Home > Painting basics > Painting skills > Painting a ceiling

• How to paint a ceiling - overview.

• Golden rule: Always paint the ceiling before walls or woodwork.
• As long as you don't have a lot of furniture to clamber over, painting a ceiling is fairly straightforward.
• Firstly sheet up everything which is in danger of getting paint on it. No matter how careful you are, paint splashes have a way of finding exposed surfaces.
• Use a stepladder, preferably one with a platform to hold tools or a paint container. If you haven't got steps, a strong plastic milk or beer crate or a wooden chair should be adequate.
• Another golden rule, whether using proper or improvised scaffold, is NEVER to over-stretch.
• If you are right-handed work from right to left and vice-versa.
• Painting a ceiling is easier if you use a roller, unless the ceiling is very small e.g. in a cupboard or toilet, especially with artexed(textured) or wood-chipped ceilings(i.e. any ceiling with a rough patterned surface).
• When painting with a brush, use a large flat brush 6 to 8 inches wide.
• You can also use a small brush 1 to 2 inches wide to get into corners, cut along the edge of the ceiling and for cutting round the light rose and any other awkward bits.
• Starting in one corner on the window side of the room, paint in sections about 2ft square.
• Work across the ceiling doing a strip at a time.
• When using a roller it is a good idea to use one with an extension handle. Most roller handles have an open end into which you can push an old broom handle which will do the job.
• Using a small brush (about 2" size will do) cut in all round the edge of the ceiling and round the ceiling rose.
• Starting in one corner roll about a metre square and work across the room in strips the same as with a brush.
• If you are using a long handle on your roller it means your paint tray or scuttle(a square bucket wide enough for your roller size) can be kept conveniently on the floor at all times.

Painting a ceiling - in detail.

Preparation.

• Type 1. A plain flat ceiling with or without ornament(i.e. coving; cornice, moulded panels, decorative ceiling roses(usually the ornament witch surrounds light fittings or chandeliers). The ceiling with the most ornate cornice, frieze, roses and other ornament will almost always be a flat smooth one. The flat ceiling area should be completed first, leaving all the ornament to be carefully cut in, if done in a different color. Occasionally the ornamental parts may be so intricate that it is necessary to spray them before painting the flat ceiling area. If you are painting the ceiling with a brush, do not cut in the whole of the ceiling edges in one go; rather do a small bit at a time. A brushed finish is generally superior to a rollered finish. Many rollers leave a faintly textured finish known as orange-peel. This is often only noticeable where the area round swithches and other obstacles has been cut in with a brush. Ideally, you would like to remove all sockets and switches and roll theses areas too but it is often not practical. The coarser the roller sleeve is, the more pronounced the orange-peel. If you are decorating a newly plastered ceiling(naturally assuming that it has completely dried out)with a roller, it is unnecessary to wait for the first coat to dry completely. If it is a large ceiling, you can go back and start second coating just as soon as you have finished the first coat; otherwise have a cup of tea between coats on a small ceiling.
• Type 2. A shallow(for example a small stipple or broken leather effect) textured ceiling with or without ornament.
• Type 3. A papered ceiling. Usually this means woodchip, anaglypta or some other embossed covering. Of course it may just be plain lining paper(blankstock) or a ceiling paper or some type of wall covering. Check the ceiling carefully for damage and especially for paper that appears to be coming loose. The most likely places for the paper to come loose are at the ends of the strip and along the edges. This is because the paste dries quicker at the edges and ends, so by the time the paper-hanger fixes it to the ceiling the edges and ends may be almost dry in places. The most important thing is to ensure all loose paper is stuck down and dry before you start to paint. Often, when you apply a coat of paint to a papered ceiling bubbles will appear in the paper; don't worry as these will shrink back as the paint dries.
• Type 4. A deeply textured ceiling with or without ornament.
• Type 5. A wooden ceiling.
• Type 6. A tiled ceiling. This is more than likely to be of polystyrene or papier-mache. If you decide to remove them, polystyrene tiles can be a problem to get off. If the tile comes off easily then the adhesive is left stuck to the ceiling, which has to be carefully scraped off.