How to make painting a ceiling easy

When you’re redecorating a room, you may be tempted to leave the ceiling on the basis that it is too difficult to paint and really doesn’t look that bad, especially if you look downwards. However, repainting the ceiling can make a real difference to the final presentation of any room and, once the walls are redecorated, it’s more challenging to paint the ceiling if you subsequently decide that you should have bitten the bullet in the first place.

The good news is you can simplify the task of painting a ceiling by following some common-sense tips:

1. Prepare for splashdown

As a liquid, paint has a habit of obeying the laws of gravity, more so if you’re painting from underneath. It’s best not to assume that you’ll dodge the drips – you simply won’t, so covering up with decorator’s overalls is advisable. A cap and plastic goggles will protect your hair and eyes, while large, inexpensive dust sheets should be placed over the entire surface of the room and furniture. If one tiny crack of carpet is showing, you can bet that a single paint drip will land there, so take no chances!

2. Start with the coving

For a neater finish, start painting the ceiling by applying two coats to the coving using a wide, oval paintbrush. This type of brush will enable you to achieve a neater finish with less need to repaint small sections that would be easily missed by a conventional paintbrush. Don’t worry about painting a fine line along the top of the coving where it meets the ceiling; overlapping slightly will help you to achieve a neater finish later when you paint the ceiling, so that the two sections blend seamlessly together.

3. Paint from floor level with an extension

Climbing a stepladder to paint the ceiling with a conventional length roller is extremely difficult because you can’t get a proper view of your handiwork, have to keep moving the ladder and will end the day with an extremely sore neck! A roller attached to an extension pole will make the job far easier, giving you a much better view of the ceiling and giving you more freedom to apply pressure firmly in long, straight strokes.

4. Paint with the correct technique

Surely painting is painting? Well, no. The best finish will be achieved by using an appropriate technique: keep your arms tucked in and your shoulders low. If possible, a double-frame roller will help you to apply pressure evenly over the ceiling, unlike a conventional roller which can spread paint along one edge leading to an uneven finish. If you use a small roller, it will obviously take longer to complete the job and involve more lowering of the pole to reload with paint, so obtain the largest roller you can to speed up the task.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be surprised just how quick and easy painting the ceiling is, and you’ll achieve a far more impressive finish when the entire project is complete.

Find the stores and products you need by checking out the Decorating Materials section of our Directory, or head straight to the decorating sections of Clas Ohlson or B&Q.

Photo credit: Photography33 at Stockfresh