Tips for Painting Ceilings and Walls Like a Pro

Read Time:3 Minute, 47 Second

Painting a room yourself isn’t easy–despite what you may see on those done-in-a-day home-makeover shows. But with a little preparation and the right technique, you can turn out a professional-quality paint job.

The key to a beautiful finish is using a brush to “cut in” where walls meet the ceiling, a process known as edge-in. This will ensure a crisp paint line without getting any onto the ceiling.

Table of Contents

1. Remove Everything from the Room

If you can, remove everything from the room to give you full range of motion for painting the ceiling. Otherwise, use drop cloths to protect the carpet or wood floorboards from paint drips and splatters.

Apply masking tape to the trim of the walls where they meet the ceiling, and painter’s tape around any light fixtures or other protrusions on the ceiling. Then paint the ceiling before you tackle the walls.

While it may seem counterintuitive, painting the ceiling before the walls allows you to get a feel for how to handle a brush and to learn how to ‘cut in’ (the technique of creating a straight line with just a brush). It also gives the ceiling a chance to dry a little and prevents any smudging from wet paint.

2. Use a Lambswool Roller Cover

The type of paint roller cover you use will have a big impact on the quality of your painting job. For example, a woven synthetic roller cover works best with glossy latex paint while a lambswool one is ideal for oil-based or flat paints. Both are able to prevent roller marks and “hairs” in the paint finish.

The nap size or thickness of the roller cover should also be considered. For smooth surfaces, a low-nap cover works well; for textured walls and ceilings, select a medium-nap roller cover.

In terms of speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, rollers are a great choice for large areas. However, for more precise work, a brush is still recommended. This will allow you to avoid stippling and create a better, smoother finish.

3. Prep the Ceiling

It’s easy to paint walls, but a lot harder to do ceilings properly. The best way to minimize clean-up efforts, and needing ibuprofen later, is to prepare the ceiling before starting.

Begin by removing any light fixtures. Then cover all the wall surfaces below the ceiling with a strip of tape and then paint a coat of primer on the ceiling. This helps to fill in any grooves or imperfections on the ceiling and also helps to ensure that your paint job looks smooth.

Once the primer has dried, begin working on your first section of the ceiling. Start with the corner of one side, then work your way around and around each wall, blending the new ceiling painting with the wet sections of previous work.

4. Cut In the Edges

Unless you’re very experienced with painting, it’s hard to paint right up to the ceiling line (called “cutting in”) without getting some of the wall color on the ceiling. That’s why it’s often best to do the ceiling first and then move on to the walls.

When you’re cutting in, be sure to use a freshly-loaded brush and lay off the paint so that it is not too thick at the edge of your brush stroke. A layered brush stroke is much more forgiving than a “pushing” technique that can leave a ridge of paint where it meets the trim or ceiling.

Once your cut-in line is dry, you can start painting the rest of the wall with a roller. That will help maintain a wet edge that matches the ceiling line when you’re done.

5. Apply the First Coat

The first step is to apply the first coat of paint. Start with a roller, but this time use a short nap so you can apply the paint evenly. Work in small sections, about 4 ft. square, to ensure that you can cover it without having to move the ladder around too much.

When you’re ready to apply the first coat, make sure the paint is mixed thoroughly and that any settled particles have been dissolved. Dip the roller into the paint tray and remove any excess. Start rolling across the wall in a “W” shape and fill in any empty patches.

Repeat the process for a second and third coat, as needed, until you have a smooth, even finish. Then, let the paint dry and admire your work!