How to Paint Cathedral Ceilings With a Roll

Place the drop cloths all around to cover the floor from drips or paint splatter. Cover the entire floor and hold down the edges of the drop cloths with weights or paint buckets.

Set up the ladder to access any areas of the ceiling that need to be protected from the paint, such as lights or trim. Climb the ladder carefully and mask off these areas with the tape, moving the ladder to access other areas as you go. Make sure the tape covers these areas precisely and completely.

Fill the paint roller tray according to directions. Place the tray in a convenient location where you can easily reach it with the roller on the extension but where it will not be in the way to start. Attach the roller cover to the roller frame by sliding it over the top and pushing it all the way down into place. Screw the end of the extension handle into the threaded end of the frame in a clockwise direction.

Dip one side of the roller into the paint tray and roll it back and forth on the sloped paint strainer on the tray. Coat the roller with paint but make sure it does not have so much as to drip excessively while it is being used. Starting from the highest point of the ceiling, roll the paint onto the surface back and forth, covering an area completely before proceeding to an adjacent area. Dip the roller back in the tray and use the strainer as necessary as you work.

Cover the top area with the first coat of paint and work your way down to the lower areas. Eliminate roller lines as much as possible by applying the paint in one direction and then at a 90-degree angle. Inspect the paint job as you go. Search for poorly covered or blotchy areas and recover as necessary. Work from the highest points to the bottom and stay an inch or two away from areas that are not to be painted. These areas must be cut in with the paint brush after the roller has covered as much area as possible. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as necessary to completely cover the ceiling with a thick, uniform coating of paint.