I recently gave my son’s bedroom a face lift by painting the walls a light pink colour and installing ceiling tiles in an off-white hue. I had planned to paint the ceiling and walls the same colour, but the uneven surface of the ceiling made that impossible to pull off successfully.
I was unable to afford crown molding or a nice border to cover up the blemishes on this project, so I came up with an alternative solution: paint and tape!
The procedure looks like this:
1. If you want to paint the ceiling tiles as well, you should first tape them off with painter’s tape (optional). If you choose not to paint them, they will be slightly easier to clean than if you paint them; however, they will be a constant source of distraction whenever you look up from the ground.
In addition, if the grout that separates your fibreglass ceiling tiles is dark, painting the tiles themselves will make them blend in with the background more seamlessly.
2. Decide what color you want your ceiling to be (in my case, white). To completely cover the surface, it may require three or even four coats. Before you roll over it, you should check to make sure that there isn’t a large paint drip that is going down a few tiles, because that will drive you crazy!
I only applied one coat of paint, and after it dried, it covered the surface pretty well. However, there were some high spots, so I applied a second coat on top of those areas. If you are concerned about the brush marks left behind by using a roller, an alternative that works just as well is spray paint.
Because the paint already has a rough texture, you won’t need to sand in between coats like you would if you were painting ceiling tiles.
3. If you want to paint the ceiling as well, you can remove the tape after the paint has dried and start painting. If you don’t mind the unpainted look, you can give it a beautiful shine by applying wax over the entire surface after the paint has dried.
It is possible that you will need to apply three or four coats of wax to it when it is in this state; however, doing so will not only give you a surface that is well protected but will also give the appearance of crown molding that is disguised!
If you are going to use painter’s tape, wait at least 24 hours after everything has dried before removing the tape. This will ensure that there is no bleeding under the tape. Painting my ceiling was a much more cost-effective option than purchasing molding for it, and the finished product looks just as nice.
Final Thoughts
Painting ceiling tiles is an easy and inexpensive way to brighten up a room. By following these simple steps, you can achieve professional-looking results that will last for years to come.
