How to paint a ceiling with water-based paint without stains and streaks

The most common way to decorate a ceiling is whitewashing or painting it. And the most used paint for this is water-based paint. Painting the ceiling with water-based paint at first glance seems to be a simple matter, but there are many subtleties, ignorance of which leads to the appearance of spots or streaks. We will tell you how to avoid such a nuisance further.

Preparation for painting

In order for self-painting of the ceiling with water-based paint to be of high quality and uniform, preliminary preparation of the ceiling is necessary. It is possible to achieve uniform staining only on a flat putty surface. Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to clean the ceiling from any previous coating (with the exception of a water-based emulsion, which holds very well).

How to remove whitewash

If you have whitewash on the ceiling - chalk or lime - you need to moisten the ceiling with water and remove the coating with a spatula. Brush everything down to concrete. Even the smallest fragments must be removed. Sometimes it is very inconvenient to scrape small areas with a spatula; it is easier to do this with a wet rag.

Whitewash is easier to remove by wetting it with water

In any case, after removing the whitewash, the ceiling must be washed with water and detergent. After complete drying - prime and putty with gypsum or cement (preferably white) putty until smooth, which is also called "under the egg".

How to remove old water emulsion

If the ceiling has already been painted with water-based emulsion, it will simply not be possible to remove it. The procedure depends on how the paint adheres to the ceiling. If it just changed color and you need to update the ceiling, there are no swellings, cracks and other similar problems, you can get by with a little blood. First, remove dust (with a cloth and water), dry, then prime. After the primer has dried, it can be painted. But once again we pay attention - this procedure is used only if the water emulsion holds up well and there are no defects.

Cleaning waterproof emulsion from the ceiling is a pleasure

If there are cracks, swellings on the surface of the water emulsion, it must be cleaned off. There are two ways - dry and wet. Dry - this is to clean with sandpaper (manually or using a grinder), wet - to rinse. This method has to be used for paint that is not afraid of water. But it is very difficult to clean off such paint. If the water-based paint holds well, no tricks help, but there are surface defects and putty is necessary, take a coarse-grained sandpaper and make the surface rough. Then you can putty. Further - according to the technology: we primer and then paint.

Wash off the ceiling painted with water emulsion twice moistening abundantly with hot water. The water should be almost boiling water - about 70 ° C. After wetting part of the ceiling, wait 10 minutes, then wet the same area again with hot water. After about five minutes you can remove the paint with a spatula.

Removing old paint is a lengthy process

You can repeat this procedure several times, gradually removing lagging paint from the ceiling. Small residues can be sanded, and then rinsed, dried and primed on the ceiling. On the primer, it is already possible to putty, sand, leveling the flaws.

Types of water-based paint

Water based paint is a water based emulsion containing polymer particles undissolved in water.It also contains pigments and various additives that change the characteristics of the final product. After applying the paint, water actively evaporates and a thin polymer film remains on the surface.

Painting the ceiling with water-based paint begins with the choice of the composition. They use four types of polymers:

• Acrylic. An aqueous emulsion based on acrylic resins allows to obtain a flat surface, has good hiding power, hides small surface defects, up to gaps up to 1 mm wide. Its disadvantage is its high price, but it is easier to work with it. In pure form, acrylic compounds are hygroscopic and can only be used for dry rooms, but they do not interfere with the passage of steam. To create a waterproof film, latex is added to the acrylic water emulsion. The same additive increases the elasticity of the dried film. Such formulations can be used in damp rooms.
  

  Acrylic based water emulsion is the smart choice

• Silicates. This type of water-based paints is based on liquid glass. The coating turns out to be resistant to atmospheric precipitation and at the same time does not interfere with the removal of vapors, has a long service life (10 years or more), and can be used for outdoor work.
  

  Silicate paints are vapor-proof

• Minerals are lime or cement. Mineral water emulsions have good adhesion to any surface, but are quickly washed off. In this connection, they are gradually losing popularity.
  

  Water based paints based on minerals (lime) are the cheapest

• Silicone. Silicone-based aqueous emulsions are the latest industry achievement. These compositions are good in that they "tighten" cracks up to 2 mm thick. As a result, the surface painted by them, even without excellent preparation, turns out to be even and smooth. The film is dense, but vapor-permeable. Silicone water-based emulsion can be used to paint the ceiling in bathrooms and other wet areas. The disadvantage of this type of paint is the high price.
  

  Silicone water-based paints can paint even cracks

Latex can be added to any of the formulations. Latex water-based paint is water-repellent. It is not afraid of moisture, can be used in damp rooms.

