How to paint a ceiling

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walk-through draws on the popular "Step-by-step guide to painting your ceiling" from the Dulux channel. Dulux keep it practical and cover the cutting-in technique really well — the bit most people rush and then regret when the light catches it at the wrong angle.

1. Clear the room and protect what you cannot move

Move furniture out if you can, or push it to the centre and cover it with dustsheets. Lay sheets on the floor too. Ceiling paint has a habit of landing exactly on the one thing you forgot to cover.

Take down light shades and, if you are painting around a ceiling rose, switch the circuit off at the consumer unit before you get close with a wet brush.

2. Wash down and fill any cracks

Give the ceiling a wipe with a damp cloth or a slightly diluted sugar soap solution to remove dust, grease, and cobwebs. Pay attention to the edges where the ceiling meets the wall — that is where grime collects.

Fill hairline cracks with a flexible filler, leave it to dry, then sand it smooth. Bare plaster or new filler should be misted with diluted PVA or a dedicated mist coat first. Skipping this step is what causes the paint to soak in unevenly and look patchy when it dries.

3. Mask the tops of the walls

Run painter's tape along the top of the wall, right at the ceiling line. Press it down firmly to stop paint bleeding under the edge. A good mask makes cutting in much less stressful.

If you are painting the walls a different colour afterwards, do not worry too much about a perfect edge — the wall paint will cover a small overlap. But if the walls are staying the same colour, take the tape seriously.

4. Cut in around the edges with a brush

Use a decent 2-inch or 2.5-inch angled brush to paint a band about 4 to 5 inches wide all the way around the ceiling edge. Work in sections of roughly a metre at a time, keeping a wet edge so the next section blends in.

This is the step that decides how the finished ceiling looks, so take your time here. The roller cannot get into the corners, so the brush work is what you see.

5. Load the roller correctly and apply in sections

Pour paint into a roller tray and load the roller evenly — roll it back and forth on the ridged section until it is coated but not dripping. An overloaded roller splatters. A dry roller drags and leaves streaks.

Work in manageable sections of around a square metre. Apply with overlapping W or M-shaped passes, then lightly lay off in one direction while the paint is still wet. Keep a wet edge between sections to avoid join marks.

6. Apply a second coat once the first is dry

Most ceiling paints need two coats for a solid, even result — particularly over old or stained surfaces. Allow the first coat to dry fully, which usually takes one to two hours depending on temperature and humidity.

That said, do not rush it. A second coat applied over a tacky first coat will lift and drag the paint rather than build it up. Natural daylight is the harshest test — look across the ceiling from low down to spot any missed patches before the second coat goes on.

7. Remove tape and tidy the edges

Pull the painter's tape off at a low angle while the paint is still slightly soft, not bone dry. Waiting until it is completely cured can cause the tape to pull paint with it. Any small bleeds at the ceiling line can be touched in with a small brush once everything is dry.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the ceiling is very high, the room is large, or the existing surface needs more than basic preparation. Ceilings are one of those jobs where fatigue sets in faster than most people expect, and a bad roll out is difficult to undo once the paint has dried.