If you don’t love the look of your popcorn ceiling, you can update it with a DIY painting project. However, learning how to paint a popcorn ceiling isn’t as easy as painting a smooth ceiling, as the texture can be quite delicate.
If you want to avoid the cost of removing popcorn ceilings but need to spruce it up, follow these tips to paint your popcorn ceiling with less mess and give it a fresh look you’ll love.
Prepping to Paint a Popcorn Ceiling
Popcorn textured ceilings were popular from the 1940s through the 1990s, but few modern homes contain the feature. One way to refresh the look of a ceiling with popcorn texture is to paint it.
Another option is to remove the popcorn texture. This is far more expensive than painting the popcorn ceiling, as it may cost between $900 and $3,000. If you have a home built before 1980, you may need to test your ceiling for asbestos before painting a popcorn ceiling.
If this describes your home, don’t panic! Don’t disturb the popcorn texture yourself. Call an asbestos testing contractor near you to determine if the popcorn texture contains the potential dangerous material. If so, you’ll need the contractor to remove the texture safely. If not, go ahead and prepare to start painting.
How Much Paint Do I Need?
When deciding how much paint to buy for your project, it’s helpful to know the square footage of the area in question. While a gallon of paint typically covers about 400 square feet on a flat ceiling, a popcorn ceiling requires extra paint to account for the texture. Expect to receive between 200 and 250 square feet of coverage per gallon of paint on a textured ceiling.
Protect Against Paint Splatter
Before starting to paint, take these steps.
Cover the floor with a drop cloth.
Move furniture out of the room (or cover it if you can’t move it).
Use painter’s tape on the walls where they meet the ceiling or on ceiling trim.
Use painter’s tape on any ceiling fixtures or cover them in plastic.
Paint can splatter while you’re working on the ceiling. Some people choose to tape plastic sheets or drop cloths over the walls to guard against paint splatter. Wear safety glasses when painting a ceiling to guard your eyes against splatter as you look upward.
We recommend using a duster on the ceiling before painting, as the popcorn texture can collect dust over time. Don’t apply too much pressure when dusting, or you could dislodge the popcorn texture.
Instead of dusting, you could use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment on the hose. Again, be gentle, or the popcorn texture may flake away. If your ceiling has any cracks or holes, repair these with spackling paste.
If the ceiling has water stains, make sure you fix any leaks causing the staining. You may want to apply a special stain-blocking primer paint in these areas to cover the stains before applying your ceiling paint.
Cut In at the Edges
Use a paintbrush along the edges where the ceiling meets the walls. Using a brush on these edges, called doing a “cut in,” allows you to be more precise with the paint versus using a roller. When it’s time to use the paint roller, the paint applied during the cut in allows you to keep the roller a couple of inches away from the walls, reducing the chances of errors.
Paint the Popcorn Ceiling
Photo: eyecrave productions / E+ / Getty Images
Use an interior acrylic-latex paint for the popcorn ceiling. A matte or flat paint finish is best on a ceiling to reduce glare. Because of the popcorn texture, we recommend using a roller with a nap of ½ inch or ¾ inch.
When it’s time to paint the ceiling, you have three options:
Apply an extension pole to your roller and stand on the floor
Climb a ladder and use a short handle on the roller
Use a paint sprayer, which is challenging for a novice to do indoors without making a big mess
Precisely controlling the roller on the extension pole can be tough, meaning there may be extra splatter. Most DIYers prefer to use the ladder and short-handled roller. However, you can paint faster when you stand on the ground with the extension pole rather than climbing up and down the ladder.
Keep the roller moving in the same direction back and forth as you move across the ceiling. Slightly overlap the previously rolled paint to avoid uneven application or missed spots. Go slow to reduce paint splatter and limit the amount of popcorn texture that pulls loose.
Apply a Second Coat
It’s possible that your popcorn ceiling has never had paint or another coating on it. If so, the job may require two coats of paint. If the paint soaks into the ceiling quickly as you apply it, you may need a second coat. You also could apply a primer coat before applying your first paint coat, if desired.
Pro tip: Before deciding whether to add another coat, allow the paint to dry completely. It’s important to wait to apply another coat of paint because it may look different after it dries than when it is still wet.
Clean Your Tools
After your paint job is complete, don’t walk away from your paint-covered tools. Wash your paint roller, paintbrush, and paint tray using warm water. Let the tools dry completely before placing them in storage.
Make sure to tightly seal the paint can so you can use any leftover paint for future touch-ups. Remove any painter’s tape, plastic coverings, and the drop cloth. Wait until the paint is completely dry on these items to avoid making a mess as you remove them.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Although painting a popcorn ceiling is a doable project, you might not want to do it. Hiring a professional painter may be easier than taking the time to prep your home, applying the paint, and cleaning up the area. Painting popcorn ceilings are trickier than a flat ceiling, too, so it’s worth exploring the cost to hire a pro.
Although hiring a pro to paint a ceiling costs $1 to $2.50 per square foot, painting a popcorn ceiling takes more time and requires more paint than an average ceiling. Expect to pay at the higher end of the range to hire a local interior painter for a popcorn ceiling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most professional painters will use a paint sprayer on a popcorn ceiling, which simplifies dealing with the popcorn texture. However, we don’t recommend that DIYers try to use a sprayer indoors as it could make a significant mess. For novices, using a paint roller on a ladder is the least messy and easiest option.
Some of the popcorn texture likely will pop loose while painting. When using a roller or brush on the popcorn ceiling, apply the paint gently and slowly to avoid tearing the texture loose.
Most popcorn ceilings are white, which enhances the look of the texture. However, the popcorn texture should be less noticeable if you use a bright primary color or a dark color on the ceiling. Because popcorn ceilings may feel dated, hiding the texture with a best paint color for ceilings is an option worth considering.
Kyle Schurman has a passion for writing about topics ranging from home improvement to consumer electronics. His writing appears in online publications like Business Insider, New York Magazine, Scary Mommy, and multiple Tribune Publishing websites.
Kyle Schurman has a passion for writing about topics ranging from home improvement to consumer electronics. His writing appears in online publications like Business Insider, New York Magazine, Scary Mommy, and multiple Tribune Publishing websites.
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