Ceiling Preparation

Lay a plastic drop cloth on the floor and any furniture in the room to protect them from ceiling debris.

Scrape loose paint from the ceiling using a 6-inch drywall knife. Hold the knife at a low angle to the ceiling to avoid gouging and lightly scrape until there is no loose paint on the ceiling.

Fill holes or depressions in the ceiling with joint compound applied with the 6-inch drywall knife. Smooth the joint compound over the low areas to make them even with the rest of the ceiling's surface. Let the joint compound dry overnight and lightly sand it with a drywall sanding sponge.

Caulk spaces and cracks along the edges of the ceiling using high-painter's caulk. Cut the end of the caulk tube nozzle at a 45-degree angle using a utility knife and poke the foil at the bottom of the nozzle with the rod on the caulk gun. Install the tube of caulk into a caulk gun. Squeeze the caulk gun trigger evenly as you move the angled nozzle across the crack or space. Smooth the caulk into the area with the side of your thumb. Wipe excess caulk off your thumb onto a wet rag.

Apply a stain blocker to any area of the ceiling where there is a stain. The stain might be from a previous water leak or another source, but it must be painted with a stain blocker to ensure it does not bleed through the finish paint. Apply the stain blocker using a 3-inch paint brush.