Painting a ceiling is one of the more challenging paint jobs. Paint drips onto your face and onto the floor. The angle makes it more difficult to use a brush or even a roller on a pole. A ladder is often needed. Even the lighting is different. To top it off, ceilings are sometimes texture coated. How can you deal with all these difficulties to get a good final result?

The first step to overcoming those hurdles is proper paint selection and using the right tools with it.  Tips like remembering to cover your modern noguchi table, so you don’t spill paint on it, are key to planning.

Paints come in a variety of types. Oil and latex are only the two broadest categories. Finish is important, too. High gloss will create lots of light reflection, giving the room a very bright look as light from lamps bounces off it. Flat paint will give you a much more simple look.

But beyond these overall types, there are specialty paints used for certain ceilings, such as those with texture coating or acoustic tile. The latter is sometimes used in rooms or areas set aside for home entertainment.

If the ceiling is textured with stucco-like plaster, brushing and rolling are out. The texture will just break off. Spraying becomes mandatory. That creates the need for good ventilation and some extra skill. Using a sprayer is not as easy as it looks. The paint has to be just the right consistency. Otherwise, the sprayer either gums up, or the paint sprays out like water.

Next, it’s important to decide whether primer is needed. For most new surfaces, it’s essential. More top coats of paint would be needed without it. Also, ceilings are especially prone to water damage. So, a primer becomes a great tool to help hide discolorations that would show through the top coat without one. It also helps provide a good surface to keep paint adhering well. That will help reduce the number of drips you get.  The last thing you want is to drip paint on your new modern area rugs, so you be sure to get them out of the room, or cover them.

To reduce dripping in general, make sure to mix paint with the right consistency. Its easy to test the results in part, by painting just a small area first, like the inside of a bathroom. Graviting is still not your friend, so if you put on the paint too thin, or too thick, it can run down the wall. On a ceiling, that would be a drip.

Working at the right speed helps reduce dripping, as well as saves your neck and shoulders from excess strain. For most ceilings, a long extension pole will allow you to apply paint with minimal neck effort.

Keep the pole extended at a small angle. That keeps your head at a more comfortable angle while keeping any drips or splatters from falling straight down on you. Just do not extend it too far out. A large angle makes the pole and roller feel much heavier.

Fortunately, most ceilings are smooth and undamaged and have few angles or fixtures. If you take the time to prepare, painting can be quick and easy. A few dozen strokes with a roller on a pole will do most ceilings, making the hard part of an interior paint job brief.