HOW TO GUIDES
How to Paint a Ceiling
Discover how to paint a ceiling the simple way and remove the stress from your renovation with our expert step-by-step guide.
Painting a ceiling can be a source of anxiety for many people and so it is often handed over to the experts. However, a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling can truly transform the way a room looks and feels; fresh, light colours instantly make the room appear brighter and larger whereas dark, warm tones on the ceiling create a more intimate, cosier feel. When it comes to tackling the ever-daunting task of the ceiling, our easy, Harris-approved tips for painting a ceiling are readily available to help bring your unique design vision to life.
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Step 1: Preparation and Room Protection
One of our most valuable tips for painting a ceiling is to work on the ceiling before painting the rest of the room; this way, accidental drips or imperfections will be covered when you paint the walls and trim. When painting a ceiling, you naturally need to protect the whole room from any paint which could potentially drip down. Begin by moving all furniture out of the room and use a Seriously Good Dust Sheet to cover the floor. We also recommend taping this down to avoid slips using some thick, 48mm Essentials Masking Tape. Apply the Seriously Good UV Resistant Masking Tape to cover any details on the ceiling such as light fixtures and tape off areas of the wall ready for cutting in.
With the room ready you also need to protect yourself from dust and potential dripping. Wear old clothes or a Seriously Good Protective Suit, a hat or cap and some Seriously Good Safety Glasses to complete the job as safely and efficiently as possible and avoid permanently staining your clothes.
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Step 2: Ceiling Surface Preparation and Repair
To ensure a smooth, flawless surface for your paint to bind to, any holes or cracks on your ceiling must be repaired. Although ceilings do not attract as much damage as other areas of the home, you may still find some small cracks, particularly near architraves. Use a Caulking Gun and follow our guide to fill any small holes or follow our crack repair guide to repair larger, more obvious holes. Once your surface is fully prepared, your painting transformation can commence.
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Step 3: Ceiling Painting Preparation and Application
Firstly, mask off any areas you don’t want to paint with some Seriously Good UV Tape. Next, shake the paint tin vigorously, open and stir if necessary to ensure a smooth consistency ahead of application. Dispense some emulsion paint of your choice into an Ultimate Small Handyhold and use an Ultimate Angled Reach Brush to begin cutting in around the architraves and light fixtures.
Despite the extra reach from these brushes, you will still need to use a ladder to get to those hard-to-reach areas safely. Exercise caution while using the ladder and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for use, which might mean you need to move the dust sheet out of the way when using the ladder.
Work in 1m segments as you cut in with the brush to achieve high accuracy. Then switch to the Ultimate 4-inch Roller Set to begin to cover the larger surface area. Use our professional roller to deliver a seamless finish right up to the edge of the ceiling. Once the edges and detailed areas have been painted, it’s time to move onto rolling the whole ceiling.
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Step 4: Technique for Ceiling Painting and Finishing
Coming down from the ladder and moving the ladder away from your workstation, quickly rinse out the reach brush and 4-inch roller to avoid time-consuming cleaning later. Developed using easy clean technology, both of these products will be clean in just a minute or so for your convenience. Now is also the perfect time to clean your Handyhold ready for your next big DIY project.
If you had to move the dust sheet while using the ladder, place it back over the areas you wish to protect from spillages. To ensure maximum efficiency, the Ultimate Extension Pole and Ultimate 9-Inch Roller Set work in tandem to make painting a ceiling easier than ever before. Be sure to work widthways with the first coat, then lengthways with the second coat and apply the paint in a slight W motion using a wet edge technique to achieve a professional finish.
The well-known industry term of the wet edge technique involves loading your roller up, beginning 30-40cm away from a painted edge and rolling towards the edge in a slight ‘W’ motion. For larger areas, you’ll need to repeat this process working in 1m segments for the best results. This expert technique is great for delivering a beautifully smooth finish using one of our unrivalled ultimate roller sleeves.
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Step 5: Clean-up
One of the less glamorous yet equally important parts of painting a ceiling is of course cleaning your brushes. What is usually a frustrating and tedious part of the job is made easy by the easy clean technology of our Ultimate Roller Set and Ultimate Angled Reach Brush. This intelligent feature ensures that water-based paints such as emulsion paint can be rinsed out immediately, so your cleaning job lasts no longer than making a brew.
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Walls & Ceilings
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