How to Paint a Wall & Ceiling

Adding a fresh coat of paint to your rooms can easily transform your home and breathes a new lease of life into tired-looking rooms.

If you’re planning on moving home, then giving your rooms a new coat of paint can also help to sell your home. But if you might be wondering what the best way to paint is and how you can get the most even finish. Although it might seem quite straightforward, it’s not easy to master the technique of painting and get a professional-looking finish.

We have put together a guide that should help you get the best finish and paint a wall and ceiling.

Prepare the Walls

Before you begin painting, you will need to make sure that the walls have been prepared and are ready for the first coat. If you have wallpaper on the walls, then it is ideal to remove this paper before you begin attempting to paint the walls. You should also make sure that the surface has been washed down to provide the best surface for painting. This can be done using sugar soap, which is available at most local DIY stores and will help to remove most dirt and dust from the walls. Before you start painting you should also make sure you have a safe work surface with a sturdy step ladder or work platform. Also, make sure you put dust cloths down to protect the floors from the paint.

How to Paint a Ceiling Using Brush and Roller

The ideal way to get an even coat of paint on your walls is by using both a brush and roller. Using just one or the other doesn’t always get an even coat on your walls, as a roller isn’t ideal for cutting in. Before you begin painting, make sure that you open your tin of paint and stir thoroughly until you get an even consistency with no lumps. Our step by step guide shows you how to paint a wall evenly;

Step 1: Start with the edges. Use a brush to cut into the edges of the ceiling and around any ceiling lights and fixtures. This will be difficult to do with a roller as you won’t get an even coat.

Step 2: Fill in the rest of the ceiling. Fill a roller tray one-third full of paint and using a roller and extension pole, paint by pushing the roller away from you, to avoid getting coated in paint yourself.

Step 3: Apply the second coat after drying. Give the ceiling enough time to dry before applying the second coat of paint. You should find the recommended drying time on the side of the tin.

How to Paint Walls Using a Brush and Roller

Once you’ve painted the ceiling, you will want to make a start on getting your walls painted. The steps to painting a wall are similar to painting your ceiling but there are some slight differences that you might want to be aware of.  You should apply masking tape around switches and sockets to keep them from getting painted. Follow our step by step guide to painting your walls to get the perfect finish;

Step 1: Begin with cutting in. Much like you would start with a ceiling, you should begin painting by cutting in around the edges to get good coverage. This isn’t possible with a round roller.

Step 2: Use a roller for the middle section. Start from the edge of the wall and work your way into the middle. Apply the paint in wide “W” strokes to get an even coat on the wall.

Step 3: Apply second coat: after allowing the paint to dry, you should apply a second coat of paint, again making sure to spread the paint in different directions for an even coat.

Cleaning Equipment

Once you have finished painting, you should make sure that you clean your equipment so that it is ready to use next time. Dried paint can be really difficult to get off brushes and rollers and will save you a great deal of time. Painting walls and ceilings, you should be able to wash the paint off your brushes using just water. Paint for walls and ceilings is water-soluble so it’s easy to clean off brushes. If the paint has started to dry a bit, you can use some of the sugar soap if you have any remaining.