand is important. Some are more porous than others.