Should I Paint the Ceiling?

For some reason, people think that painting the ceiling is different from painting other walls or surfaces in the house. The truth of the matter is that while you may have to take a few extra precautions, the process is relatively the same. If you find yourself asking the question "Should I paint the ceiling," all you need to do is follow this process. Not only will you be able to decide whether you should paint your ceiling, but how to do it if you do decide to paint the ceiling.

1. Should you paint? Only one person can really answer the question of whether you should paint the ceiling or not, and that person is you. It all depends on the look you want, and whether painting the ceiling will help accomplish that look. If you do end up deciding to paint the ceiling typically you should choose a color that is a slightly lighter shade that the rest used in your room to help make the room look larger. For a cozier look, choose a color that is slightly darker than the rest of the room.
2. Get your tools. When you are ready to paint your ceiling, you need to start by getting the proper tools for the job. This means that you will need to get things like primer, paint in the proper color and shade, rollers, brushes, drop cloths, painter's tape, roller extensions, and so on.
3. Prepare properly. When you have all the tools and materials that you will need, you need to begin preparing your work space. Since you are planning on painting the ceiling this means that you will need to remove as much furniture as possible from the room you are working on. What furniture you can't remove, cover with a drop cloth. In fact, every surface in your room that can't be moved should be covered with a drop cloth. Only begin cleaning the ceiling once you have laid down your drop cloths. Don't forget to apply painter's tape along the edges where ceilings and walls join either.
4. Prime. Once your ceiling is cleaned (and dried if necessary) you can go ahead and begin priming the ceiling for later painting. Prime the ceiling by applying the priming agent in much the same manner as you would when painting. This means that you cut in around the edges of the ceiling, and then apply the primer agent to the remaining areas of the ceiling. Don't overload the paintbrushes or rollers so that you don't have primer falling into your face. Allow the primer to dry before you begin painting.
5. Cut in. Just as you did with the primer cut your paint in from the edges. Be careful as you do this so you don't accidentally drip any paint on the walls or paint outside the lines created by the painters tape. Start in one corner of the room, and work your way around until you have returned back to that corner.
6. Paint the rest. Once you have finished cutting in around the edges of your ceiling you can begin painting the rest of your ceiling. While you can always use a paintbrush to accomplish this, it would be better to use either a paint sprayer or a paint roller. If you are using the roller then apply the paint in a "W" pattern to help apply the paint in an even and efficient manner. However, if you are using a sprayer then you will want to use long slow strokes.
7. Inspect and dry. After covering the entire ceiling take the time to go back over your work and inspect what you have done. If you see any spots or areas that have been missed, go ahead and touch up in those areas. Once you have ensured that you have covered all areas of the ceiling allow the paint to dry completely.

After the ceiling has dried look and see if it is the shade that you want. If you are happy with the way everything looks, go ahead and begin cleaning everything up. Remove the painter's tape slowly to ensure that you don't accidentally damage your paint job. In the event that you are not happy with the color of your ceiling, repeat the painting process from step five on as often as necessary until you are satisfied with your ceiling.