How to Make High Ceilings Look Lower

Measure down from the ceiling to your ideal ceiling height, ideally between 8 to 18 inches. If you have molding where the walls and ceiling join, measure down from the bottom edge of the molding. Mark the distance in pencil at both ends of each wall.

Measure the width of your widest wall. Add 3 inches and cut a string to that length. Coat the string with chalk in a color that contrasts with your current wall color.

Insert a thumbtack through one end of the chalk-covered string, and then push the tack into the wall at the pencil mark at one end of a wall. Pull the string taut to the pencil mark at the other end and attach it with a second thumbtack. Let any excess string dangle beyond the second thumbtack. Grasp the string in the center. Pull it back approximately 1 inch and let go. When you release the string, it snaps a chalk line onto the wall, which connects the two pencil marks. Repeat with the rest of the walls, adding additional chalk to the string as needed.

Apply painter's masking tape just above and along the chalk lines on each wall. Run your fingers along the bottom edges of the tape and press it against the wall to minimize paint seepage.

Unscrew and remove electrical outlet and light-switch plates. Cover the floor with a drop cloth.

Cut in with your wall paint using a 2 1/2-inch angled paintbrush along the baseboards. Using the same brush, cut in at the corners of the room and along the bottom edge of the tape line. Though the tape protects the wall area beneath it, paint can still seep through if you run a roller over it.

Pour wall paint in a roller tray. Dip a 12-inch paint roller into the tray, and then pull it toward the textured, raised end to remove excess paint. Roll paint onto the walls using short, diagonal strokes in different directions. Imagine you're painting the letter W on the wall repeatedly, or painting in a flame-stitch pattern. When a section is almost covered with diagonal strokes, run the roller up and down to blend the edges and fill any gaps. Let the paint dry and apply a second coat as needed.

Remove the masking tape after the final coat of wall paint dries. Apply a new line of tape with the upper edge even with the top edge of your wall paint. Press down on the upper edges of the tape to secure it. Paint the upper portion of your wall with paint that matches your ceiling paint, using the painting instructions from steps six and seven. If the section between the tape line and ceiling is less than 14 inches high, switch to a 6-inch paint roller.