How To Paint A Ceiling
- Working Time: 2 – 4 hrs
- Total Time: 1 day
- Yield: Paint a 15-foot by 20-foot ceiling
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Estimated Cost: $50 to $100
If you are reluctant to paint your ceiling, you are not alone. This strenuous project comes with its share of drips and drops, plus it’s often hard to know if you’re properly covering the ceiling. But there are ways to paint a ceiling that help you eliminate most drips and let you judge whether you are covering the entire ceiling.
Window And Door Frames
After finishing the baseboards, you can tackle the door and window frames. Again, youll apply painters tape to the walls, so you need to make sure those are dry. With the tape in place, use a brush to go over all your trim.
If youre painting window sills and casings, too, you may want to apply painters tape to the windows. That way, you can avoid getting paint on them.
Can You Paint The Ceiling And The Walls On The Same Day
If youre painting both the same color, you certainly can. This is especially true when using primer paint.
Just make sure you keep a wet edge, dont make these painting mistakes!
However, if they will be painted in different colors, its best to allow the paint to dry before moving on to the next stage of your project.
When you paint the walls, cutting into the ceiling could be messy if you do not allow the ceiling paint to dry completely.
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From Ceiling To Wall Painting
If you’ve ever tried to apply ceiling paint after a session of wall painting, you probably ran into some hurdles – explore our guide to decorating in order.
Cant wait to dive into your decorating project, but you dont know where to start? Weve got you covered.
Youve chosen a colour scheme for the walls, compiled all the right tools and youre ready to dip your brush in. The only problem is, where on earth do you start? Theres no need to panic or rush to call a professional. Just remember how much money youre saving by doing it yourself! Instead, simply breeze through the process with our ultimate guide to decorating. Wall painting in the right order ensures you avoid any headaches along the way. Best of all, its so much easier than you think.
Do You Cut In First When Painting A Ceiling
When you prepare to paint a ceiling, its best to start by cutting in before you do anything else. Youll get a straight line near the walls or crown molding thats wide enough to prevent a roller from getting too close to the other surface. Since thats the case, there isnt much need to tape off other surfaces.
Plus, rollers cant always get into the corners where the ceiling meets walls. If you try to force it, you may squeeze the roller, causing the paint to drip. When that happens, the drips may run down your walls or could fall on your flooring , which isnt ideal.
Cutting in allows you to avoid all of those headaches. Youll get solid coverage in the corners without risky drips. Plus, it keeps the ceiling paint off of the walls.
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How To Paint Walls Near A Ceiling
This article was co-authored by Patrick Coye. Patrick Coye is the owner and operator of Patricks Painting & Home Improvement in Alexandria, Virginia. With over 15 years of experience in residential construction, Patrick specializes in painting, wallpaper removal/installation, drywall, staining decks and fences, and kitchen cabinetry painting. To date, Patrick and his team have painted over 2,000 houses and stained over 800 decks. Patrick’s Company won a “Top Job” award from the American Painting contractor magazine in 2020.There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 220,787 times.
The space where a wall meets the ceiling is tight and difficult to reach with a traditional paintbrush. Keeping paint off the ceiling can seem like an impossibility, but it is actually simple because of one basic painting technique. Before you begin painting, be sure to wash the walls and apply painters tape to protect the ceiling. Then, use an angled brush to begin coating the area right below the tape. If you do this before attempting to paint the rest of the wall space, you can complete the room with a spotless finish.
Do You Paint The Ceiling Or The Walls First
When youre standing in a room that you need to completely repaint, figuring out where to begin isnt always easy. Do you paint the ceiling or walls first? What about all of this trim? And the doors. When do you get to those? Its enough to throw you for a loop.
When it comes to whether you paint a ceiling or walls first, the ceiling is the better starting point. After that, its crown molding, walls, baseboards, other trim, and doors, in that order. That way, you speed up the project while decreasing the harm caused by drips.
If youd like to learn more about the best order to paint a room, heres everything you need to know about the reasons behind why you paint the ceiling or walls first.
