When people get a hankering for more wall color, ceilings often get overlooked. Perhaps because the thought of trying to paint overhead without getting paint in your mouth seems impossible. Perhaps because you don’t want to make your room feel smaller or tacky. Painted ceilings, when done right, have the ability to make a space feel bigger or more intimate and can bring color into a room without seeming overbearing.
Photo courtesy of E.F Art
Painting a ceiling isn’t as tricky as it seems. It just takes a bit more planning and care than painting walls because there’s a larger drip zone.
What you’ll need:
- Drop cloths and newspaper to cover your entire floor and all your furniture.
- A paintbrush
- Painter’s tape
- A roller with an extension handle (This makes it so you don’t need to stand on a ladder while you paint. If you’re painting over textured ceilings, get a thick-nap roller.)
- A stepladder
- Paint and Primer
Before you begin panting, lay out the drop cloths. You also might want to move as many pieces of furniture out of the room as possible. Not only will this guarantee no accidents, but it will also allow easier mobility as you paint.
Photo courtesy of houselogic
Next, you’ll want to take your painter’s tape and mask any trim and the place where the ceiling meets the wall. This will ensure clean, straight lines and will help keep your color where it should be. If you’re concerned about getting drips on your walls, you can also hang a plastic drop cloth while you’re placing your tape.
Photo courtesy of The Family Handyman
After masking the walls, paint the ceiling with a coat of primer. This should save you time in the long run because you’ll only need one coat of paint rather than several.
Photo courtesy of Sherwin-Williams
Once the primer has dried, grab your paint, paintbrush and stepladder to paint what’s called a “cut-in line”. A cut-in line starts from where the ceiling meets the wall and goes in 2-3 inches.
Photo courtesy of diy network
While the cut-in line is still wet, grab your roller with the nifty extension handle and paint over the edge of that line inwards. Painting over your cut-in line while it’s still wet will ensure no visible line once the paint has finished drying. Once you’ve moved away from your cut-in line, paint three foot sections at a time in an M or W shape, reversing the shape back and forth until the section is completely covered.
Photo courtesy of Home Tips
Once you’ve painted the entire ceiling, wait for it to dry to determine whether or not you need another coat of paint.
Now that you’ve got the know-how, what colors should you choose? If you haven’t yet, read our posts on Basic Color Theory:Coordination Made Simple and How to Match Your Wall Color to Your Furniture for a more in depth discussion on color selection. Just remember, light colors give the illusion of more space while dark colors make an area feel more intimate.
Faded Denim ceilings make a space feel creative and peaceful.
Photo courtesy of Paint Quality Institute
Painting your ceiling in a metallic sheen gives your room elegance.
Photo courtesy of Paint Quality Institute
Here’s come other ceiling ideas.
Photo courtesy of ActiveRain Corp
Photo courtesy of the Decorologist
Photo courtesy of the Decorologist
Photo courtesy of the Decorologist
