DIY: How to Paint a Popcorn Ceiling

When deciding on how to paint a popcorn ceiling there are some preparations that will need to be done first. If you have furniture and floor coverings in the room these will need to be covered with protective sheeting, otherwise move whatever you can from the room and cover what you can't. This will make cleaning up afterward much easier and you will not spoil the walls, floor covering or furniture with drops of paint. You will also need the paint, a paint tray, a segmented foam roller, eye covering, hair covering and a dust mask. You may be thinking of renting an electric small sized portable texture sprayer if you are going to spray the paint on, in this case you will also need duct tape and some large pieces of plastic for covering everything. If you decide on spraying you may have to do a more thorough preparation of the room as the spray will tend to penetrate anywhere that is not taped down.

When looking at how to paint a popcorn ceiling, the first thing to do after covering everything and getting the gear together is to give the ceiling a dust down to remove dust, spider webs or anything else, and if there are any stains paint over them first and allow to dry. The ceiling you are painting on should be colored white, you will have to use a primer if it is uncoated plaster or drywall and it will need repainting white if it is another color. The next step is to make sure the paint is at the right consistency, this may take some experimenting especially if using a sprayer as it has to be thin but not soupy. This paint is very messy to apply and will splatter and drip on everything.

Once you have organized this section of how to paint a popcorn ceiling, you can begin to apply the paint. If using the portable sprayer begin by spraying the area thinly then go over it again so it becomes heavier, don't try to make it the right thickness in a single application, this will only cause it to get very drippy in one section, so keep the sprayer moving and if you make a mess clean it off and begin again. If you are using a segmented foam roller you will need to put some paint in the paint tray, dip the roller into this and remove any excess so that it is evenly distributed over the roller. Now move the roller in one direction on the ceiling, if you go back and forth this may cause the paint to peel. If you cannot get the right coverage when rolling in one direction the first time, give the paint a chance to dry then go over it again.