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If you are thinking of painting a room, you are probably envisioning refreshing or remodeling your walls in a new color. But ceilings are a different type of canvas – one that can change the feel of the entire room.
And just because painting the ceiling isn’t necessarily a priority when decorating a room doesn’t mean it should be an afterthought or a sloppy rush. Not to mention, it comes with some unique challenges thanks to gravity and the fact that it’s above you.
But painting the ceiling doesn’t have to be a major mess and is relatively easy if you know what you’re doing. Fortunately, Dee Schlotter, the national color brand manager for PPG The Voice of Color program, Elizabeth gave Lilly some tips on how to get the job done in an article on ThisOldHouse.com. Here’s what you should know.
How to paint a ceiling
First you need the color. Instead of using white by default, Schlotter suggests painting your ceiling either a shade lighter or darker than your walls to do something different. Whichever color you choose, find out how much paint you need by measuring the square footage of the room. The label on the paint can should tell you how much it covers – which one Schlotter says is usually between 300 and 450 square meters.
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Next, prepare the room the way you normally would when painting – either moving things out of the way or covering them. If possible, remove all ceiling fixings. It’s also time to put blue tape around ceiling mounts that you can’t move, or around the point where the ceiling meets the wall.
Now is the time to paint. Get on a stepladder and start with the edges of the ceiling. Schlotter recommends Create a border between two and three inches wide. Once that’s done, put your feet back on the floor and use a roller with an extension handle to finish the job.
Capture the space with diagonal or zigzag strokes in 4 ‘by 4’ sections. Once it’s covered, go over the section again with long strokes to make sure the paint coverage is even. Schlotter explains. Next, go to an adjacent section of the quilt and take the time to blend it into the edge of the section you just painted before it can dry completely.
When you’ve covered the entire ceiling, give the room a uniform look by painting end strokes in the same direction and working lengthways across the ceiling. Schlotter adds.