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Flat Acrylic Ceiling Paint
- Flat acrylic ceiling paint is ideal for bedrooms and living spaces since it does not reflect light and produces an even finish.
- If you have an aging ceiling, the flat acrylic paint hides imperfections, damage, and warping perfectly.
- Easy to apply.
- Quick to dry.
- Not suitable for high humidity areas such as the bathroom or laundry room. High humidity levels cause it to peel.
Or Go Bold With Your Contrasts
Alternatively, choosing boldly different colors to drench neighboring rooms can create an unexpected, invigorating effect.
This home office created by interior design studio Lala Reimagined contrasts a vibrant electric blue, Farrow & Ball’s Vardo, with a rich, warm terracotta in the neighboring den.
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Tools For Painting Ceilings
The best tools are the same as for painting walls. Use a 9-inch paint roller frame and a lambs wool roller cover.
The thickness of the cover depends on the amount or lack of texture on the ceiling, 1/2 inch for smooth and 3/4 inch for textured ceilings.
A roller pole is necessary and will save you a lot of time and effort. Choose a roller pole that is comfortable to use and extends far enough to reach over any obstacles.
To complete a professional roller set-up use a 5-gallon bucket and roller screen instead of a pan. A good paintbrush is needed to cut-in the edges and around any light fixtures. A 2-1/23 inch brush will work well. Use a size and style you are comfortable using.
Good tools are as important as quality paint.
Which Come First: Ceiling Or Walls
If youve never painted a room before, the ceiling and walls are likely to be the same color. If thats not the case, your next step is to decide which one you want to paint first. Its generally easier to paint walls first because it gives you more time to plan out what colors you want on your ceiling. If you have a neutral-colored ceiling and walls, however, it might make more sense to paint the ceiling first. This way, you can still use the extra time while its trying to think about what colors you want for your wall color.
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Do You Paint Trim Or Walls First
Generally speaking, youll paint the walls before you handle trim. However, crown molding is an exception. Since its above the walls, you typically want to handle it first. That way, any drips dont fall on a freshly painted surface.
For all other kinds of trim, its typically best to handle the wall before painting it. If you have a picture rail, you may want to paint the wall above the trim, allowing it to dry so that you can apply painters tape. Then, you can paint the picture rail, letting it dry before you tape it off, and proceed with the lower parts of the wall. The same can be true of a chair rail.
However, if youd rather not break up the wall painting into segments, then take care of the walls before moving onto any picture or chair rails. Then, tackle the baseboards before moving onto the window and door trim.
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Prepare The Room That You Are Painting
Before you start painting the room, it is detrimental that you prepare the room properly.
To start, you need to make sure that you move your furniture out of the room to protect it from the paint.
If you cant get it out of the room, move it to the center of the room, and cover them with tarps, so they arent near the walls.
This will stop them from getting ruined and will still give you enough room to get to the walls.
You will also need to prepare the walls by removing any pictures or wall hangings as you need full access to the walls.
Clean the walls and ceilings so there is no dust or dirt to paint over and sand down the walls and doors to give yourself a clean surface to paint them.
What Should I Do To Prep The Area
Before you tackle the so-called fifth wall of your room, make sure you’re painting it first if you’re planning on also painting the walls in the room. You want to paint your ceilings first and then your walls,” said Winters. “You certainly dont want to spatter a freshly painted wall with your ceiling paint.” As for your furniture, you’ll want to either entirely remove it from the area or push it into the center of the room and cover it with plastic tarps.
The best drop cloth to use, according to Winters, is a canvas drop cloth with a rubber backing. “The canvas allows the paint to absorb in so youre not tracking it around the house,” he said. “And the rubber backing makes it nonslip.” If you use a plastic drop clothwhich you shouldn’tthe drip from the ceiling could get tracked along the floors, creating a mess.
You’ll also need a paint roller, a roller frame, and a handheld brush to paint places like tight ceiling corners where rollers can’t fit.
