How to Paint a Ceiling for a Bedroom Loft

The right ceiling color helps accent a well-designed room without taking focus away from wall art, furniture pieces or other focal points. Roller extension poles make it easy to paint traditional ceilings, but a loft ceiling is often vaulted, and these high ceilings pose more of a challenge. Fortunately, the task isn't insurmountable if you use the right tactics. When painting a ceiling for a bedroom loft, use certain tools both for safety and to ensure professional-looking results.

Plastic tarps
A-frame ladder
Painter's masking tape
3-inch synthetic-bristle paintbrush
Latex paint
Medium-nap roller

Instructions

- 1
  Lay plastic tarps on the floor. No matter how careful you are, gravity will naturally cause a few ceiling drips as you paint. Floor protection is much more important for ceilings than for walls or other surfaces.
- 2
  Set up an A-frame ladder in the room. A-frame ladders are the safest type of ladder for ceiling painting, as the tented frame provides more stability than a leaning extension ladder.
- 3
  Climb the ladder and apply painter's masking tape to the trim. Reposition the ladder so you can comfortably reach each portion of trim as you work. Never risk leaning off the side of the ladder to tape out-of-reach trim.
- 4
  Paint the edges of the bedroom loft ceiling, using a 3-inch synthetic-bristle paintbrush and latex paint. Paint in parallel strokes with 50 percent overlap.
- 5
  Paint the main ceiling surface with a medium-nap roller. Work in parallel lines with 50 percent overlap. Move the roller over each line three times for the smoothest finish. Wait two hours for the base coat to dry.
- 6
  Apply a second coat of paint to the edges and main ceiling surface if you notice any bare patches.
- 7
  Remove the painter's tape after 24 hours.

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