Ceiling Painting Tips: Lessen the Mess
DIY painting projects can be fun and engaging such as painting your ceiling. Painting overhead can also be really challenging and can make a real mess. Prepping the room you will be painting in before you begin the project is important. The paint can splatter everywhere, making it essential to protect the floor, the furniture, and everything else in the room. How do pros make it look so easy? Being at the pro level we admit will take some time, but we are happy to share our top ceiling painting tips and tricks to make the process easier. They should make for less mess and less stress in your next ceiling painting project.
Prep the Room
Like we stated above, prepping the room is important in making the interior painting project turn out the best it can. The more time and effort you spend on prep, the easier it will be to paint and clean up afterward. To prep to paint the ceiling, you want to:
Remove any furniture, rugs, wall hangings, and décor from the room. If you cannot remove them, cover them with drop cloths. Cover the floor with drop cloths as well. This will allow you to make sure that no paint will get on anything even if spills or messes happen. No matter how careful you are, there will be paint splatters when you paint the ceiling so be safe and not sorry!
Next it’s time to prep the ceiling. You will want to clean out any dirt and dust that is on the ceiling. If you have any holes, patch them. If you have water stains, use an excellent stain-blocking primer like Kilz to keep the stain from coming through the paint.
If you will not also be painting the walls in your room it will be necessary to tape off the edges of them from the ceiling. This will keep you from painting over the walls by accident. Also if you tape a nice edge you will get the line between your ceiling and walls really crisp!
Use the Right Equipment
Using the right equipment is one of the most pivotal tips to have your ceiling painting project looking the best it can be. Some tools you will need are an excellent angled paint brush and a roller with an extension to paint your ceiling. You also will need a roller pan. We love using quart-sized containers to hold the paint for cutting around the edges. You will also want plenty of drop cloths, a sturdy ladder, and maybe even a scaffold for ceilings. Do not forget to have plenty of clothes or rags to clean up drips quickly.
Use the Right Paint
Ceilings are typically coated with a flat white hue, and you might be in the process of applying this very shade. However, determining whether an area has been painted can pose a challenge. Certain ceiling paints are initially tinted with a pink hue for better visibility during application, which then transforms to white as they dry. This feature can prove to be an advantageous choice, particularly for individuals engaging in DIY ceiling painting.
Use the Right Method
For painting ceilings, we suggest the W method. Make a W with paint on the ceiling, then spread out the paint from there. It helps ensure even coverage, as well as total coverage. Work in small sections, and keep track of where you have painted.
