How to Paint High Ceilings

Sarah Robinson
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Painting a ceiling can be a little awkward to do on your own, even in spaces with lower or regular height ceilings. However, if you happen to have extra tall ceilings, it's even more difficult. So, if you have higher ceilings, how do you go about painting them? 

Painting your high ceilings

Protecting Furniture Before Painting

Before you get to painting, you need to prep the room first. Move as much out of the room as you can, and cover any larger pieces of furniture and all the floors with drop cloths. This will help ensure that any paint splatter doesn't end up on your floors or furniture. It's important to note that if you're also planning on painting your walls, you should paint the ceiling first. This way, if you end up with any drips or splatters on the walls from painting the ceiling, you can cover them up when it's time to paint the walls. 

You'll also want to make sure you choose the right type of paint. Ceilings don't get painted as often, so it's important to use ceiling paint for the job, as it's specially formulated for ceilings and will make the job much easier. Read more about ceiling paint (including how to choose the right color for your ceiling) here.

Equipment for painting high ceilings

Equipment for Painting High Ceilings

Before you get started, you're going to need something more than just a few brushes and a standard roller. Exactly what you need is determined by how big your space is and how tall your ceilings are. In most rooms, a ladder is all you need in order to be able to reach the edges and ceilings for painting. However, if you have a really large space, it might require scaffolding. If you don't already have these items on hand, you can often rent ladders and scaffolding from a hardware store. 

You may also want to consider a sprayer, as it can speed up the application in larger rooms. However, sprayers can be expensive, so it might not be an investment you want to make just for one job. If you don't want to purchase a sprayer, you can simply buy an extra long handle for your rollers. They're fairly inexpensive and will allow you to apply paint from a greater distance if you can't get up on a ladder or handle spots that are tough to reach from the ladder. 

The method you use to paint your ceilings will largely depend on how tall they are. For ceilings measuring 10 feet and under, a long-handled roller is probably just fine, especially if it's a smaller room. For anything between 10-18 feet tall, a ladder will definitely be required. If your room is fairly large, it might require scaffolding, which can be challenging to rent and set up, and often takes quite a bit of time. If you have a large space or exceptionally high ceilings, it's a good idea to look into hiring professional painters. At WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, we're painting experts and can get your ceiling painted quickly and without all the usual disruption. 

Home with High Ceilings

Unless your ceiling is quite old or yellowed, you probably don't need a primer. If you do need a primer coat, it can be applied with a roller on a long handle. If you need to get up on the ladder in order to reach the highest points of the ceiling, you can still use the long handle on the roller to apply the primer, which means you won't have to climb as high up on the ladder. 

In most cases, you can apply your top coat right away, without a primer. If possible, this should be done with a roller or brush while up on the ladder or scaffolding. This will give you much more control than standing on the ground with the long roller. It's especially important when you're painting around the edges, as this area involves careful, detailed work to get a clean finish. 

Many people find the process of painting high ceilings on their own to be quite difficult. Because it often means you'll need to get some special equipment in order to get the job done, many people opt to hire professional painters to take care of it for them. If you're considering having your high ceiling repainted, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING can help! We have all the equipment ready to go and our expert painters will have your ceiling looking fresh in no time. Book your free, no-obligation estimate today!

  • Interior Painting