How To Paint Wood Ceiling In Living Room

Columba Smith is a freelance author specializing in existent manor, non-profits, and resumes. Her first novel is in the works.

How to Pigment Over a Wood Ceiling

Painting a wooden ceiling takes several days. Program accordingly. Only oil-based primer volition piece of work over stained wood.

Comprehend everything with plastic.
Be sure to ventilate your workspace.
Two thick coats of primer are best, although I got away with only one. Dip the brush merely slightly into the primer to avoid drips.
Let dry between coats. Dispose of actress primer responsibly.
To create the illusion of a higher ceiling, use a lighter color on the ceiling and a darker color on the walls and/or any raking.

Our Decision to Pigment the Ceiling

When my kids and I moved into our home in the forest, I thought the wooden ceiling was quite appropriate for our new habitat. Information technology had a lovely honey-colored stain, with charming, low-hung beams traversing the planks. I idea nosotros could live with it.

Later the starting time several months, I knew I was wrong. The ceiling was dark and oppressive. Information technology swallowed light like a black hole; it was evil.

I scoured the web for information on how to paint wooden ceilings. Surprisingly, I found piffling assist. One afternoon, I'd had enough. I pulled out a gallon of primer and slapped a couple of vivid, white layers onto a pocket-sized patch of ceiling. I figured once I got started, I'd get it done before long enough. I lay back on the burrow and smiled smugly at my patch.

It gloated dorsum at me for the next 14 months.

Information technology did worse than dare me to booty out the ladder and expand its boundaries during the time I didn't have. Information technology turned yellowish. A sage young man at the hardware store aware me.

"Yous tin't utilize a h2o-based primer over stained woods," he explained, kindly. "No matter how many layers y'all use, the stain will bleed through."

Employ Oil-Based Primer

Now the boxing had escalated to chemic warfare. I faced a gallon of mortiferous, oil-based primer and some noxious paint thinner to clean it up. I opened all the doors and windows and banished the kids from the firm. I got to work, animate lightly.

Information technology is not a good idea to lug the total gallon of deadly, oil-based primer around with you. You may spill some. Take it from me. Instead, I learned to use a bang-up, plastic bucket. I'd cascade a little primer in and gear up it on the ladder.

Utilise Plastic Drop Cloths

I covered every square millimeter of floor with plastic drop cloths from the hardware store. Drops of primer have sensors that guide them to the exact location of any uncovered floor infinite. I covered my furniture, too.

The narrow strip of primer at the end of the bristles is about right.Obviously, I had dipped too deeply previously, hence the coated bristles. — The narrow strip of primer at the cease of the bristles is well-nigh right.Obviously, I had dipped too deeply previously, hence the coated bristles.

Don't Oversaturate the Brush

I learned to dip the brush only slightly into the primer. If the paint traveled also far up the bristles, drips of it squeezed out the sides and onto those uncovered square millimeters of floor. This was especially true if I had any residue paint thinner in the brush.

Gyre to Go on

The Beginning Layer

My brushstrokes soon rivaled those of Rembrandt. I learned to angle the castor at most 45 degrees and sweep it dorsum slowly, laying the primer on every bit thickly equally I dared. Practice not be thrifty when applying primer. Y'all want a adept, thick layer.

Use Pigment Thinner

I learned never to effort cleaning up my brush in the laundry sink. Instead, I poured a little paint thinner into a glass jar and jabbed the paintbrush up and down, clearing out the primer. The hat could be replaced, and the thinner reused the next twenty-four hours. When the war was over, the whole fuming mess could go to those poor Chancy Materials guys at the dump, and just fade out of my beatific existence.

The central to finishing the primer layer is patience.

Be Patient Finishing the Primer Layer

Apply the Paint

I had won! (My lungs have yet to verify that.) My ceiling was now primed and ready to paint. What a feeling!

Applying the paint was much easier. I used water-based paint, so the toxic demons were driven out. My only setback at this stage was painting an entire section of the ceiling the incorrect color. I notice paint color to be very deceptive. Once I had the shade right, I finished up quite quickly. I brought the wall color up the raking, creating an illusion of a higher ceiling. The color difference is subtle, merely enough to piece of work.

And here it is! My painted wood ceiling! (The door shown in earlier pictures was removed when I put in a staircase.) — And hither it is! My painted wood ceiling! (The door shown in earlier pictures was removed when I put in a staircase.)

This article is authentic and true to the best of the author'southward knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes merely and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional communication in business organisation, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: Practise you withal see the knots of the wood and the individual characteristics of the wood through the paint?

Respond: Not at all. The paint is completely opaque on my ceiling. However, I know you tin can apply a tinted stain to go that effect.

Question: Did you sand the wood earlier priming it?

