High ceilings are beautiful architectural features that make any room feel spacious. High walls and ceilings also need to be maintained like the rest of the house. A fresh coat of paint can make them look new again.
Paint All the Way Up
Painting a high ceiling on your own is doable, though it does require specific supplies and some skill. However, if you don’t want to spend your free time over-extending on a ladder, hiring a professional house painter is the best option.
1. Reaching the Top
The first step to paint high ceilings is to decide how you’re going to reach them. An extension pole can help, but you may need a ladder or scaffold to get to really high ceilings. A standard eight-foot ladder may not be tall enough for the job. You’ll need a ladder that lets you easily reach where you’re painting.
Use a platform ladder, articulating ladders, or step ladders that reach more than eight feet. If you’re working at a height for longer periods, consider a scaffold. This platform gives you a sturdy place to work from and holds your tools and paint supplies.
2. Prep the Room
Painting ceilings and high walls will cause more drips than lower surfaces. The first thing you’ll want to do is protect the floor and furniture from splatters and spills. Cover the furniture and the floors with drop cloths. If you have space, it may be wise to move the furniture to another room.
Remove anything on the wall, as well as your ceiling fans and light fixtures to make the job easier. (Be sure to turn off the electricity before you take down the light fixtures.)
3. Use the Right Tools
Before painting, mask the area where the ceiling meets the walls with painter’s tape. If the thought of climbing up an extension ladder intimidates you, use a paintbrush on a pole instead. An extension pole of the proper length is needed for ease and comfort.
You’ll also need a quality paintbrush that holds a good amount of paint, releases paint nicely when cutting, and cuts razor-sharp lines. Rollers are good for spreading paint on large areas of the ceilings as they help you distribute a lot of paint quickly and evenly.
4. Choose the Right Paint Colors
If you paint your ceiling a lighter paint color than the walls, your room feels bigger and taller. In rooms with a tall ceiling, it may be preferable to use a darker color on the ceiling, so that it feels a little warmer. A darker color on the ceiling will make the space feel cozy, comfortable, and compact.
One color option for painting your ceiling is to use a lighter or darker shade of the same color as what’s on your walls. Another unique look is to use a bright or bold color that is used in the decor in the room, such as a piece of artwork or throw pillows.
5. Technique
A technique for painting ceilings involves the use of overlapping W strokes from right to left. Then paint back from left to right using horizontal strokes to fill in. Use less pressure when approaching the edges so you don’t create lines with overlapping paint. Also, while the paint is wet, you can touch up any spots you missed.
6. Add Trim
Adding trim around the perimeter of the room below the crown molding creates another opportunity to use color with your high ceiling. The trim and crown should be the same color. It gives you more freedom to play around with different tones of color above or below the trim. If you paint these white, they set off your wall and ceiling colors nicely.
One final idea for using trim to increase your color options is to put a simple border of trim on the ceiling, following the perimeter of the room. This gives you two separate spaces to paint on your ceiling. The outer portion that is closer to the walls can be painted the same color as the walls, while the inner portion is painted white.
Ask for Help
There’s a lot to consider before painting a ceiling or a room with high walls, and it’s okay to ask for help. The Professionals at ACP Painting, LLC have the necessary tools and equipment on hand that your project needs. We know what colors and finishes to use to achieve the look you want.
We will prepare, protect, and prime surfaces correctly so your paint looks great from the start and lasts longer. You don’t have to risk injury or a poor paint job by painting ceilings yourself. Call us for your free painting estimate.
