Are you doing a bit of DIY? It can be a great way to save money and improve the value of your home. One of the mainstays of decorating and DIY is painting. Painting walls, painting doors and painting ceilings. They all might sound similar, and if you can do one, you can do them all—right? Not necessarily. If you’ve only painted walls before, did you know that there are actually a few important differences when it comes to painting ceilings? It isn’t as easy as you might think. But thankfully, if you want to know how to paint ceilings, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’re going to tell you how. So keep reading for all the info you need and more.
Decorating your home can be fun, and it might help give your interiors a new lease of life. Unless you’re going to hire an expensive decorator to do the job for you, you’re probably going to have to get dirty and do some hard work yourself. Livening up your interiors could actually add value to your home and make it easier to sell. So if you’re looking to put your property on the market sometime soon or are having trouble selling it, it could be the right choice for you. Did you know that the cost of a quick paint job might actually be offset even more by the amount it could add to your property?
Even if you aren’t trying to sell anytime soon, old interiors can be depressing. Getting a new paint job could be just the answer. Not only is it normally quick and easy to do, it shouldn’t be that expensive, either.
But how do you paint ceilings in your own home? Let’s have a look….
1. Get the right paint
First thing’s first when painting ceilings, you need to find some paint. Before you decide to paint the whole ceiling a color you don’t really like, you might want to try a few samples. While you can get color codes and try a few different colors by eye, nothing beats actually painting a small area on your ceiling. Make sure you follow some of the tips we’re going to tell you in a minute to do it safely. However, you can start by doing a few patches and seeing what works well and what colors you like.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the wall color is the same as the ceiling. If it looks good (or bad) on the walls, that doesn’t mean it’ll be the same on the ceiling. To really get a good idea of what color scheme works for your room, you need to test it on the ceiling itself.
There’s another important factor to remember when finding the right paint for your ceiling, and that’s drips. Dripping is one of the biggest problems with ceiling painting, as we’ll soon find out. Some paints drip better or worse than others. You might be able to find specific no-drip paints in your paint store. But even if you can’t, test a few different paints by painting an upside-down surface and seeing which do or don’t drip. Make sure you do this outside or above something that’s easy to clean, like a bathtub. Wash out the dripped paint straight away. Use a surface to test that’s similar to your ceiling and make sure you hold it upside down for long enough.
2. Get the right equipment
Painting a ceiling can be a bit more tricky than simply painting walls. You don’t get to stand and paint in an easy manner, you might have to reach a high ceiling. If your ceilings are particularly high, you might need additional harnesses and other safety equipment. But you will probably need step ladders to start with. If you’re ever unsure that you can do the job safely, then hire a professional to do it.
For normal height ceilings, you won’t need harnesses, or scaffolding, but you will still need to be careful. You can stand on step ladders or blocks. Make sure they’re always stable and you aren’t stretching or over-reaching.
Aside from safety equipment, you might also want longer brushes and extendable tools. That way you can stand on the floor and paint more easily. You might not be able to paint as steadily or accurately with these, though.
3. Keep safe
As we’ve already touched on, safety is important when painting ceilings, especially when using ladders. It should be your number one concern at all times.
4. Cover the room
As we already know, dripping is a big problem with ceiling painting, so that means you need to take extra care covering floors and anything else that might get dripped on or splashed.
5. Don’t apply too much paint at one time
Applying big layers of paint could lead to a build-up and more dripping. Dripping isn’t just bad for your carpets, but it can also lead to patterns on your ceiling that you don’t really want.
6. Paint slowly
Don’t rush a ceiling paint job, keep steady, safe and methodical. Rushing could also lead to dripping.
7. Allow layers to dry
Don’t apply another layer until the previous coat has dried.
8. Use the right undercoat
Some undercoats are better for ceilings than others, and might help fewer drips occur. Find these if you can and make sure the undercoat has dried before applying the next layer.
9. Ventilate
Another safety tip you shouldn’t ignore is ventilation, make sure you keep all doors and windows open at all times, and use face masks. If you aren’t sure enough air is getting in, use fans or air-con, or pumps. Ventilation will not only help keep you safe, it’ll also help the paint dry quicker.
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