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How to paint a ceiling like a pro

July 12, 2018 3 Comments

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By Naomi Findlay

When deciding to renovate or refresh a room, the first points of focus tend to be the walls, the floors, the doors and even the tiles. The ceiling is an important element that is often overlooked until everything else has been updated. This ‘fifth wall’ needs to complement the rest of the space, otherwise it can completely change the look and feel of your room.

Prepare and protect
Painting a ceiling isn’t too different to painting any other wall in your home. A professional-looking DIY job will depend on the careful preparation you do beforehand. Since most light fixtures are located on the ceiling, even the smallest of bumps can attract attention. Take a look at the previous guide on preparing a room for tips on patching up existing damage.

Remove any furniture or fixtures that can be removed, and cover the rest – lights, ceiling fans and cornices, for example – with drop sheets, rags, and painters tape.

Consider and calculate
Before you rush off to buy the first tin of white ceiling paint you find, give it some good thought. Your ceiling doesn’t need to be white. Consider what colours and textures would complement the rest of the room; an exposed concrete look or a bold pop of colour could be the antidote to a boring and dated design.

Once you have decided on colour, you will need to calculate how much paint you will actually need. Taubmans have a very handy online calculator that will take the guesswork and calculations out of the equation – leaving you with the perfect amount of paint.

Paint
If you are dealing with brand new plasterboard, be sure you seal it before applying your coats of paint. Otherwise, give your paint tin a good stir, and get ready to paint!

It will take about half an hour to paint an average-sized ceiling – give yourself enough time to coat the whole surface without rushing. Starting with the cornices, use an angled paintbrush to apply the paint along the edge of your ceiling. Once you have coated around 10 centimetres of the edges with paint, use a roller and roller tray to coat the rest of the ceiling.

After coating the roller in a small amount of paint, tap each side thoroughly to get rid of any extra paint. Ceilings are a little trickier to paint as, unlike walls, they are located above you. This means painting can get tiring and messy very quickly – hence why it is super important to ensure your roller isn’t going to drip every time you dip it into the paint tray.

Attaching the roller to a pole will help you easily reach the ceiling. Apply the paint in small sections in a ‘W’ or ‘M’ motion, keeping the roller flat against the surface at all times. When you are halfway through, go over the already painted area with a very light coat of paint – this will help create a smooth finish and remove any dripping paint.

Allow the first coat to dry for a full two hours before starting on the second coat.

—Naomi Findlay is Australia’s rapid renovation expert, an internationally renowned renovator, award-winning property stylist and speaker. She’s an industry leader in creating healthy wealthy spaces and creating wealth and profit from renovating property. Naomi is founder of the Rapid Reno Mate app, and founder and principal of education provider, the International Institute of Home Staging (IIHS).

Read next: How to paint tiles and save a fortune

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The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_ho The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_house is a work of art and while almost every surface was updated, the decision to keep the original slate floor was genius if you ask us. 

Owner @clarehillier__ says: "With its purple, pink, red and brown tones, the slate was the starting point for our interior palette."

Come and check out the before and afters via link in bio now and read the reno story. It's a real beauty.

And you can book it for your next holiday too!

Blair Smith Architecture @kateshanasy

#slatefloor #slatefloors #80shouse #80sbeauty #camillohouse #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #realreno #holidayhousesofinstagram #morningtonpeninsulahomes #morningtonpeninsula #morningtonpeninsulasmallbusiness #blairgowrie #blairgowriebeach #airbnbstyle
Me and my boys 💗 Me and my boys 💗
Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for thr Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for three decades going out for a child-free dinner 💓😁
Excuse me while I die of a cute attack 🥰 @damia Excuse me while I die of a cute attack 🥰 @damianfrancis 

This doesn't happen often these days!
Hello friends! Just thought I'd say hi. Two weeks Hello friends! Just thought I'd say hi. Two weeks since leaving hospital and I'm doing much better than I expected to be at this early stage. A long recovery road ahead but making progress in how much I can move my arm and although I drag myself through some days non-stop yawning, others I can go for a little walk or out for lunch before collapsing on the couch! I can now tie my own hair back and put on a real bra which is very exciting 🤣 Having my bestie here to help us with the boys, drive me places and just be brilliant positive company is the best thing I could have asked for not to mention the many Dinner Ladies vouchers from friends! Thanks for all your kind messages, cards, flowers, gifts and offers of help ❤️
I definitely feel like a statistic now but hoping I definitely feel like a statistic now but hoping to raise some awareness off the back of my misfortune (and also very lucky escape).

