Tips on Using a Foam Roller to Paint a Ceiling
Using a foam roller is one of the most efficient ways to paint a ceiling, but it comes with its downsides and annoyances. Sometimes the paint drips and gets over- or under-coated in some areas. You can prevent some of these issues by following a few simple rules.
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Cover the Floor
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One of the biggest mistakes do-it-yourselfers make when painting the ceiling is assuming that they are skilled enough to do so without getting a drop of paint on the floor. The truth is that more often than not, you’ll have a few paint splatters in the room. Cover the floor completely with tarp before you begin so that you can focus solely on the ceiling, not the floor.
Coating the Roller
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Let the roller sit in the paint pan so that it soaks up as much paint as possible. Then, run the soaked roller over the raised ridges of the paint pan. Hold the roller over the pan to check for dripping for a few seconds, then start rolling. When you soak the roller it retains more of the paint in the foam so that you don’t have to make as many trips back to the paint pan.
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The Pattern
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If you try to paint a ceiling with long straight strokes of your paint roller, you’re going to have some trouble getting the job done. Instead use a pattern. Paint the ceiling as if you’re drawing a large wide letter N, W or M. So for instance, if you use an N pattern, go forward, back diagonally and then forward again in a straight line. Go back over the area in the same or similar pattern until it is completely coated.
Moving Around
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You can’t get every portion of the ceiling standing on one step stool. You have to move around from section to section. So to make things simpler, places stools or sturdy chairs throughout the room so that all you have to do is move from station to station. If you have some kind of long platform or bench that can cover the length of the ceiling, that’s even better. One other option is a roller attached to a long pole that renders step stools unnecessary. If you do use a stool to get up high, remember — safety first. Ask someone to spot you or get a buddy to help.
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