Top Tips For Painting Your Ceilings

When redecorating, people will often focus on their walls. Whether they use paint or wallpaper, it will give the whole room a new lease of life and completely change the way it looks. However, many find that freshening up their walls can make their ceiling look discoloured and generally worse for wear. Whilst homeowners don’t tend to even think about repainting their ceiling when redecorating, it is often required and shouldn’t be overlooked.

It isn’t uncommon for the vast majority of people to have never painted a ceiling before and it is fair to say that it is slightly different to painting a wall. The fact that you will be painting above your head tends to make this job incredibly daunting, but it isn’t as complicated as many think. To help any homeowners who’s ceiling requires a lick of paint, our team here at Decor Express have put together a list of their top tips for painting a ceiling.

Purchase the correct type of paint

This is undeniably the best piece of advice for anyone who is wanting to paint their ceiling. The type of paint that you need for the job is different from the pain you’d use on your walls and it is essential that you purchase the right tin. We have written previously about the different types of ceiling paint, so it is worthwhile reading that blog too.

Cut in like you would when painting a wall

It is much easier to use a roller when you’re painting your ceiling, however, you should cut in with a paintbrush first and doing so will give you a neat edge. You may want to tape the around the top of your walls to make this even neater too. When you cut in, remember to do it in small sections so it blends in better, we will talk more about this below.

Keep your layers as thin as you can

Whilst ceiling paint is thicker than standard wall paint, it can still drip when you’re using it and of course, because your ceiling is horizontal, not vertical like a wall, it is more prone to dripping. Ideally, keep the layers of paint as thin as you can. You can always give the ceiling multiple coats if it requires it, just make sure you allow each coat to dry before adding another.

Work fast and always have a wet edge

In order to get a smooth coat of paint, it is important to work quickly. Ideally, you should keep what’s referred to in the industry as a ‘wet edge’ to avoid getting any lap marks. Essentially this means that you need to ensure that the paint along the edge of your stroke doesn’t dry before you move onto the adjoining section. This is why you should work in smaller sections.

Use a stain blocker on any darker areas

There are many different things that can cause dark areas on your ceiling, from leaks to tobacco smoke, and these can be very difficult to cover with ceiling paint. You may want to use a primer or even better, a stain blocker on these darker areas before you start painting. This will make it much easier to then cover the whole ceiling with the ceiling paint you purchase.

Ensure you wear protective clothing

This may seem obvious, but when painting, many overlook the need to wear protective clothing. When it comes to painting above you, not only do you need to protect the floor and your furniture, but you also need to protect yourself and especially your eyes. Rolling paint on a ceiling will shower you with a fine mist, so safety glasses or at the very least a baseball cap is a must.

Painting your ceilings

Hopefully, the tips above will be beneficial to anyone who is wanting to give their ceiling some TLC. There is no denying that freshening up your ceiling is always worthwhile doing and you will notice such a huge difference once you have completed the painting job. After you have finished the room you’re completely redecorating, you may want to consider if any other rooms require the ceiling to be repainted too.

When purchasing everything you need to paint your ceilings, be sure to visit the Decor Express website. Not only can we supply you with the high-quality ceiling paint that you require, but we can also provide you with all of the extra bits and bobs you need too, such as; masking tape, dust sheets and rollers. You can guarantee that we will have all of the essentials you need to undertake your ceiling paint job and of course, if you have any questions about this job, our team will gladly answer these for you too. So, don’t hesitate to contact us today.