How to Paint a Ceiling With a Stain

A brown or tan stain on your ceiling is probably caused by a leak or excess moisture above the drywall. Water stains will bleed through water-based paint, so they must first be sealed with a stain-blocking primer. Other causes of ceiling stains include mildew, grease accumulation or oil splashes in a kitchen, or smoke stains from candles or cigarettes. Before painting a stained ceiling, you may need to clean it, and you'll certainly have to prime it.

Drop cloths
Builder's rosin paper
Detergent
Sponge
Stain-blocking primer
Roller
Brush
Ceiling paint

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the area by moving or covering furniture with plastic drop cloths. Protect the floor with painter's drop cloths or builder's rosin paper.
- 2
  Clean the ceiling stains with warm water and detergent. Water stains, or stains that have soaked into flat ceiling paint, will not clean off.
- 3
  Prime the stain with tinted shellac-based stain blocking primer. Use an aerosol spray can for smaller stains, or a brush and roller for large stains or to prime the entire ceiling. Allow it to dry. Most stain-blocking primers can be painted over in an hour.
- 4
  Brush around the edges of the ceiling and around ceiling fixtures with a 2- or 3-inch brush. If you're not painting the walls, apply painter's tape around the top of the wall so you have a straight line.
- 5
  Roll the ceiling with two coats of latex ceiling paint. Allow it to dry completely before removing the drop cloths so you can be sure you haven't missed a spot. It's easier to see missed spots when the paint is dry.

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