How to Paint a Brocade Ceiling

Clear all furniture from the room if possible. Cover anything unmovable with drop cloths and cover the floor with drop cloths as well. Cover the walls with plastic sheeting. Secure the sheeting with masking tape along the edges, and make certain the tape along the edge of the ceiling where the walls meet the ceiling is placed in a straight line along the top of the wall.

Open any doors or windows leading to the area to provide additional ventilation in order to avoid inhaling as much of the paint fumes as possible. Wear a respirator while painting, and safety goggles to avoid paint dripping into your eyes.

Prime the ceiling before painting with a latex primer that contains a stain-blocker. Apply the primer by first cutting-in the sides of the ceiling with a paintbrush. Take a 3-inch paintbrush and paint a strip around the edge of the ceiling on all sides about 5-inches thick. This strip will give you both a wet starting place for applying the paint from the paint roller and ensure that you get the very edge of the ceiling covered, which might be difficult with the roller. Use a sturdy stepladder to reach the ceiling with the brush.

Pour primer into a roller pan. Dip a high-nap paint roller on the end of an extension pole into the pan, saturating the roller on all sides. Roll the paint roller out of the pan along the ridged surface to remove the excess primer, leaving the roller wet but not dripping. The high-nap will be able to conform to the texture of the brocade, allowing complete coverage of the surface.

Make a zig-zagging pattern on the ceiling with the paint roller, beginning along the wet primer at the edges and then always beginning each new stroke in an already wet section of primer for smoother application. Cover the ceiling with the pattern, and then go over the ceiling a second time with straight overlapping strokes to blend the pattern. Allow the primer time to dry completely, from two hours to overnight according to room conditions.

Apply latex paint over the primer as your color topcoat. Follow the same application process used with the primer to apply the paint. You may need to apply two layers of the paint in order to fully conceal the primer. If so, allow the first paint layer two hours drying time before placing the second. Examine the paint between layers to determine if the second is necessary because you can still see the primer through the topcoat. Allow the final topcoat layer 72 hours drying time before removing the plastic sheeting, masking tape and drop cloths, and moving the furniture back into the room.