We get lots of questions about house painting as a DIY project in this column. Some painting projects are certainly doable for competent DIYers who are willing to put in the time and effort and invest in the right painting supplies. There are a few projects that you might want to leave to the professionals, however, and one of them is ceiling painting.
It’s not that ceiling painting is particularly difficult—it’s a job that’s typically done by professional house painters because it can be hard for the average homeowner to achieve a great result on their own. When you use a roller to paint a ceiling, as most homeowners do, it’s hard to get great coverage without any visible lap marks. Most people only apply one coat of paint; however, typically, a coat of primer, followed by a coat of latex paint, is needed for the best result.
Painting a ceiling is also not very fun. After only a short time of using a paint roller on a pole, your arms and neck start to get tired. In addition, in some homes, there are not a lot of good starting and stopping points. When you’re painting walls, you can easily take a break when you finish a wall, and then come back later to start on a new wall. In open-concept homes in particular, there can be large expanses of ceiling that you’ll need to complete all at once, or else you’ll end up with a line where you stopped and then continued again. For the best results on a DIY ceiling painting project, you really should have one person cutting in with a brush and a second person overlapping the brushed-on paint with a roller.
If you think you want to paint your own ceilings, but have never attempted this type of project before, I suggest starting with a small bedroom. You’ll soon find out if you’re up for the larger challenge of painting the ceiling in the rest of your house, or if it’s worth it to call in a professional San Diego house painting company.
A professional San Diego house painter will completely tape off the room and spray the ceiling using a professional-grade paint sprayer. This will give you even coverage on your ceiling, while keeping unwanted paint from getting on the walls, furniture, and floors. Professional painters can typically finish a job much quicker than the average DIYer, which means your home probably won’t be out of commission for more than a day or two. Best of all, you’ll save yourself an aching back and shoulders!
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