Unlike walls, ceilings rarely get noticed, except for those with elaborate designs. This is one of the reasons why this so-called fifth wall is often neglected. Moreover, there is also the prevailing notion that painting a ceiling is a tedious task.
The thing is that applying a fresh coat of paint on your ceiling can impact the overall look of a room. With the right colour and design, your ceiling can become visually interesting and attract the attention of guests.
In addition, while painting the “fifth wall” can get messy, it is not as challenging as what most people think. It’s just a matter of observing the proper steps to ensure that the task is accomplished without hiccups and to achieve a flawless, long-lasting finish.
Tips on Painting a Ceiling
Have the Right Materials: Just like other painting tasks, the first step is to prepare all materials necessary. This includes choosing the paint colour you are going to use. Remember, your chosen hue has an effect on the room’s ambience. So, choose your ceiling’s paint colour wisely.
White and light paint colours can make rooms appear brighter. They are ideal for spaces which receive little or no natural light. In addition, using these colours on your ceiling can help make the room appear wider or bigger. Meanwhile, dark paint colours may be used in high-ceiling rooms to give them a cosier ambience.
For the type of paint, a two-in-one paint (paint with primer) is what’s recommended for this task. Aside from having a flat finish, this kind of paint spatters less. Meanwhile, for stubborn stains due to roof leaks and the like, you can use a stain-blocking primer to hide them.
You also need a roller and a brush. The brush is primarily for cutting in or painting the corners of the ceiling to create a border. Meanwhile, the roller is going to be used to fill in the remaining areas within the border. If you have a textured ceiling, a roller with a deeper nap is more appropriate.
For your protective gear, be sure that you have a hat. Drips can be common when painting a ceiling. Hence, you need to cover your head to prevent paint from ending up on your hair.
Do the Prep Work: Before you start painting your ceiling, you need to prep the room and the surface. This means emptying the room and laying down drop cloths or sheets. Make sure you protect hanging fixtures like pendant light as well.
The next step is to prep the ceiling. Please do not skip this process as it is essential in attaining a durable and smooth finish. Start off by cleaning the surface – remove cobwebs and dust. Then, scrape off any loose or cracked paint. Sand the surface to make it even and to get rid of crud and bumps that may have accumulated because of paint build-up. Clean the surface using a damp sponge.
Cut-In: If you are only working on your ceiling, apply a painter’s tape around the edges of the wall. However, if you are painting your walls as well, you can skip this step.
Using a brush, cut-in on the edges of the ceiling – along the areas which the roller would not be able to reach. Doing this before rolling can help you hide the brush marks. It is best if you cut-in one section at a time to make sure that the paint is still wet when you use the roller.
Use Your Roller: Before dipping your roller into the paint, use a wet towel to moisten it. Paint the ceiling in small sections (preferably a metre wide) and roll in a parallel motion to get a smooth finish. Roll slowly to prevent spatter. However, ensure that the edge of your current section is still wet before moving to the adjacent one to avoid lap marks.
If you are working on a textured ceiling, just roll the paint once. Never go back and forth as you would do with a regular ceiling. This is because water in the paint can cause the texture to loosen and fall off. Before applying the second coat, see to it that the paint is completely dry. Also, roll in a direction perpendicular to the first one.
Need to paint a ceiling in your house? Let Dublin’s trusted professional residential painters do the job. Call us now at 86 608 1817 / 085 139 0233!
