Your shower is a functional space, but it’s also the blank canvas you can use to express yourself. You probably spend a few minutes to over an hour every day in this space. Therefore, you should personalize this area, turning every quick shower in your Californian home into an exotic spa retreat. Since the ceiling is an unbroken surface, mostly free of fixtures, you can use your imagination to fill this space.
In this post, we’ll reveal ceiling ideas you can use to elevate your shower. You’ll also learn the risks and selling points of these materials.
9 Beautiful Shower Ceiling Ideas
When you design your ceiling, think about what the room is used for and how it feels. Since bathrooms have high humidity, you’ll need to either select materials that are water-resistant or use a sealant. Additionally, you should consider the cost and ease of maintenance of the materials you select.
Considering all these factors, let’s dive into the nine beautiful ideas for your shower ceiling:
1. All Marble
Marble tiles from floor to ceiling will give your bathroom a luxurious feel even if you don’t extend this theme to the rest of your bathroom. Its natural water-resistant property also makes it a functional choice for a shower. Therefore, if you wish to install a steam shower or your shower ceiling is low and likely to experience splashes, a marble ceiling is a great choice.
However, marble can be quite expensive, ranging from $8 – $65+ per square foot. This cost depends on the strength of your tile, its composition, and the care used to transport it. Nevertheless, with an imitation tiled shower ceiling, you can exude the same level of luxury as the real stone.
2. Sculpted Styrofoam
If you love textured ceilings but want to avoid the discoloration, dust attraction, and health dangers of popcorn ceilings, Styrofoam tiles are a great alternative. They come in a variety of sculpted styles, so you can pick whatever best fits your aesthetic. Plus, you can paint it with your typical ceiling paint to match the rest of your bathroom. This paint can serve both to hide any imperfections and make it fire resistant.
However, Styrofoam isn’t waterproof. Knowing this may dissuade you from using it in a shower. Yet, you can seal this material, allowing it to maintain its shape. Then, cleaning it becomes as simple as wiping it down with a damp cloth.
3. Wood Panels
Wood ceiling in a shower might sound counterintuitive as water damages the wood, making it warp and even rot. Then, if you desire to remove a damaged plank, the change might be noticeable because of the grain and color difference. Nevertheless, you can mitigate this damage by sealing the wood to make it more resistant to water. You can keep this durable material in your shower for a long period without having to remodel it.
So, you can use this sealed wood ceiling to create a variety of aesthetics, from rustic farmhouses to all-natural minimalism. Moreover, you can select the wood type, stain, and paint to match your tastes and stay within budget. But if you leave this wood in a more natural state, you can appreciate the warmth it brings to your bathroom decor.
4. Contrasting Paint
Paint is a standard ceiling choice, but you can give it personality by how you apply it. Using a color wheel, you can select a paint color that contrasts the palette of your shower. Then, you can paint it a solid color, gradient colors, or even use stencils to create patterns that accentuate the overall theme. For instance, if you have a biophile aesthetic with blue-green tiles and fixtures, you could use a red-orange stencil with a leaf pattern.
Paint is one of the cheapest materials you can use. However, you’ll also need to consider the sheen of your paint or sealants to ensure that it won’t retain water. Otherwise, your beautiful work could grow mold. This limitation can affect the final look since you may not appreciate a very shiny ceiling.
5. Natural Stone
Using natural stones is a great shower ceiling idea for your space that you’ll love. This material gives you a breadth of choices from granite to limestone. With all these choices, you can create a variety of styles in your shower, from natural and rustic to minimalist and sleek. Each stone has a different texture and color, which you can use to complement your shower.
Additionally, stone ceilings can increase the overall price of your home since it tends to be an expensive investment. This is because it requires less grouting, which cuts some costs.
However, stone can be more expensive to maintain than other materials. You should seal the stone and keep it moisture-free and clean. You’ll need to use pH-neutral soap, wipe it away daily, and reduce the humidity in the air with a dehumidifier or by opening your windows.
6. Drywall
Drywall is often called whiteboard because of its simple, white panels. This feature can seem boring but is actually great if you want to showcase a fixture, such as a shower in the ceiling. Moreover, it can give a minimalist or polished appearance to your shower.
Drywall is a common material for walls and ceilings due to its low cost, high durability, and simple installation – but not in bathrooms. Usually, you should keep it away from baths and showers since it can easily grow mold.
Furthermore, some types of drywall, such as green boards, are more resistant to water. So, you can add a sealant to this material which will prevent moisture absorption and reduce mold and mildew growth.
7. Metal Ceiling
With a metal ceiling, you can build a rustic, minimalist, or modern style. These metal panels or sheets are extremely thin but can have beautiful textures that will draw the eye.
Traditionally, metal ceilings used steel and had a layer of protective tin on them. This prevented the metal ceilings from rusting. In a shower, these panels also need a primer and metal-specific paint coat. These materials are sturdy enough that you can avoid warping. However, whether you choose to use modern aluminum panels or antique tin ones, they can be hard to replace.
8. Beams in all Materials
If you have a small shower area, you can give the illusion of more space with beams. In particular, if your shower has a high ceiling, you can use beams as a main focus without making the area too visually busy.
You can select beams in the following material:
Solid Wood: This is the heaviest option but also the most realistic. You can also choose the type of wood and stain to create the image you desire. However, it also has the risk of warping and rotting. Therefore, you’ll need to seal it. Box Wood: This is a hollow wood material. It reduces the weight of your beams yet keeps the natural look. It’s also a convenient way to hide plumbing and wiring. Vinyl: With vinyl, you can avoid water damage and even select colors and patterns that best suit your shower. Foam: If you want large beams, foam is a better option since it’s lightweight. You can then paint it or cover it to protect it from moisture. Metal: You can achieve a minimalist or modern aesthetic with metal beams. However, they can be heavier than the other options. Paint: An ingenious option to create beams in your shower is to paint them on. You’ll need a skilled artist to complete the work. But when an artist executes it well, it can give the illusion that you have real wood beams.
9. Skylight
When thinking about a shower stall ceiling, a skylight can give it a more spacious and luxurious appearance. It provides natural light from the sky above. If it’s a functional skylight that opens, you can use it to reduce the humidity in your shower.
You can even use stained glass aesthetics to add ambiance to your shower. In particular, you can use glue, paint, or translucent plastic sheets on the glass. When the light passes through, it will cast your shower in your desired colors.
However, this type of ceiling can be as expensive as $2,500. Moreover, it brings the risk of heat loss during the colder months and leaks when it rains – especially with skylights that open. You can mitigate some of this risk by using a metal frame instead of a plastic one, which can become brittle over time.
Conclusion
Now that you know great shower ceiling ideas, you can beautify your bathroom efficiently. It all starts with understanding the environment of your shower and applying this knowledge to different materials. You also need to consider your personal tastes and integrate them into your shower. Whether you like natural stones, wooden panels, or even tin sheets, you can make each material work in the high humidity of your shower. Furthermore, you should consider the cost. Marble ceilings and skylights are large investments, but you can also opt for cheaper options such as paint, drywall, and Styrofoam.
With the ceiling ideas above, you can get the most out of your shower ceiling and turn your space into a statement of your personal style and comfort.