I prefer smooth, but your builder might not be willing to do it or have the subs capable of doing it.

Smooth

It's a regional thing, I'm presuming, but here in the Northeast smooth is definitely the way to go. The room looks bigger without the light catching on rough surfaces up there, and depending on what the texture looks like (I honestly don't know what "stomp" is) it can attract dust, etc.

Correct?

A stomp knockdown ceiling texture is characterized by its large textured pattern that looks like waves or cascading water flowing down from above. This design was prevalent for ceilings in the 1980s and the 1990s but has seen a resurgence in recent years.

Of course he wants to do it; more $$

I have a troweled knockdown texture ceiling. I dislike it. Putting it mildly. It catches all the tools you use to clean/dust with and the cobwebs have 1000 places to attach. Also when I went to paint my bedrooms it takes 2x the amount of paint and more pressure to apply than you think you will need to to the many surfaces. "They" say textures absorb noise better than smooth but I don't have any Db data to back that up.

Knockdown.

stomp.

If you like the effect then go for it. for me I want smooth.

It's also known as "knock down". The drywallers usually apply it after one coat of tape and mud, thinking the texture will cover the lack of additional finishing coats. It doesn't. They and the builders charge the same and pocket the labor and material savings.

No! Smooth is nicer IMO. I paid half a fortune to have that structure removed from my ceilings.

Where are you located?

Smooth. It’s my understanding that textured walls and ceilings are less expensive and easier for the builders; it’s a downgrade in my book.

Smooth is timeless, stomp is not. Think resale: I suspect no one ever decided to not buy a place because it had a smooth ceiling.

Just the name alone is a hard no. Much less the reality.

More info needed. What is your architectural and decor style?

Here's a couple vids on Level 4 & 5 drywall finishes.

USG says 3 coats of compound with sanding in between. This next video says 2 coats with a slight hiding texture from painting with a 3/8" roller during the paint process.

Once you're familiar with what the options are you can discuss them with your builder for any pricing variations for drywall and paint. Different levels of finish can be spec'd for ceiling and walls and in different rooms. Flat paint for ceilings hides a little lesser finish. Eggshell for walls shows more imperfections.

To check quality, use a shop vac with a brush on the joints. Little pinholes or shadows from a light - it needs another coat. If they don't do it, you need to before paint.

AFAIC, stomp is worse than popcorn texture ceilings. Because it is harder to remove than popcorn.

As mentioned, spiders will love all those peaky attachment points for their webs.

IMO it does not ever matter what your style is a smooth wall and ceiling is always the way to go.

If you ever have to patch your ceiling (maybe because you want to move a light fixture or you have a leak in the ceiling) how are you going to be able to replicate that texture so the patch is not noticeable? I guess anything is possible if you hire someone to do it, but in my house a patch is a DIY job and my husband wouldn't want to spend time fussing around with a texture.

I have owned homes with textured walls and ceilings and smooth walls and ceilings. I strongly prefer the smooth. It is way easier to patch and re-paint without having to try to match the texture.

A century ago texturing plaster was an art and some older homes have beautiful textured ceilings or walls. Anything built after 1950, it was used mainly to hide poor workmanship.

Not necessarily. Depends on the architecture/style of house.

See: Southwestern homes, etc.

The OP needs to give more details.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Stomp is not otherwise known as knockdown. They are 2 completely different textures installed by different means. Stomp uses a broom-like pole to imprint and turn (or glove); knockdown sprays from a hopper and the ridges are smoothed over with a knife.

I have seen it called stomp, stomp knockdown, mop, and crow's feet. And I have seen different variations of the pattern I think of as this also called these different names, so I don't know that the terminology is that strict.

I would want smooth, but I would want to make sure they know how to do a good smooth ceiling there. Smooth is the standard here and on some of them you can read the tape joints, with the right light, and allegedly they know what they are doing. If smooth is not their standard they may not be that great at it.

People still mistakenly call CMU "cinder block" too, where they are made in completely different methods just like stomp vs knockdown, so sometimes it matters to get the terminology right - certainly for pros offering advice.

3:

Looking at the pictures, it's a distinction without a difference.

Thank you for the comments. I actually prefer flat ceiling, but builder said that costs more! We are watching the budget as it’s our retirement home.

Yes, a smooth ceiling costs more since it requires less skill and less work than a textured ceiling. You get what you pay for....

@jserv13 - I get where you are coming from. I am currently renovating my "forever" home. I am not overly concerned with resale as I intend to leave this home in a box.

For me, reality is that I will most likely be dead in less then 25 years. I don't need floors that will last 100 years, I need flooring that will look good for 20 years. I picked LVT. It was less expensive and easy on my joints.

My current home has smooth ceilings, but my last home had popcorn ceilings. When we removed the popcorn the seams were horrible so the contractor gave us choices. He could skim coat and sand the entire ceiling or he could spray a light orange peel texture on the ceiling.

We opted for the light orange peel texture. Hid the imperfections, didn't cost much and was not all that noticeable when painted with flat paint.

Here are a couple of listing photos

I might ask the contractor if orange peel is an option. It will hide the imperfections, but will be less obvious than the stomp.

“It costs more” is an avoidance tactic; the real reason is his drywall guys are unskilled. Ask for a price for smooth and for omitting the finish. Last year I taught my nephew to tape ceiling joints over the phone. A curved trowel helps a lot.