How To Paint Your Ceiling

By Author: James Field
Total Articles: 87
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All in all, you've painted your living room...But what about the ceiling? This is often a project. Track with our tips from experts of home renovation services on the best way to paint your ceiling for a finished project that rivals the geniuses.

Prep

Each painting project begins with thorough preparation to do the work right. From purchasing appropriate equipment and paints to preparing the room, your outcome relies on adequate planning.

Paint Items

Home painters in Brooklyn say there's a difference between standard interior wall paint and ceiling paint. Search for latex ceiling paint, as it spatters less and has a more drawn out drying time, allowing you to avoid lap marks in your paintwork. 2-in-1 primer + paint will allow you to avoid having to prime the surface first. If this isn't available, pick up a ceiling primer in a similar color to the paint you'll be using (flat white is ordinary, however bright colors provide the illusion of space).

Equipment

A trip to the hardware store for paint will include picking up a couple of things. For easy application, get an angled paint ...
... brush and a couple of roller covers. Try not to have an extension pole? Make do with a brush handle or purchase an extended metal pole. Different tools you may already have include painter's tape, roller handles, paint trays, and a step ladder.

Room Prep

You're almost ready to start painting your ceiling. For prep tips, go to our article, Interior Home Painting Mistakes to Avoid. A couple of other must-dos include:

Patch Cracks or Openings: If the ceiling has imperfections, the paint will highlight them. Do some spackling to smooth the surface.

Secure Furniture and Fixtures: Remove furniture from the room if possible, and cover fixtures with bags.

Place Equipment Nearby - Avoid going on a scavenger chase for equipment by ensuring everything you need is already in the room.

Paint

It's time to take care of business: the paintwork. Consider wearing a pair of goggles to guard against paint spatter, and it will work.

Priming

Not able to purchase a 2-in-1 paint? Ensure that your painter's tape is in place to secure the surrounding walls, apply primer to the ceiling using a roller on an extension pole and let dry. The primer provides a stain guard to the surface.

Paint Cycle

Knowing how to paint your ceiling means using the right techniques, from cutting in with a brush to apply with a roller.

Cut In - Using the angled brush, cut in the paint from the corner and ceiling edge. Start directly over the painter's tape and inward to the ceiling, establishing a 2-3 inch wide cushion area. This will assist you with avoiding forcing your roller into crevices for full coverage. The line ought to be 3-4 feet in length along one wall and its adjoining wall, creating a section to paint with the roller. Repeat this step for each section you paint.

Move On - While the cut-in paint is still wet, coat your roller with paint from the tray and begin applying it. Maintain relatively straight lines, using a slight zigzag to a great extent. This will create some feathering (which forestalls lap marks), as you can pick up the following stroke from the fully-saturated coating (keeping a "wet edge") and into these lightly-painted areas. Push the roller away from yourself, and move back to streamline it. Repeat the cycle on the adjoining wall, as well as each painted section.