If you find that your ceiling is faded or lacks brightness, repainting it is essential to give your room a boost.
Painting a ceiling is a tedious task, to be sure, but quite achievable if you have the right materials and the right technique.
Whether it is for renovation or for a new home where you are in charge of the decoration and the paintings, to paint a ceiling correctly, it is a question of choosing the right paint, the right color and having the right gestures.
Without being a professional, you can repaint your ceiling to restore its luminosity and shine.
So how do you paint a ceiling streak-free?
Which paint should you choose and what are the tips to know?
From preparation to production, we explain everything to you.
Before painting a ceiling
Before you start painting, it's important to properly prepare what you're going to need to paint your ceiling.
Start with the paint: choose a ceiling paint that is suitable and that drips much less during application.
You then have the choice of an acrylic or glycerol paint: the first is not washable, but attenuates the defects present on the surface to be painted.
It exists in matt or satin and single-layer version and has a perfect finish.
The second requires a very smooth support, because the slightest defect will be visible.
It is washable and is therefore perfect for a kitchen or bathroom ceiling.
On the other hand, it is imperative to open the windows and use a mask to protect yourself, because it contains a lot of polluting chemicals.
In terms of the equipment needed for the preparation, plan, of course, protective tarpaulins for the furniture and the floor, filling and smoothing plaster (if a few cracks appear on your ceiling), sponges and cleaning products. if you need to wash the ceiling before painting it.
Then, for the painting phase, you will need a stepladder or a ladder, a paint tray with a drip grid, a drip-proof ceiling roller, a telescopic roller handle (allows you to work without a ladder), a brush or a recapping brush (to free the angles) and masking strips to delimit the surface and not to overflow on the wall for example.
Our advice for painting your ceiling
Start by preparing your part well to work in good conditions:
Cover the entire floor area and some horizontal parts (window edge, fireplace, etc.) and protect your furniture or move them to another room,
Apply the marking tape at the top of each wall, flush with the angle formed with the ceiling,
Brush or sponge the entire ceiling to remove dust,
If you see any imperfections, apply the patching and smoothing compound.
In the latter case, it is necessary to apply an undercoat before painting for a uniform end result.
If you are going to paint a new ceiling, there is much less preparation. But it is necessary to apply an undercoat (called primer), before applying the paint, for a smooth and regular result. For a ceiling under renovation, this often requires filling in cracks, drying time, sanding to finally be able to repaint the ceiling. For an already painted ceiling, if you just want to change the color, you just need to clean it and apply the new color.
Finally, to paint your ceiling in good conditions, it must not be too hot, otherwise the paint dries quickly which risks leaving traces.
A temperature of 10 to 20 degrees is ideal.
Tip: start by painting near the window and continue moving away from the light but still facing the window.
This will give you good lighting and good visibility to paint your ceiling streak-free.
How to paint a ceiling without traces with a roller?
To paint or repaint a ceiling, you have to act methodically.
First of all, start by clearing or re-covering the angles, that is to say painting the angles.
This eliminates the need to touch up the ceiling during drying.
As stated earlier in the article, start by painting on the side of the windows and then work your way to the darker part of the room.
To paint properly, half-dip the roller in the paint and roll it on the grid to distribute the paint and remove the overload.
Do not apply too much force to the roller when painting as this may cause streaks.
Cross layers of paint for coverage and a crisp finish: start crosswise, then cross lengthwise.
Do not air out while you are painting, but after you are finished.
Indeed, too rapid drying leads to the appearance of traces (acrylic paint is, therefore, much more suitable because less fumes).
When the job is done, peel off the masking tape while the paint is still fresh.
If you wait too long and the paint dries, you risk chipping your ceiling.
And There you go !
If you have followed the steps and the tips, you should get a satisfactory result from the first coat of paint and thus have a ceiling like new!