Building Components
So You Want a Concrete Ceiling? Here's What You Need to Know
Concrete is a multipurpose, versatile material that offers thermal mass and a raw, robust aesthetic... for ceilings too
Concrete ceilings are increasingly seen in multi-storey construction in residential houses, units and apartment blocks, and in the adaptive reuse of warehouses, factories and commercial office blocks. They bring a rawness and robustness, as well as thermal mass, to spaces with an industrial or contemporary aesthetic. Here’s how they are formed as well as some of the tricks for achieving shape and texture.
Site-cast versus pre-cast concrete
Depending on the project and build, slabs may be pre-cast (prefabricated and transported to the site) or site-cast (poured on-site). They are often formed using a concrete formwork mould (traditionally constructed of timber or plywood), which is removed once the concrete has hardened.
Need a professional to talk you through your options? Find an architect near you on Houzz to discover the potentials of concrete
Depending on the project and build, slabs may be pre-cast (prefabricated and transported to the site) or site-cast (poured on-site). They are often formed using a concrete formwork mould (traditionally constructed of timber or plywood), which is removed once the concrete has hardened.
Need a professional to talk you through your options? Find an architect near you on Houzz to discover the potentials of concrete
This three-storey house in Perth has a site-cast exposed-concrete ceiling. It evokes an industrial style, and provides the thermal properties of concrete.
To create the effect seen here, in which the joints of the formwork are visible, Dean de Petra of LUXE Builders + Designers explains that “the form-worker must cut and lay out the formwork just like they would if tiling a floor, having equal board widths against perimeter walls”. Here, the joints have been lined up so the lights are positioned in the concrete centres.
To create the effect seen here, in which the joints of the formwork are visible, Dean de Petra of LUXE Builders + Designers explains that “the form-worker must cut and lay out the formwork just like they would if tiling a floor, having equal board widths against perimeter walls”. Here, the joints have been lined up so the lights are positioned in the concrete centres.
This house in Glebe, NSW, has a pre-cast exposed-concrete ceiling, as if suspended above the open-plan living area. The concrete was prefabricated in a factory only a couple of kilometres from the site, and the thin lines and indented circles show the forms of the moulds used to create the panels.
Alternatively, these services can be incorporated after the concrete has been poured and hardened and the formwork has been removed. This kitchen has a dropped gyprock bulkhead that conceals the lighting and other electrical mechanisms so they don’t need to be laid within or affixed to the ceiling.
Exposing the wiring, pipes and ducts contributes to the industrial aesthetic of this kitchen and complements the exposed-concrete ceiling.
Browse more images of industrial kitchens
Browse more images of industrial kitchens
Concrete ceiling profiles
Moving House by Architects EAT has a wave-like concrete roof profile with three vaulted skylights to bring northern sunlight into the open-plan living volume. The roof and ceiling are ‘shotcrete’, which is mortar or concrete pumped through a hose and sprayed, or pneumatically projected, at high velocity onto a surface or substrate. It has been left raw and unpolished to accentuate its variations in pattern and colour. In contrast, the concrete floor is polished and sealed.
See the rest of this award-winning home in Melbourne, Victoria
Moving House by Architects EAT has a wave-like concrete roof profile with three vaulted skylights to bring northern sunlight into the open-plan living volume. The roof and ceiling are ‘shotcrete’, which is mortar or concrete pumped through a hose and sprayed, or pneumatically projected, at high velocity onto a surface or substrate. It has been left raw and unpolished to accentuate its variations in pattern and colour. In contrast, the concrete floor is polished and sealed.
See the rest of this award-winning home in Melbourne, Victoria
This adaptive-reuse project saw a 1980s red-brick office block in London, UK, transformed into 15 apartments. The designer retained the exposed-concrete soffits, which form shallow bays in the ceiling, adding depth and rhythm to the space.
Textured concrete ceilings
The choice of material used for your formwork will affect the final look of exposed concrete if you decide to embrace this material. The surfaces of the formwork, such as timber or plywood, that are in contact with the concrete will provide texture and grain to the finished product. This can give an extensive range of decorative and architectural finishes, and can eliminate the need for additional applied finishes, such as paint or plaster.
8 Surprising Ways to Use Concrete That Won’t Leave You Feeling Cold
The choice of material used for your formwork will affect the final look of exposed concrete if you decide to embrace this material. The surfaces of the formwork, such as timber or plywood, that are in contact with the concrete will provide texture and grain to the finished product. This can give an extensive range of decorative and architectural finishes, and can eliminate the need for additional applied finishes, such as paint or plaster.
8 Surprising Ways to Use Concrete That Won’t Leave You Feeling Cold
The lengths of timber boards used in the formwork are visible on this exposed ceiling, giving it what’s called ‘timber-grained concrete’. This is an increasingly popular look as it offers a greater sense of texture and warmth, much like wood itself, and in some cases can almost be mistaken for timber.
Your turn
Have you welcomed concrete into your home? Tell us how and share what you love about this material in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to brush up on other building materials? Read up on The USA’s Latest Colours and Styles in Engineered Stone Surfaces
Your turn
Have you welcomed concrete into your home? Tell us how and share what you love about this material in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to brush up on other building materials? Read up on The USA’s Latest Colours and Styles in Engineered Stone Surfaces
In a multi-storey building, an exposed-concrete ceiling is often the underside of a thick concrete steel-reinforced slab that forms both floor and ceiling. If the lower surface of the concrete slab is not covered with another material, such as plaster, paint or timber, it becomes an exposed concrete ceiling.
Concrete ceilings can also be the exposed roof construction of a one-storey build or the top floor of a multi-level build.