The ceiling is usually the most visible part of a room. Walls consist of windows and doors, and are often decorated with paintings, photographs, and other decorations. A smooth white ceiling can look boring after a long time. The easiest way to enhance the appearance of a ceiling and sometimes change the overall look of a room, is to texture the ceiling. Adding texture to the ceiling is also a great way to hide imperfect parts of the plasterboard.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Preparing Your Room and Paint
Step 1. Protect your walls and furniture
First, remove as much of the furniture from the room as possible. Cover any remaining furniture, such as the floor, with a protective cloth. Apply adhesive or cover objects stuck to the ceiling. Finally, attach a plastic tarp around the ceiling to protect your walls.
You will also need to remove any board panels that are on the ceiling, such as vent covers
Step 2. Repair any cracked or uneven parts of the ceiling
You need to make sure the base layer of the ceiling is in good condition. Fix the cracks with plaster and make sure the entire ceiling is as smooth as possible. Cracks can get worse over time and any uneven areas (and cracks) will be more visible due to the texture of the ceiling.
Some cracked and uneven areas can be repaired using putty, but others may be more structured and should be handled by an engineer or contractor
Step 3. Base paint on your ceiling
Apply a coat of primer to the ceiling before adding texture. This can also help reduce the appearance of the previous color but also help the new paint adhere to the plasterboard. Choose a base paint with a color that is as close to the final color as possible.
Step 4. Mix your texture paint
There are a number of ways to texture the ceiling. You can buy paint that is already textured (which is the easiest option). You can also give the ceiling texture by adding a material to latex or oil-based paint. Purchase an ingredient specifically made to give paint texture, such as special sand, and mix it according to the manufacturer's directions and your preference.
In general, you'll need to mix the additives into your paint in a 1 to 10 ratio. That's roughly 1 cups of texture for every 4.5 liters of paint
Step 5. Test your paint
Once you're sure the paint is blending well, you'll need to do a small paint test to make sure you're happy with the texture. Try to do the test in a corner of the room or a part that is not too visible. Adjust your paint as needed.
Method 2 of 3: Painting the Ceiling
Step 1. Paint the ceiling
Use a roller brush or a regular brush to paint the ceiling. Apply paint in a W, X, or N shape to ensure that the paint is swept in all directions. You need to make sure to remove excess paint from the brush or roller brush before painting, otherwise the paint will hit your face!
If the paint won't come off your roller brush (because it's too thick), you can try putting it first on a trowel or similar tool, spreading the paint over the general area as you wish, and then switching to using a roller brush to even out the texture
Step 2. Imagine the texture of the ceiling and paint it piece by piece
Separate the ceiling based on several sections and then paint one by one. This doesn't have to be separate, but painting the ceiling piece by piece will make it easier for you to make sure it's all painted over, keep things organized so you finish faster, and help keep you motivated.
Step 3. Allow the paint to dry completely
After you've painted the entire ceiling, make sure the paint is completely dry before doing anything else (if any changes or additions need to be made). This usually takes at least a few hours. Adding more paint, texture, or touching too much paint that is drying will cause the paint to come off and make your ceiling look uneven.
The ceiling will dry faster if you increase the air circulation in the room
Method 3 of 3: Working on Other Textures
Step 1. Texture the ceiling using a rag
Use a slightly contrasting paint color, and dab it with a washcloth to give the ceiling a textured look. You can also use a sponge in a similar way to create other textures.
Step 2. Texture the ceiling with thickened paint
You can mix gypsum powder into the paint to get a faux putty look. You can buy gypsum or gypsum powder mixtures that are ready to use. You'll likely need a lot of material (at least 2.7 kg of gypsum ready) but how much will depend on the size of the piece you're applying and the thickness you want.
Step 3. Texture the ceiling using a special roller brush
You can also use a textured roller brush to get more texture in your paint without having to apply multiple coats of paint. You can use a heavy roller brush or a roller brush with another texture. Usually these roller brushes have an example of how the final texture looks on the packaging.
Tips
- If you buy paint that is already textured, make sure it is for the ceiling. Some textured paints are made for walls only.
- If you want to spray texture on the ceiling, you can buy or rent a paint sprayer at most home supply stores.
- You may need to paint a textured ceiling using a sprayer so you don't have to touch the texture and risk damaging it. However, this is a very messy process.
- When painting the ceiling later, be sure to use a very thick roller brush, as a short-bristled brush won't cover the texture well.
- You can create specific, detailed or repetitive patterns using a stencil and texture by hand. This way of texture can be tedious and time-consuming if there aren't enough stencils available to cover a large part of the ceiling at once. You'll need to attach the stencil using adhesive tape to paint and wait for each section to dry before removing the stencil and attaching it to the next.
- If you only need to cover a small area, such as to make repairs to an existing textured ceiling, consider using a textured spray paint. Spray paint in cans only lasts a few seconds, so they're usually only suitable for small parts or repairs.
