A Ceiling Painting Guide

Painting a ceiling can help with the overall presentation of a room. A clean, crisp and well maintained coat of paint on a ceiling can make a room look much bigger. Although it’s not something you will notice day to day it is something that, if not done properly, can have more of your attention than you might imagine.

If you are decorating a whole room the ceiling should be done first as it makes the rest of the painting and decorating much easier to handle.

What you need before you start

You need a few obvious items before you begin. Dust sheets and a ladder, filler (if you believe this is required), a trowel (if you are using filler), a small paint brush, a large paint brush or a roller (this, if extendable may make the ladder redundant), a paint kettle, a suitable detergent or cleaning product, some rags, and – possibly most importantly – some paint!

Room Preparation

Before you even begin doing anything to ceiling itself you must have the room ready for painting. Put all heavy furniture, chairs and electrical items in a neat pile in the middle of the room (or remove them all together if you are inclined to do so). Cover with a dust sheet so they’re protected once you start painting.

Remove curtains and rugs and cover the entire floor in dust-sheets to minimize mess or damage.

Ceiling preparation

Wash down the ceiling and walls with a cleaning product. This should remove all dust, debris, and dirt from the area you wish to paint. Once this is done you must check for any loose plaster, cracks and holes. Use filler to fill in any of these aberrations and attempt to achieve a flush surface with the rest of the ceiling. If you can’t manage this it is always best to over-fill a little and sand and smooth it down once it has dried. You should, hopefully, end up with a smooth, flat, pristine surface to paint onto.

If this is so you should be just about ready to begin painting.

Edges and fittings

Once you are ready you should begin by painting around the edges of the ceiling as well as around any light-fittings. Having your paint kettle filled only to about the depth of half the small brush will hopefully keep you from over-charging the brush. Another tip for plastic fittings is to carefully apply masking tape to the edges of them; this should hopefully give you a safe and clan line for painting.

The rest of the ceiling

If you are using a brush for the rest of the ceiling it is advised that you use parallel strokes and main in metre sections, this way the edges should stay a little wet and make the overall finish seems fresher and more professional. Like all painting at least two coats are usually required for a really good finish.
If you are using a roller make sure you don’t fill your tray too high – having an over-charged roller will make all your effort for a professional finish

redundant. By applying the paint evenly to the roller, bringing the roller back and forth in the tray, you are making it easier to apply the paint more evenly to the ceiling. As with brushing, working in smooth parallel sections of 1 metre or so should allow for a professional finish.

Making sure the paint dries thoroughly before applying the second coat, and giving the room as much ventilation as you can are also good tips for fine finishes.