@newsouthwaleshealth have just put out this warning about a rise in serious bacterial infections. iGAS (invasive group A streptococcus) is what caused my necrotising fasciitis and sepsis.

Apparently there's similar happening in VIC too.

It's extremely rare but very serious nonetheless so please have a read and be aware of symptoms. I've linked to the article from a button via my link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #jenbishop #necrotisingfasciitis #groupastrep #groupastreptococcus #sepsis
While new technologies continue to shape the inter While new technologies continue to shape the interior design scene, one that has been getting a fair bit of traction of late is marble-look porcelain. A cheaper alternative to natural stone, the latest printed porcelain tile technology makes it difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

Founded by husband and wife duo Anton and Rita Bourtsev, Sydney’s @kaolintiles has a unique offering in this space with over 100 different marble-look tile designs in small and large formats.

More via link in bio now.

#porcelain #porcelaintile #porcelaintiles #largeformattiles #largeformattile #marblelooktiles #bathroomtrends2023 #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #heartyourhome #realrenovations #goldsink #brasssink #jenbishop #kaolin #kaolintiles #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger
Promise this is the last wretched hospital photo I Promise this is the last wretched hospital photo I'll post and I hope to be home and with my lippie back on by Monday. You know it's serious when I'm lipstick free, right?!

This was about a week ago in intensive care. And although my arm is still bloody sore I'm now on a normal ward and no longer attached to any drips, drains or a catheter. I've come a long way.

This has been the most physical and mental challenge of my life but I'm through the worst. I kept my arm. The doctors saved my life.

I cannot say it enough times. If you're worried about your health, don't hang around. Things can change so quickly. 

A huge thanks to my amazing husband @damianfrancis We've had the hardest year yet and our marriage has never been stronger, even if my rings did get cut off my finger in hospital 😜

As great of a job as he is doing at home with the kids, I cannot wait to get home now. Countdown is on to a new year and a fresh start.

And I can't say enough just how overwhelmingly grateful I am to all the medical professionals involved in my care, from the @healthdirectaus nurse who sent me to Emergency to the exceptional surgeons, doctors, nurses and support staff.

Happy New Year, everyone. Remember you never know what's around the corner and this is not a dress rehearsal!

And huge thank you for all your kindness here. Has been amazing while stuck in bed.

Xxx

For those who missed it, I was unlucky enough to get necrotising fasciitis. You'll have to Google it.
The unluckiest girl or the luckiest? Day 6 in int The unluckiest girl or the luckiest?

Day 6 in intensive care after suddenly coming down with a very serious necrotising fasciitis in my elbow on Sunday. Four operations later (with more to come) I'm out of the woods, alive and have my arm. But I won't be going home until after Christmas. Also picked up a bonus bit of pneumonia to keep things interesting.

I won't lie. This has been super super hard but I feel extremely lucky nonetheless. Have come across some exceptional surgeons, anaesthetists, doctors and nurses who have been incredibly kind at my most vulnerable as well as great at their jobs. I'm really grateful. Huge thank you to my amazing husband who is holding down the fort with the help and cooking of our wonderful friends. And to friends who check in, send love, flowers, snacks and sushi, I will never forget it.

Of course I will be sad tomorrow but my boys can visit and we will have another Christmas next month.

I'll leave you with this. Never ever ignore those health niggles. @healthdirectaus is always a great starting point.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and will enjoy everyone else's celebrations on here with only a hint of bitterness 😉

PS. Does this win the most unflattering photo of me ever published? I think so! No lippy for a WEEK.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarJennifer Nicolas says

    August 5, 2018 at 2:33 am

    Cutting in before you roll allows you to cover most of the brush marks with the roller. Carefully brush paint along the edge of the ceiling a section at a time.

    Reply
  2. AvatarRG Sayson says

    August 20, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    ‘Your ceiling doesn’t need to be white. Consider what colours and textures would complement the rest of the room; an exposed concrete look or a bold pop of colour could be the antidote to a boring and dated design.’

    Which led me to think, “What about wallpapering the ceiling? Or putting a design on just a certain portion of the ceiling (like a feature wall)?” Is this something you would recommend?

    Reply
    • AvatarJen Bishop says

      August 21, 2018 at 1:04 pm

      Why not?! Love that idea!

      Reply

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