Painting a ceiling is not an easy job.
You need to decide what paint to use, and it requires effort, time, and the right type of paint. But it’s an effort that pays off; painting your ceiling will give a room more character; it brightens the space and redirects the attention from its imperfections.
Like your walls, there’s an appropriate type of paint for your ceiling. The right ceiling paint is sure to give a room a refreshing look. Opting for suitable paint for ceilings rather than other types of paint will make the paint job more manageable.
Jeff Schulz Painting has a few tips for painting ceilings that you should know before you pick up your paint roller.
Paint for Walls vs. Paint for Ceilings: What’s the Difference?
People often choose latex-based paint for walls — as this is the most suitable paint for such applications. However, this type of paint has a low viscosity. Using it as your ceiling paint will result in paint drips, a recipe for disaster.
Compared to wall paint, ceiling paint is thicker; this means it is less likely to drip onto your flooring. The level of viscosity of paint for ceilings is higher than most wall paints. You will also notice the difference when you carry wall paint in one hand and paint for the ceiling in the other.
You’ll notice ceiling paint is heavier. It contains more solids by weight compared to wall paint. Aside from making the cleanup more manageable, it’s also more convenient and simple to apply.
Painting a Ceiling: Different Types of Paint
Aside from knowing the difference between ceiling and wall paints, we’re here to walk you through the different types of paint for your ceiling. You have several options, and it will depend on the room you’ll be painting:
1. Semi-gloss Acrylic
If you’re painting your laundry room or shower, then semi-gloss acrylic paint is the right paint for you; they’re less likely to crack in humid areas in your home.
2. Flat Acrylic
This is the most common type of ceiling paint. It is perfect for areas with low humidity, such as living areas and bedrooms. Flat paint is suitable if you don’t want light to reflect too much.
3. Satin Sheen Acrylic
Flat acrylic paint is susceptible to chipping, cracking, or staining in humid rooms; satin sheen acrylic is not. It’s perfect for rooms with high levels of humidity like bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other damp areas.
Painting a Ceiling: Pros and Cons
You may think painting your ceiling is not worth the investment. However, a coat of ceiling paint can brighten up your room, highlight your space (if you opt for a bold color), and hide any stains on your ceilings.
Pros
- You can choose any color you want. You can choose between light colors or dark colors, as long as it’s in perfect harmony with your color scheme.
- Learning how to paint a ceiling is easy. It’s something you can do over the weekend.
- Painting your ceiling is not messy with the right paint; there’s no need to worry about paint drips.
Cons
- It will take a while to prep your room before you start painting.
- There may be leftover paint, especially if you’re painting a small area.
- Doing the paint job on your own may be dangerous if you have vaulted ceilings.
How to Paint a Ceiling: Five Easy Steps
Are you planning to repaint your room? Here’s a quick guide for beginners when painting your ceiling:
1. Paint the ceiling before the walls.
If you’re repainting the entire room, do the ceilings first; this will save you from the stress of having to deal with paint splatters on your freshly-painted walls.
2. Apply painter’s tape.
Apply painter’s tape before you apply ceiling paint to avoid painting mishaps. Start by taping the edges of your walls or the crown moldings. Do the same for your light fixtures. Choose a wider painter’s tape, especially if this is a DIY project.
3. Cover everything in the room.
Painting your ceiling is relatively easy — it’s the cleanup afterward that is difficult. Save time and effort by covering up your furniture and flooring with plastic tarps.
4. Cut in.
When painting, begin by “cutting in” or using a 2- or 3-inch paintbrush to paint around the ceiling’s perimeter. Paint at the edge and into the ceiling for just a few inches.
Feather the strokes as you paint for a seamless blend when you start using the paint roller. Use the right ladder so you will not strain your neck. Transfer paint to a small bucket that you can put on top of the ladder.
5. Grab a paint roller.
One of our tips for painting ceilings is to keep the height of the ceiling in mind when shopping for paint supplies. A low-nap roller is suitable for smooth ceilings. For textured ceilings, on the other hand, a ¾-inch nap roller will work best.
Get an extension pole that will allow you to paint the ceiling with ease. When painting, use the textured side of the tray to roll off the excess to help minimize drips and splatters.
Leave the Paintwork to Professionals
Not only do we know tips for painting your ceilings, we know how to do a seamless job.
Jeff Schultz Painting offers quality residential painting in Sarasota, and we only use ceiling paint and tools of the highest quality. Avoid the stress of having to do the job on your own. Call us today!
