Summoning up the enthusiasm to do a little home decorating is usually pretty easy, but when it comes to painting a ceiling, most people either call in a professional decorator, or just completely ignore it! If this sounds familiar, don’t worry because our guide on painting a ceiling like a pro will demystify the process and, hopefully, leave your hair paint free too!
Tools for painting a ceiling
As with every DIY job, it’s essential to be prepared and have the right gear. Fortunately, you can paint a ceiling without investing in expensive specialist equipment – although there are a couple of things that’ll make this task easier. Let’s take a look at what you need:
- A decent roller set
- A paint bucket
- Easi-fill filler and filling knife
- A good quality 2” brush
- An extension pole (or old broom handle)
- Lots of dust sheets!
- Maybe a sanding pole
- Sugar soap and sponges
- Step ladders
When it comes to buying paint for the ceiling, it pays to spend a little more and get specialised ceiling paint because it’s designed to be almost splatter-free – something your hair will thank you for! We also recommend using good quality stain block paint if there are any water leak patches on the ceiling.
Preparation
Before you start make sure everything is covered with good quality dust sheets because it’s much harder to contain the mess from a ceiling paint job than almost anywhere else. Use Easi-fill to deal with any holes – it’s so easy to use, dries quickly and sands effortlessly.
If the ceiling is flat painted, a quick rub over with 100 grit drywall sandpaper will help to cut through years of dirt and neglect – after all, who washes their ceiling? Follow that with a wash down with sugar soap and water and you’re ready to go.
Painting
As previously mentioned, you’ll need to go over any areas of water damage with a stain-blocking primer first. A couple of coats should do it, but some stubborn stains may need more.
The devil is always in the details, so take the time to cut in – time spent here will make or break your finish so give it your best attention. Using a quality brush and a paint bucket means that you can focus on the job in hand – you only need a little bit of paint at any one time, and a paint bucket helps prevent major spillage accidents.
After cutting in you can get down to the fun part: using the roller! Investing in the best quality lambswool roller will help keep the splatters to a minimum and ensure a really good coverage in the least possible time – that’s the combination a pro looks for. Work the ceiling in small areas, around 5’ square, first rolling one way and then back across the area at 90° to the first coat. Try to keep one edge wet for the next section to avoid overlapping marks, and feather the paint out on the areas you’re not painting next.
Textured ceilings
With a previously painted textured ceiling, it’s quite tough to get the same level of finish, but if you work slightly slower you should be able to get a good coverage. Be careful not to overwork the paint because you risk pulling the old layers from the ceiling – another job for your high-quality lambswool roller.
As with every DIY and decorating job, if you’re careful and prepare properly there’s very little that can go wrong, but we’re always here for friendly advice or a quote if you’d prefer to let the experts take over. Painting a ceiling isn’t the most fun decorating job, but neglect it and you’ll regret it!