Answer: No, I didn't have time or energy to sand the ceiling first. I just put the primer on the previous stain. It worked fine, but sanding is probably not a bad thought if y'all accept time, peculiarly if you want to apply a more transparent stain to see the forest, instead of unproblematic pigment.

Rachel on March 04, 2019:

Do you lot remember which type of paint you used? Apartment, semi gloss, egg shell?

Columba Smith (author) from California on November 09, 2016:

Deplorable, Jane, I don't remember. I call up semi-gloss? With ceilings, you lot don't have to worry about the paint getting marked up or smudged. So flat works, too. But eggshell or semi-gloss reflects light, which is nice.

Jane on July 24, 2016:

Did you utilize apartment, eggshell, or semi-gloss?

Lenka on December 10, 2015:

Information technology looks incredible! I have the same problem with my wooden ceilling. I was hesitant to paint it but after seeing you pictures I'm definitely gonna do it.

Columba Smith (writer) from California on July 20, 2012:

Wow, cheers for the data, Jeff! I had never heard of that. Information technology hasn't bled through, only I will remember this if I decide to tackle other parts of the house. Thanks for reading!

Jeff Adventure from Denton, Texas on July 20, 2012:

Collisa - Looks similar your ceiling came out great. If you ever have bleed through from the stain, and don't want to bring out the oil based paint again, employ clear, natural shellac (usually bachelor in small, piece of cake to carry cans) to cover the stain, let information technology dry 24 hours and paint it with your topcoat. The shellac is a sealer that will lock in the stain (and whatsoever else) for expert.

Columba Smith (author) from California on July 03, 2012:

Thanks, Gina!

Gina Coole from London on July 03, 2012:

Slap-up read - well done!

Columba Smith (author) from California on March 08, 2012:

Even so white, Joe, after all these months! Thanks for the feedback. Information technology'due south wonderful to know I have helped someone overcome evil in the form of a wood ceiling. : ) Blessings,

Lisa

Joe on March 08, 2012:

Hi Collisa

Cheers ever so much for posting your experiences with your evil ceiling. I take simply come in from painting our sitting room ceiling which, it turns out, is the evil twin of yours. I went into battle with information technology innocently enough weeks ago. Exactly like you lot found, the ceiling showed zippo only contempt and turned all my difficult work xanthous when I wasn't looking. This afternoon it virtually broke me as an ominous yellow stain started to creep through my latest efforts. I had just shut the door on the room having decided to plasterboard over the whole affair instead when my wife told me that your blog via Google. You've given me the morale boost I need and you've armed me with essential knowledge, namely DOP. I'd been wondering about an apparent success I'd had using what I can now call DOG (dangerous oil-based gloss) that gives my married woman a migraine and triggers her asthma (I reckon I could sell information technology to the military). Having been rendered almost completely insane by this ceiling I am now condign paranoid and am waiting for the Canis familiaris to fail on me but your proposition of oil-based paints has given me confidence in it. The best thing is that the door is still shut on our evil ceiling. It doesn't know that I've come up across your blog and now hold the secret to its imminent demise. I'm going to purchase some DOP tomorrow and will attack all 60m2 of it. I'm even looking forrad to it. Thank you and then very much.

All the best

Joe

P.Southward. Is your ceiling however white?

Becky on June 18, 2011:

You put much more than idea into this than most. Wow, the finished product is astonishing. You are quite the talented painter. Thank you for visiting

http://homesandbabies.blogspot.com

Columba Smith (author) from California on June 07, 2011:

Thanks! I'll check it out.

graceomalley on June 07, 2011:

Rachel Ashwell had a team of painters, maybe if she had to practice information technology herself just a room or ii would be white :)

Hither'south a link to the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shabby-Chichi-Home-Rachel-Ashw...

The Santa Cruz Library Organization has the book, I've checked information technology out myself a few times.

Columba Smith (author) from California on June 06, 2011:

Cheers, graceomalley! I have not seen Rachel's book. I'd beloved to run across the pictures! Painting an entire wood house sounds a little daunting. I think she has more energy than I do, lol! I honey shabby chic. My house tends to exist more shabby than chic, merely that might change as the kids get older...

graceomalley on June 06, 2011:

Your ceiling looks gorgeous. Accept y'all ever seen Rachel Ashwell's book about redecorating her house? (The Shabby Chichi Home) She bought a house that was entirely natural woods on the within, ceilings, walls, shelving, ect. Information technology was so night and gloomy her daughter was scared when they first visited. She painted the interior all white, and the business firm was transformed. (And then she hung a chandelier with pale blue crystals - it was amazing against all that white.)

Source: https://dengarden.com/home-improvement/Painting-the-Evil-Wood-Ceiling

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