Giving your ceiling a fresh coat of paint can help transform any room in your home. In the next article we'll walk you through the basic equipment you need , how to cut, and the best way to use a roller to achieve a professional-looking finish.
Prepare the work area before painting the ceiling
A dark painted ceiling makes the room cozier but can create the matchbox effect.We all know that painting a ceiling is not much different from painting a regular wall. The process of painting a ceiling demands a good job of preparation . And in all the preparation work is focused on protecting your furniture, floors, accessories and ornaments.
For best results when painting your ceiling, use a ceiling paint . It is formulated for less splatter and has a flat finish to help hide blemishes . A large paint pot usually covers about 60 square meters for two coats.
As for color, white can brighten rooms without much natural light . On the other hand, a large room with high ceilings feels more welcoming by painting in a darker color . Small rooms can feel less confined by minimizing the contrast between the walls and the ceiling.
It is good to know that painting a ceiling can be a complicated job. Lay down paper and wear a hat to avoid splashing paint on your hair. Textured ceilings can be painted, but you will need to use a roller with a deeper reach . More paint is needed to get into the grooves of a textured ceiling, but be careful not to saturate it too much.
Steps to follow to paint the ceiling
Step 1 Tape to outline the edges
Put painter's tape around the edges to get a sharp line . Then using a 2 to 2-1 / 2 inch paint brush and a small bucket, so you can easily carry it up and down the ladder. Don't overload the brush, and start each application away from the edge and work the paint toward the tape. Make long strokes.
Type of roller to use
When it's time to apply paint with a roller, use a roller for smooth ceilings, and a long-nap roller for textured ceilings . An extension cord will help you reach the ceiling without the need for a ladder.
Step 2 Paint with the roller
First, moisten the roller to remove any loose thread . Roll in the paint and then peel it off to remove excess. Start at a corner and paint in straight rows that overlap in small 4-by-4 sections .
Roll slowly so paint doesn't splatter. Once you've finished a couple of sections, step back and lightly go over the paint with a no-load roller to smooth it out . Then go ahead. Once dry, check to see if a second coat is needed or if you missed any areas.
Step 3 Special areas
Vaulted ceilings can pose some special challenges . First, use a long cloth to clean before painting. Then use a stepladder to cover the fixtures and ceiling fans.
To reach corners, use a pole mounted roller extender. Paint from the floor using long roller extensions. Start at the highest point and work your way down. Paint the small areas in straight lines and after a couple of sections remove the paint to smooth it out .
Caution
safety first. If you have very high ceilings, leave them to the professionals .
The best tips when painting the ceiling
You can paint a ceiling with a paint sprayer, but by the time the gun is installed and all the non-paintable items are covered , which usually means all the items in the room, you could have already painted the ceiling with a roller . Paint rollers will give you the best coverage with much less spatter than paint sprayers.
Scaffolding is certainly nice to work with, but it takes forever to build a scaffolding room, or you have to move around a smaller piece of scaffolding to apply your paint. In addition, the only real scaffolding that you must use comes with a rental cost.
A good stepladder is stable and easy to move . Make sure the ladder is high enough so that you are not going to climb more than two rungs from the top (your knees should be below the top of the ladder). If your ceiling isn't very high, you might get away with a good 4-foot ladder, which is easy to move with one hand.
For a standard ceiling, you can paint a lot from the ground, using an extension cord. Just be sure to use the shortest extension possible to minimize the weight of the post . For example, if you have a 5 meter extension to paint a 4 meter high ceiling, that means that almost 1 meter of the aluminum pole is collapsed into the handle . This creates more weight for you and will strain your shoulders, arms, and lower back.
After a long weekend of painting the walls and decorations in your room, it is tempting to want to remove a coat of paint from the ceiling. Bad idea . The ceilings are often called the "fifth wall." It is a saying that emphasizes the design aspects of the ceiling that are often forgotten. But it also emphasizes that roofs are a big, knotty project. Spend an entire weekend on a roof or two, and you will be happier.
Resist the urge to paint your ceiling a funky color. If you want funk, there are plenty of walls and other surfaces to add bold colors. Accent walls are practically begging for them. Ceilings? Not that much. Not an accidental mistake or omission, plain white is still the preferred finish for most ceilings.
Advantages of white paint for ceilings
More light:
White offers a high degree of light bounce, which makes the whole room brighter.
Infinite sight:
White provides limitless sight that your eyes have difficulty concentrating on. In other words, when you look at a blue surface, it appears to have a stopping point. However, when looking at a well painted flat white surface it seems to go on endlessly . This gives the room a feeling of more space.
Flat is Best:
A flat or matte gloss, unlike satin, eggshell, glossy or otherwise, further enhances the appearance of a boundless view . Reflections of light on a ceiling, due to any kind of glare, will tell the eye that this is where the surface "stops." Flat paint also hides blemishes much better than gloss paint .
Prepare for the inevitable drips
Just try to paint a ceiling without creating drips. This will not work. Even the most demanding professional will create drips when painting ceilings . Yes, you can get by without protection from falling paint on walls and other vertical areas, you waste time it is impossible to do with ceilings.
Work in sections
Work in 2 x 2 meter (imaginary) sections. If you work in larger areas, you lose track of where you've painted, especially since this is a white-on-white project. One trick is to throw the light from a laser level onto the ceiling. The line keeps you on track and you can move it as you go. To avoid permanent roller marks, start each new section by overlapping the wet edges of the previous section. This is called "keeping the edge wet" and it helps to blend each section seamlessly into the next.