Paint is one of the cheapest, quickest and easiest ways to spice up a room. Whether your dining room ceiling is stained, mismatched with the walls, or just ugly, a coat or two of paint and a little artistic know-how will have it looking fresh in no time.
1
Move all furniture, such as the dining room table, chairs and cabinets, out of the room. If that isn't possible, move the furniture to one half of the room and cover it thoroughly with tarps. You'll have to move the furniture to the other half of the room once you've painted the first half.
2
Protect the walls and floor. Mask off the edges of the walls with blue painter's tape. Cover the floor and baseboards with tarps and tape the edges securely, especially if you have wood floors or fancy carpet.
3
Prepare the ceiling with primer if necessary, depending upon the material and the current color. Mask off any areas that you don't want painted with the base color. For example, if you plan to create a navy blue ceiling festooned with stars, mask off the stars with painter's tape. Alternately, you can use stencils after the navy coat is laid down (in which case you'll probably have to apply three or more coats of the lighter-colored star paint to block out the navy).
4
Paint the ceiling in the base color you have chosen. Don't load up your roller or brush too thickly, as this may cause dripping or running. Keep a warm, damp rag handy at all times so you can wipe away drips and smudges immediately.
5
Apply a second base coat if necessary. Paint the accent areas. Some accent painting possibilities include stars, a decorative finish such as feather-brushing or antiquing, thick stripes and a nested series of squares or rectangles encompassing the ceiling.
6
Touch up any areas you missed. Scour the room for paint drips. Scrape them off or paint over them, whichever is appropriate for that spot.
