Ceiling Painting

Ceiling painting for every room

Ceilings are the largest painted surface in most rooms and the one people notice least until it is stained, cracked or yellowed. Safe Choice Painting paints flat, vaulted, high and textured ceilings as part of our interior painting work, either with the walls or on their own.

What does professional ceiling painting include?

Most of the work happens before any paint goes on:

• Protection. Floors are covered, belongings are moved to the center of the room and covered, and light fixtures and smoke detectors are masked or loosened.
• Repair. Hairline cracks along drywall joints, nail pops and old patches are filled and sanded as drywall repair, and loose tape is reset.
• Stain blocking. Water marks and smoke stains are spot-primed so they do not bleed back through.
• Painting. Flat ceiling paint is rolled in even passes, keeping a wet edge across the whole ceiling so no lap marks dry in.

How are high and vaulted ceilings painted?

If your home has a vaulted living room, a two-story entry or an open stairwell, those ceilings need more setup than the paint itself. Depending on the height and the floor below, the crew works from extension poles, ladders and planks or a rolling scaffold, and stairs get a stair-safe platform. The cut line where a vaulted ceiling meets a wall is often the hardest line in the house, so it is brushed by hand.

In Corinth about 54 percent of homes were built from 1980 to 1999, and in Highland Village about 49 percent, by Census estimates. Ceilings in houses that age often have several rounds of patching from roof leaks or remodels, and a fresh coat is the chance to fix them properly.

How do you cover water stains on a ceiling?

Paint alone will not hide a water stain; it bleeds through in days. The leak is fixed first and the drywall is checked for soft spots, which are cut out and patched. The stain then gets a stain-blocking primer, and the entire ceiling plane is repainted so the repair blends in rather than showing as a brighter square. Stains from cooking smoke or old tobacco get the same treatment across the whole ceiling.

Can textured or popcorn ceilings be painted?

Yes. Knockdown and orange peel take paint with a thicker roller nap. Popcorn can be painted too, but Benton Clean Air Agency notes that paint seals popcorn texture and can make it difficult or impossible to wet later, which is how most popcorn comes down. If removal is in your future, our textured ceiling removal page and smooth ceiling page explain that route, and our answer on painting over a popcorn ceiling weighs both.

Which paint and sheen are best for ceilings?

Flat, in most rooms. The Gypsum Association's GA-214 defines flat paint by its very low gloss reading, describes critical lighting as strong side light from windows or fixtures, and advises against non-flat or deep-tone paints over a standard Level 4 drywall finish. Light raking across a ceiling shows every joint under a sheen. Kitchens and baths can use a washable matte. National Gypsum notes that a skim coat equalizes porosity, which is why a ceiling with heavy patching sometimes needs a primer coat before the finish. Our paint sheen guide covers walls and trim too.

Kitchen and bathroom ceilings

These ceilings take steam and cooking grease. Grease film is washed off first so primer can bond, any mildew spots are treated and rinsed, and the finish is a washable matte or a paint rated for humid rooms. In bathrooms without a working exhaust fan, peeling usually comes back, so we point that out at the walkthrough.

Should ceilings be painted before or after walls?

Before. Ceiling spatter lands on walls that are about to be painted, and the corner line is cut once, from the wall side. Our interior painting cost guide explains how ceilings change the price of a room.

Ceiling stains and repairs

Water stains are primed with a stain blocker so they do not bleed through. Cracks and nail pops get patched first, and larger damage is covered on our drywall repair page.

Nearby

• Ceiling painting in Denton, TX
• Interior painting
• Interior painting in Corinth, TX
• Interior painting in Highland Village, TX
• High ceiling painting
• Kitchen painting
• Bathroom painting
• Bedroom painting