Ceiling decoration when renovating a room is an important stage in all work. Defects of the ceiling surface are striking at once, because this is an open structure, you cannot force it with furniture or cover it with carpets. About the correct preparation and painting of the ceiling with water emulsions - our article. Unlike conventional whitewashing, the snow-white appearance of the surface after painting the ceiling with water-based paint remains much longer. In addition, the surface covered with such a material can be washed, which is an important factor. Environmentally friendly polymers, which are part of it, give the paint moisture resistance. However, not all of its types have this property.
Types of water-based ceiling paints
The consumer market offers paints and varnishes based on water emulsions, which differ in composition, price and purpose:
- Polyvinyl acetate paints … This is the cheapest material. It is used exclusively in dry rooms; the ceilings cannot be washed after painting.
- Paints with liquid glass additives … They are used for finishing concrete and plastered surfaces.
- Silicone paints … They can be applied to the plastered ceiling surface without prior priming. Such paints serve as protection of structures from fungi and other microorganisms, have a high vapor permeability, which makes it possible to use them for painting the ceilings of bathrooms and kitchens.
- Water-based acrylic paints … The most demanded material. It can be used in any environment. Ceilings painted with such paint are distinguished by high wear resistance and moisture resistance when caring for them.
- Acrylic latex paints … More expensive of all of the above. In the process of painting the ceiling, they give a smooth and beautiful surface, perfectly fill cracks on it with a thickness of up to 1 mm. The ceilings can be washed using mild detergents.
The choice of water-based paint for the ceiling
For the correct choice of water-based paint, you need to familiarize yourself with the annotation written on the product packaging. The manufacturer indicates in it the type of work for which the material is intended, its consumption per 1 m2, durability when wet cleaning, the recommended number of layers, etc. For painting ceiling surfaces, there are special types of water-based paints that do not drip from above during work and have good adhesion.
In addition, paints are matte, glossy, semi-gloss and semi-gloss. The use of matte paint increases the height of the room and masks small irregularities in the ceiling. But the surface painted with such a material is difficult to wash. If you use gloss paint on the ceiling, flaws will be noticeable, but it will be easier to care for it. The best option is the choice of semi-gloss or semi-gloss paint.
Any paint does not withstand freezing and thawing cycles - its structure is disturbed in such conditions and is no longer restored. Therefore, it will be correct to buy such material in a store that has an insulated warehouse.
Cleaning the ceiling before painting with water-based paint
Before preparing the ceiling for painting with water-based paint, it is necessary to take out all unnecessary things from the room: cabinets, tables, equipment, etc.
The old ceiling layer can be whitewashed or painted. Therefore, the methods for removing it are different. In the first case, the surface must be wetted with water using a roller, and then the lime layer must be removed with a spatula or scraper. The procedure should be completed by rinsing the cleaned ceiling using a sponge.
As for removing old paint, you will not be able to wash it off with water. The only option is to scrape off any loose areas of the coating. To facilitate work, you can generously moisten the painted ceiling with water, allowing the old paint to swell, and then remove the swelling on the wet surface with a spatula. For better swelling of the coating, a draft is arranged in the room.
Stains of various origins present on the ceiling can be removed with a 3% hydrochloric acid composition, a 5% copper sulfate composition or a lime solution with the addition of 50 ml of denatured alcohol.
Leveling the ceiling for painting with water-based paint
Alignment is performed after the completion of the first stage of work. A fine-grained gypsum plaster is used to eliminate irregularities and give the surface a smooth shape. It has excellent plasticity and adhesion to many types of coatings. Before its continuous application, the surface of the ceiling must be dust-free and primed, and all its cracks must be cut and putty.
The application and distribution of the putty on the ceiling is done with metal spatulas. There should be two of them: the main work is done with a wide spatula, and a tool with a narrower working surface is used to set the mixture from the container and distribute it along the plane of the wide spatula before applying to the ceiling.
