Ceiling Painting Tips & Ideas

An extension pole can cut down on the physical stress of painting a ceiling as well as keep you off ladders.

When you are painting your ceiling and you feel the muscles in your shoulders and back aching with half the ceiling still left to be painted, console yourself with the thought of Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. Your ceiling doesn't need to be painted quite that artistically, but it can be a difficult job if you don't know what to expect before starting.

Extension Pole

You can lessen on the time you spend on a ladder by investing in an extension pole with a roller or paint pad at the end. This allows you to stay firmly on the floor, yet still apply a good deal of paint to the ceiling. Just protect yourself from dripping paint by wearing goggles, a cap and old clothes.

Rollers and Pads

Choose the largest roller or paint pad you can find when attacking a ceiling. The larger the roller or pad, the more paint you can apply at once. Doing this will cut down on the time spent painting the ceiling.

Trays

Cut down on the number of times you have to refill the paint tray by buying the deepest tray you can find. This is true for a large roller, but it also applies to a smaller roller. Plunging the roller into the deep end ensures full coverage of the roller.

Priming the Roller

The book "Stanley Complete Painting" recommends priming the roller before you roll it with the first coat of paint. This is done by dipping the roller into water and then squeezing out the moisture until the roller is just damp.

Smoothing Textured Ceilings

You can smooth a textured ceiling by mixing 1 cup of ammonia to 1 gallon of water and spraying it onto the ceiling. Allow the spray to soak for 15 minutes and then use a wide drywall knife to scrape the now-softened texture from the ceiling. Let the ceiling dry completely before painting it.

Glossy Ceilings

A good idea for adding the illusion of height to a room while also making a dramatic decorative statement is to paint the ceiling with high gloss paint. Lighter colors of paint are going to produce a much more vivid shine than darker colored paint too.

Two-Tone Stenciling

Take the chance on something a little whimsical by painting the ceiling two different colors in any way you desire. Then take a stencil of the paint over the opposite color. For instance, if you chose blue and red for your base coast, you would then stencil blue onto the red and red onto the blue. This idea adds interest through a contrast of colors as well as the decorative addition of stenciled shapes.

Tags: painting ceiling, paint ceiling, paint This, roller into, roller paint