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How To Paint A Wall Without Touching The Ceiling
If you need to paint a wall without touching the ceiling, youll want to make sure that the ceiling is completely dry if youve recently painted it. Next, take painters tape and apply it to the ceiling right where it meets the wall, giving you a physical buffer.
Then, youll use a paintbrush to cut in, starting at the painters tape line and moving out at least four to six inches, depending on the size of the paint roller youre using. That way, you can be methodical about the area closest to the ceiling, and you wont have to get as close to the wall with the roller, reducing the odds of a mistake.
If youre concerned about cutting in, choose an angled paintbrush to make it easier. You can also try a pad edger painter to get a crisp line. However, regardless of the tool, its best to apply painters tape just to be safe.
Spray Paint Vs Brush Paint: Which Is Better For Interior Wall And Ceiling
If you are painting a wall, going with a sprayer and spray paint is going to be the better choice in most situations.
The reasons why are rather obvious
1- Wider Coverage:
A single spray covers a wider area compared to a paintbrush.
This means that you cover more of the wall compared to going up and down with a brush.
Wider coverage translates into getting the job done faster as a result. Going faster means less time to paint and less stress on the body.
2- Less Effort:
Another good reason to choose spray paint is that you can reach areas easier compared to a brush.
When painting near the ceiling, you do not have to climb the ladder as much to cover that area of the wall with paint.
Less time going up and down ladders means less effort you have to expend when you use spray paint.
3- No Brush Strokes:
One issue with brushes is that they sometimes leave behind brush strokes.
This is when the paint still shows the characteristics of the brush imprinted on the wall as opposed to a smooth layer.
It can be difficult to see when wet but shows up clearly when the paint dries.
Since spray paint is applied without any device that touches the wall, it only leaves behind a smooth surface of paint when properly applied.
However, there are a couple of areas where a brush may be better compared to spray paint.
This is when you are at the ceiling and need to cover the top of the wall.
A brush is more precise and can get into certain areas somewhat better compared to spray paint.
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Tip : Do You Paint Baseboards Or Walls First Paint The Baseboards First Then The Ceiling And Walls
It is best to paint the baseboards first, then the ceiling, and finally the walls. When you paint the wooden baseboards, let them dry for 24 hours, then cover them with tape.
Then, you can start painting the ceiling without fear of staining. When you finish with the ceiling, you can move on to the wall.
Paint Walls Or Ceiling First Other Considerations
You may want to color the ceiling, and there are some stuccoes that you want to remain white when you complete your work. If that is the case, it is essential to cover them carefully with paper, fixing it with adhesive tape in painters paper. You can get them from hardware stores and paint shops.
If you have to cover the rosettes with double newspaper paper, cut a little smaller than the element you want to protect. Fix the paper around with adhesive tape to protect the shielding making sure that the tape does not overflow on the ceiling.
Only the adhesive tape will be sufficient to protect the frames. Fix the tape to the frame, along its edges. Then, trim it all around with the help of a cutter, eliminating any cutouts.
You may, on the other hand, want to obtain rosettes or frames of a different color from that of the ceiling. If so, you will paint the ceiling, and then protect it around the stuccoes.
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How To Paint Your Interior
So youve decided to go the DIY route, and paint the interior of your house yourself. But where do you start? Which part of the house you should paint first?
You could try asking a question in online painting forum, but be aware that there is a lot of debate. Some say you should paint your trim before painting your wall colour, while others argue that its necessary to paint your wall first to get a clinical finish.What should you do? A lot of it actually come down to personal preference, and your individual level of expertise.
Paintable areas can be divided into the following categories, and one good approach is to paint your interior in the following order.
- The ceiling
- The trims the corner mouldings of doors, windows, ceilings etc.
- The cut-ins where a wall meets the ceilings, doors, windows and floor
How Do You Paint A Ceiling Without Getting It On The Walls
Cutting in essentially involves using a paintbrush to paint a strip of about one foot in width along the edges of the ceiling. Doing this will help you avoid smashing the roller on the edges and in corners because it builds up excess paint in the corner and can leave a thick paint line on the ceiling.
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