How to paint the ceiling: features and finishing rules

Home renovation - major or cosmetic - always starts from the upper levels. If you do not want to spend money on design solutions in the form of tension or plasterboard structures, you can get by with the usual painting of the ceiling. This budget option requires time and effort, as well as thorough preparation.

To paint the ceiling you will need: tools, paint, equipment, good lighting and 2-3 days of intensive work at height. For the result to please, you must follow simple rules and perform all actions in stages.

How to paint the ceiling correctly: a step-by-step guide

Painting is carried out in several stages, each of which is important to achieve an effective result - an even, beautiful, stain and crack-free ceiling:

1. Correct and thorough surface preparation (cleaning, leveling, priming).
2. Directly the staining itself.

Surface preparation

Before starting painting work, it is worth:

• cover furniture that is difficult to take out of the room, and the floor with a film;
• remove old paint, whitewash, wallpaper or tiles;
• get rid of bulges and cracks with a putty;
• smooth the surface with sandpaper and remove dust;
• prime the ceiling.

If the neighbors have flooded the apartment more than once, treatment with an antifungal liquid will not be superfluous.

Water emulsion and whitewash washed off with plain water and a sponge. The spatula is useful for removing thick layers of old whitewash and plaster.

To destroy traces of oil-based paint, you need a wash that contains caustic chemicals and - of course! - gloves and respirator. However, experience has shown that such solutions are only effective when removing recently applied coatings. For a surface painted many years ago with oil paint you need a composition of slaked lime, chalk and caustic soda. It is applied for a couple of hours, after which the remains are removed with a spatula.

Leveling the surface is a prerequisite before painting, because after applying paint, all cracks, grooves and bulges will appear too much. Deep potholes and joints of concrete slabs are best treated with putty in several layers, waiting for the previous one to dry completely.

Priming will contribute to a smoother and more reliable staining. It is important that the solution is completely dry.

Ceiling painting

Work starts with problem areas - corners and joints with the wall. The task is to paint the surface with high quality. You cannot do this with a roller, so you have to use a brush. It is enough to apply paint over the entire width of the tool (6–7 cm), and you do not need to do several layers at once, otherwise the difference between the main coating with a roller or a spray gun will be visible.

Then proceed to the direct painting. The brush is ineffective here as the area to be painted is quite large and work will take too long. And it is difficult to control the uniformity of paint distribution in this way.

When using a roller, the layers are applied perpendicular to the previous one: this will allow not to miss unpainted areas. The final one is made from the window to the opposite wall so that minor imperfections (stripes, unpainted places) are invisible in bright light. If there are several windows in the room, they are guided by a larger one.

Usually two coats are sufficient. However, too thinly diluted water-based paint can leave gaps, so you will have to roll over the ceiling again.

Criteria for the selection of paints and features of their application

Correctly chosen paint will help not only to update the appearance of the ceiling, but also to protect it from possible damage. Used ceiling dyes are water and oil based. It is also worth deciding whether the ceiling needs a matte or glossy surface. With the help of the former, it is easier to hide small irregularities, and the latter will help to visually enlarge the space of a small room and make it brighter.

Water-based

This is the most popular option. Their advantages:

• easy to apply;
• diluted with water if necessary;
• do not have a pungent odor;
• dry quickly;
• hide microcracks well;
• are inexpensive.

Minus water emulsion - in instability to moisture, therefore, it is better to use it in bedrooms, living rooms, children's rooms - in those rooms where there is no high humidity.

Acrylic

Universal ceiling covering for all types of rooms. It has all the advantages of an aqueous emulsion, but there is no doubt the advantage will be moisture resistance and resistance to mechanical damage. It is used for painting the ceiling surface in the bathroom and in the kitchen.

Oil

Rarely, oil-based paints are used to paint the ceiling. There are several reasons for this:

• a pungent smell requires the mandatory use of a respirator when painting;
• the painted ceiling dries for a long time;
• the surface "does not breathe", and households will feel the caustic fumes for a long time after staining.

These paints are practical for application on ceilings in non-residential premises (warehouse, basement) or outdoors, where resistance to moisture, light, external damage is required.

Selection of inventory

Before starting work on painting the ceiling take care of preparing the necessary tool . We need:

• ladder;
• masking tape and film;
• putty knife;
• fine sandpaper;
• bucket with water;
• sponge or rag;
• vacuum cleaner;
• roller;
• container for putty, primer.

Painting work will additionally require:

• brush;
• tray for paint.

At all stages, a respirator (or mask), gloves, and a hat will come in handy.

Roller + brush

The main tools of a homebrew painter are a roller (preferably on a telescopic handle) and a brush. Important, so that the bristles are firmly attached to the brush. It's easy to check - pull them with effort.

The ideal roller is made of medium pile. The foam base is suitable for water-based formulations, and the fur often leaves villi on a fresh coating.

Spray gun painting technology

Spray gun - equipment for trained craftsmen. The ease of staining depends on your experience. Important hold the tool perpendicular to the surface and control the uniformity.

Major mistakes

Painting the ceiling is a simple matter. But even in this work, mistakes occur that will affect the final result.

Important do not stop the painting process until the end of the application of the layer on the entire surface of the ceiling, otherwise stains and the appearance of "bald spots" cannot be avoided.

Provide adequate lighting during work. The more light falls on the surface, the more noticeable the flaws.

It is necessary to avoid high humidity and the appearance of drafts: this affects the drying rate of the paint and provokes the formation of air bubbles.

Even an inexperienced person can master the rules for painting the ceiling. The main thing - perform all actions in stages and not make mistakes.