subject: How to Paint a Smooth Ceiling? [print this page] How to Paint a Smooth Ceiling? How to Paint a Smooth Ceiling?
If you're painting a whole room, paint the ceiling before you paint the walls or trim. To get the best results on ceilings, prep by cleaning off dust with a broom and fixing any problems like stains and mildew and cracked plaster or popped nails on drywall.Getting even coverage on ceilings can be
tough because you're working overhead and it's hard to see variations or skipped spots on previously painted ceilings.
As for paint, use ceiling paint, which is formulated to spatter less, diffuse light more evenly, and have an even, flat sheen. If desired, you can have the paint technician tint the ceiling paint to coordinate with your wall paint (most painters use a 25 percent tint).
1. Prep the room according to the instructions, placing dropcloths on the floor and taping the walls where they meet the ceiling with 2-inch blue painter's tape.
2. Stir the ceiling paint thoroughly and pour some into the tray.
3. Starting in the corner farthest from the door on the narrowest wall, cut in the edges of the ceiling with a 2-inch sash brush. Cut in only small sections of wall at a time, about 3 to 6 feet.
4. Wearing a hat and goggles and using a roller attached to an extension handle, paint a roughly 3-foot diagonal line on the ceiling to unload paint from the roller.
5. Distribute paint by rolling the roller over the diagonal line back and forth, not side to side, in the direction of the diagonal line. Start each new stroke by slightly overlapping the previous stroke.
6. On the final stroke before reloading the roller, roll toward the door.
7. Repeat Steps 3 through 6 all the way around the ceiling.
Have plain white acoustic ceilings? Paint those tiles with tinted ceiling paint to make them more attractive. What you lose in sound reduction you make up for in looks! Lots of restaurants paint their acoustic ceilings black or dark brown to make them seem to disappear, but you may want to opt for a color that coordinates with your wall color for a cozy effect.
Pretreat stained areas on the ceiling by priming them with an oil-based sealer. Check out Chapter 4 for information on priming and sealing.