After leveling the ceiling and drying the putty, its surface is sanded with a special abrasive mesh with fine meshes to an absolutely smooth state. Sanding creates a lot of dust, therefore it is recommended to cover the floor of the room with a film. All furniture, of course, is taken out before starting work.
Features of priming the ceiling before applying water-based paint
A primer is needed for adhesion of the ceiling base with the putty applied to it and the planned painting material. It is made on the surface cleaned from the old coating and before painting it.
Special formulations with an alkyd or water base are used as primers. In addition to adhesion, priming increases the strength of the ceiling base, prevents its destruction and significantly reduces paint consumption at the main stage of work. Priming is carried out with a brush, this allows you to process the unevenness of the ceiling and qualitatively saturate its surface with the material. The composition is applied in 2-3 layers, each of them is kept until dry. After grouting the leveling layer of the finishing putty on the ceiling, priming before painting can be done from the floor with a roller attached to a long handle.
If the surface is infected with a fungus, a special antiseptic primer is pre-applied to the ceiling. It contains substances that prevent the formation of microorganisms.
DIY painting the ceiling with water-based paint
Before painting the ceiling with water-based paint, it is necessary to glue masking tape along the perimeter of the border of the surface to be painted in order to exclude unwanted ingress of material on sections of the walls of the room. You can start work even in the afternoon - overnight, the ceiling will dry out and will be ready for the second coat of paint.
Preparation of tools for applying water-based paint on the ceiling
The production process requires the following tools:
- Roller with a casing made of synthetic or natural fur.
- A flat paint brush 3-4 cm wide for painting areas that are difficult to reach for the roller stroke - corners, abutments, etc.
- Ditch with a ribbed surface for an even set of paint on the roller.
- Telescopic roller handle for easy handling from the floor.
The foam rubber working surface of the roller is not suitable for painting the ceiling with water-based paint. It disturbs the uniformity of the coating, covering it with air bubbles.
Applying water-based paint to the ceiling
For high-quality painting of the ceiling, the following rules must be observed:
- Work should start from the joints of the ceiling and walls, as well as corners, the first of which should be the farthest from the front door. To do this, a paint brush soaked in paint along the perimeter of the ceiling makes a passage up to 5 cm wide. It will allow further painting with a roller without touching the problematic nodes of the ceiling structure.
- The main painting is done in three passes with a roller attached to a telescopic handle. The first passage is performed in the perpendicular direction to the plane of the window, the second - in the transverse direction with respect to the rays of light entering the room from it. The last pass of the paint roller is always directed towards the window.
- Layer-by-layer painting of the ceiling involves the application of fresh paint to the dried surface. Drying of one layer occurs within 8-12 hours.
Step by step, the staining process looks like this:
- In a cuvette with paint, the roller should be moistened by swiping 3-4 times along the grooved surface of the bath to evenly distribute the material over the working surface of the instrument.
- From the left corner of the wall, which is located opposite the window, you need to make the first pass with a roller along the section of the ceiling.
- The movement of the tool must occur from left to right, then the direction must be changed. It is important to ensure that the material is laid down in an even, uniform layer with no visible transitions.
- Excess paint on the ceiling can be removed with a slightly wrung roller.
- In the process of painting the ceiling, its quality can be checked by using a bright beam of light from a lantern or portable lamp directed to the floor at an angle to the surface.
- Before the last painting, it is recommended to replace the working surface of the roller with a new "fur coat". This will improve the quality of the final paint coat.
During the period of drying of the ceiling surface, the presence of drafts in the room is unacceptable; direct sunlight should be avoided on a damp ceiling. Otherwise, the appearance of stains can spoil the work result. Drying of the ceiling must take place in natural conditions, therefore, electric heaters cannot be used for it.
How to paint the ceiling with water-based paint - watch the video:
Do-it-yourself high-quality painting of the ceiling with water-based paint can be done using a conventional vacuum cleaner, using it as a spray gun. In this case, it is also necessary to pre-coat the ceiling surface using a brush or roller. Compliance with the technology of painting the ceiling will give a result that you will surely be satisfied with.