Based on the basic characteristics of these formulations, you can choose the best type of water-based paint for yourself. Each case requires its own properties and the "best water emulsion" - different each time.

What primer to use

A primer is necessary for better adhesion (adhesion) of the paint to the painted surface. It avoids the appearance of cracks and blisters after the paint has dried. If there is no primer, this can happen. We'll have to clean everything up and putty again. Therefore, to paint the ceiling with water-based paint was of high quality, it is necessary to prime the surface well.

The base of the primer must match the base paint. Under the acrylic paint, the water emulsion requires the same primer, under the silicone paint - based on silicones, etc. Moreover, it is advisable not to save money: the quality of this composition depends on how smoothly the water emulsion will lie on the ceiling.

Acrylic primer for the same water-based paint

There is an economical way of priming: the base paint is diluted with water (1 to 2) and the surface is painted over a couple of times with this composition. It's definitely better than nothing, but the primer gives a more secure grip.

How to paint the ceiling with a water emulsion with your own hands

Each of the water-based paints on the can has instructions for use. The order of work is described there. Some formulations just need to be mixed well before work: undissolved polymers can settle at the bottom of the can. Some formulations require dilution. The amount of added water is also prescribed in the instructions and depends on the method of application.They dilute more under spray guns; when using a roller, thicker compositions are required.

Paint tray makes work easier

When diluting a water emulsion with water, it must be added in small portions. Stir thoroughly and taste on the surface. If the paint lies flat, almost completely covers the base, you can paint.

It is more convenient to pour the paint into a special container with a bath and a ribbed platform. You can use a regular bowl and a clean piece of oilcloth, spread out nearby. It is not so convenient, but less expensive.

Which roller to choose

A roller for painting the ceiling with an aqueous emulsion is needed with a dense short pile. You need to examine it carefully. The pile should “sit” firmly and in no case should it “climb out”, even if you pull on it. Then inspect how the seam was made. In no case should it stand out. It must be hard to find. It is best if it is made obliquely.

Rollers for painting the ceiling with water emulsion

Devote maximum attention to the choice of roller: the quality of painting - the absence of stripes on the ceiling - largely depends on how good you have chosen the tool. It is more convenient to whitewash the ceiling with a water emulsion not from a stepladder, but from the floor. For this, the roller is placed on a long handle and fixed well.

How to paint without streaks

So that there are no stripes on the ceiling, painting the ceiling with water-based paint should be completed no later than 20 minutes. Water immediately after application begins to actively absorb / evaporate and stripes appear at the junction of the dried and "fresh" color. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare the room. It is necessary to turn off (wrap up) the heating batteries, to prevent drafts. It is also advisable to clean the floor immediately before whitewashing, even if you work during the day, turn on the lights, this will allow you to better control the quality of the painting. Then you can get to work.

Ready-to-use water-based paint is poured into a container, a roller is dipped into it, then rolled well over the site, achieving uniform distribution over the entire surface. When the roller has a solid color, they begin to paint.

The corners are painted over with the first brush. After applying a little paint, take a small roller and roll it out well. Then they begin to paint the main surface. The first layer is applied parallel to the window, the second - perpendicularly.

You need to stand so as to look at the painted place at an angle. This will give you a good chance to see how evenly the paint is distributed, as well as the place where you have already painted and where not. Move in a systematic way, without jumping from one piece to another.

It is more convenient to paint from the floor, and for this, the roller must be attached to a long, but lightweight handle

The width of the strip to be painted at a time is slightly larger than the width of the roller. After wetting the roller, place it approximately in the middle of the strip. Quickly roll the paint in both directions from one wall to the other. Don't waste a lot of time: you don't have much of it. On average, the water emulsion dries up in 10-20 seconds. Do not have time to apply a strip nearby - the border will be clearly visible, from which you will not get rid of. Having distributed the paint more or less evenly over the strip, dip the roller into the paint, and again roll it out from the middle of the ceiling. At the same time, enter the not already painted strip by about 10 cm. All this at a good pace without stopping and smoking breaks. The edges of the painted strip must not dry out. In general, these are all rules.

After applying the first coat of paint, some areas may be less stained. It is necessary to wait for complete drying, and paint a second time. This should already be enough to get a flat surface. If you still have streaks and streaks on the ceiling after the third coat of water-based paint, you will have to redo it. It is necessary to level the surface with sandpaper, prime and paint again.

Which color

The easiest way to achieve perfect color evenness is to use "snow white" paint. All pigments clearly highlight even small irregularities, because the process ceiling putty you need to pay maximum attention or use an acrylic or silicone based water emulsion.