- Ceiling paint (matt white or your chosen colour)
- Paint roller with a thick-pile sleeve (12mm or 18mm pile)
- Extension pole for the roller
- 2–3 inch angled brush for cutting in at the edges
- Dust sheets to cover the floor and furniture
- Masking tape
- Roller tray
- Old clothes — something will get on you no matter what
Step 1: Prepare the room properly
Move as much furniture out as possible. For what stays, cover everything with dust sheets — ceiling paint travels further than you think. Run masking tape along the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling. This protects the walls when you cut in and gives you a clean line.
If the ceiling has any cracks, fill them now and let the filler dry before painting. Painting over a crack seals it in temporarily but it will reappear through the paint within months.
Step 2: Use the right roller
This is where most people go wrong. A short-pile roller (used for smooth walls) doesn’t hold enough paint for a ceiling and creates drag marks. For ceilings you want:
- Smooth ceiling: 12mm pile roller sleeve
- Textured or artex ceiling: 18mm pile or even deeper
A thick pile holds more paint, releases it more evenly, and means fewer passes — which means less splatter and better coverage.
Attach an extension pole to the roller. Painting a ceiling with a short-handled roller on a stepladder is how you end up with paint in your hair and a bad back. With an extension pole you can paint most of the ceiling from the floor in a controlled way.
Step 3: Cut in the edges first
Before the roller goes anywhere near the ceiling, use an angled brush to paint a 2–3 inch strip around every edge where the ceiling meets the walls, coving or light fitting. This is called cutting in.
Hold the brush at an angle and use the tip to draw a clean line. Take your time here — cutting in neatly means the roller can get close to the edges without worrying about going over onto the walls.
Don’t cut in the entire ceiling then roll the whole thing. Instead, cut in one section (about a metre wide), then immediately roll that section while the cut-in edge is still wet. This blends the brush and roller marks together and avoids a visible line where wet meets dry.
Step 4: Roll in one direction, toward the light
Load the roller with paint — don’t overload it or it will drip. Roll off the excess in the tray until the roller applies paint smoothly without spraying.
Roll in long, slow, overlapping strokes in one direction. Work across the ceiling in strips. The key rule: always roll toward the main light source (usually a window). Rolling parallel to the light means any roller marks are less visible once the paint dries, because the light catches them less directly.
Don’t press hard. Let the paint do the work. Pressing down creates splatter. A light, even pressure gives cleaner coverage.
Keep a wet edge at all times — overlap each new strip with the previous one while it’s still wet. Joining wet to dry paint leaves a visible line when it dries.
How many coats does a ceiling need?
Almost always two. One coat of ceiling paint rarely gives full, even coverage — especially over a previously coloured ceiling or a stained one. Let the first coat dry completely before applying the second (at least 2 hours, ideally 4).
- Overloading the roller — this is the main cause of drips and splatter
- Rolling too fast — slow, steady strokes hold the paint on the roller
- Cutting in the whole ceiling before rolling — you’ll get a visible edge where wet met dry
- Using a short-pile roller on a textured ceiling — it won’t reach into the texture
- Skipping the dust sheets — ceiling paint always finds a way onto the floor
- Painting in a cold room — ceiling paint dries slowly below 10°C and can sag
Do you need special ceiling paint?
Yes — use a paint labelled for ceilings. Ceiling paint is thicker and has a higher viscosity than wall emulsion, which helps it cling to the surface without dripping. It’s also formulated to dry to a flat, non-reflective finish that hides roller marks and imperfections.
Using standard wall emulsion on a ceiling works, but you’ll get more drips and you’ll probably need three coats to get the same coverage.
Everything you need — open 7 days
Ceiling paint, thick-pile rollers, extension poles, angled brushes, masking tape and dust sheets all in stock at Clapham Junction Discount Store, 248–250 Lavender Hill, SW11 1LJ.