Emulsioning a heavily peaked ceiling - sprayer, help??

greyskittles

Hi,

We are currently trying to paint our living room ceiling which is huge - about 50ft by 20ft. We started this morning and it is proving to be more of a task than we expected. The paint is dripping everywhere & it is so difficult to get into all the grooves. It's taking about an hour to do a 2ft square area and my neck is aching.

So now we're thinking about other ways to do it otherwise we're gonna be here forever. We don't have any wallpaper on so it doesn't matter if the walls get sprayed in the process. Cans of spray paint would work out very expensive. I have read about high volume low pressure sprayers but a lot of them are expensive. Also after googling I saw someone recommend a Cuprinol garden fence sprayer but would I need to water down the emulsion?

Can any decorator-savvy person suggest a cheap-ish way to do the ceilings? We don't mind buying a sprayer as all the ceiling in our house are heavily peaked and they all need to be whitened. Any sprayer recommendations are welcomed. Thanks!

Poppycat

That is one huge ceiling

I use a roller on a stick to do all but the edges and use a small pointed brush at one edge to the the edges etc

It should take that long with a roller a normal room ceiling should take no more than 15 minutes minus the edge another 15-20min for that

You can get Dulux paint that comes in a large container than you just dip the roller in very easy to use. I did 3 ceilings with the one coat Dulux paint

greyskittles

It is a massive, but it is two rooms knocked into one. I should have explained better what I meant about it being heavily peaked (that's how my mam described it)... It is textured like this:



So a roller wouldn't work as you can't get into all the grooves. We were using a paintbrush but it is dripping everywhere. I look as though it's been raining paint - I am covered in it.

sleepymy

You need one of the big fluffy rollers and give it about 3 thin coats. It may be just simpler and cheaper to get someone in to do it though.

Poppycat

Yes you can get rollers that get into grooves that can get into like artec etc I think they call them long pile. I have used them for masonry walls as that has an uneven surface

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/82646/Decorating-Sundries/Rollers-Trays/Hamilton-Long-Pile-Paint-Roller-Sleeve-9


http://www.britpaints.co.uk/Tips%20&%20Techy/paintingtipschoa.html

You could try your local Dulux trade centre

Now for the second factor - the surface you’ll be painting. The rule of thumb is, "The smoother the surface, the shorter the nap." The "nap" or "pile" is the length of fabric that sticks up from the backing (similar to the pile of carpet). For example, bathroom walls are typically smooth, so you would choose a roller cover with a 3/16-inch or 3/8-inch nap. The hallway between your bathroom and bedroom with a light decorative texture would be served well by a 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch roller.
Nap Surfaces
1/8" to 3/16" Smooth surfaces like untextured plaster, smooth wood, wallboard, drywall, metal.
3/8" to 1/2" Medium surfaces like sand finishes, lightly textured plaster or wood, panelling, acoustical tile.
3/4" to 1 1/2"Rough surfaces like brick, concrete, stucco, textured ceilings or walls, Spanish plaster, cement block, corrugated metal, rough wood. You can get these in the Purdy Range
Get your money’s worth.

misgrace

I dont envy you, as not too long ago I had the pleasure of painting quite a few ceilings, and the peaks were very much like the cake lol.

I am a pro, but even I was losing the will to live, poppy and sleepy is correct, you need a decent roller sleeve, get one from any decorating shop, long pile, I call them my floppy roller sleeves.

When you buy it new, the sleeve will look very tight, the trick is to give it a wash first, then take it outside and spin the roller.
Keep the sleeve on the roller, then spin the actual roller head, not the arm, this will loosen up the fibres and make it look floppy.

But it wont get into big crevices, but will cover most parts of the ceiling, then you do an area with the roller, and any bits that it doesnt reach, you then use the brush.

I found the best way for me is to thin the first coat down, as you will struggle if its too thick.

Poppycat

Dont know if things have changed but you can get rollers with drip things underneath, they not 100% safe but they do scoop of most of the paint when it falls.

lawrie28

sprayer for £12.99 at srewfix if you are desperate

madeane

If it is your own home and you plan to stay there get it boarded and skimmed eventually, it is more expensive but it will look lovely forever!! But then I am biased!!

andrew-b

Why not just use a nice big emulsion brush? This sort of thing: http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9536441&fh_view_size=6&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=emulsion+brush&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1211113858794&isSearch=true ...although i used that brush and i seemed to be spending more time picking out bristles from my paint than painting so i wouldn't recommend that particular one.
I used it to paint an artexed kitchen ceiling (my usual paint pads were'nt an option).. Although not everyones cup of tea (every property programme i've seen hate it!), I think artex can look good if it's done properly -- just so long as it's non-descript random type of pattern!

Andy

greyskittles

Thanks for all the advice. My mam thinks it will be very expensive to have it redone (we had a tiny little office room boarded and skimmed just recently and it was £100+, and it had a flat ceiling) as the it is so heavily peaked... Each peak sticks out at least 2-inches. The house was unfortunately like this when it was bought.

We went to a paint shop and explained what the ceiling was like. They said that a roller would not work - the peaks would just snap off when rolled over.

Last night I had a brainwave though - we've bought some big car sponges from Wilkinsons and are just sponging it, which is a lot quicker and less messy that an ordinary paintbrush! Plus it gets into all the gaps between the peaks. A lot cheaper than a spray machine too.