Up To Par

Even if you haven’t been dancing on the ceiling, there’s a good chance it will still need a fresh coat of paint every few years.

Painting a ceiling isn’t much different than painting a wall, but there are a few things you can do to make the job easier and faster. Take a peek at the steps below for our favorite tips and tricks.

Prep:

Don’t forget to put down a drop cloth — painting ceilings can be a very messy job, so it’s wise to plan ahead and make sure you have something to cover the floor and furniture. Also, consider wearing a hat; you’ll be happy you did later on when you don’t have to spend the night washing paint out of your hair.

Tape:

If you’re not planning on painting the walls, you can tape around the edges of the ceiling for a nice, clean line. Then you can cut in using a 2-inch sash brush and a smaller cup of your paint (one that is easier to hold going up and down a ladder than the full can) and begin to stroke away from the edge and work the paint back toward the tape, painting a few inches onto the ceiling and feathering the edge.

Roll:

Now it’s time to rock ’n’ roll — emphasis on the roll. For smooth ceilings use a low nap roller cover, but for textured ceilings or the more dramatic popcorn ceilings, you’ll need a roller sleeve with a deeper nap which will hold more paint to get into those grooves.

Paint:

Attach the roller to an extension pole and start painting from the corner of the ceiling nearest to a window, so you can see where you have already painted (the light will reflect onto the wet paint). Roll in the direction of the light source and not across it. Don’t press too hard on the roller — that may cause some splatters and drips — and be sure to roll slowly as you get closer to the walls to avoid hitting them.

Keep your roller loaded up with paint. When you have to re-load, start up again in an unpainted area of the ceiling and work toward the wet area. Do the whole ceiling in one session so that it dries evenly and wait until the first coat is completely dry before adding a second.