Which paint should I use on a ceiling?
Which paint should I use on a ceiling?
A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first.
Water stains, nicotine and soot are soluble in the very thing that makes emulsion work, so each new coat of water-based paint redissolves them and pulls the stain through — which is why people apply four coats and still see the ring. A shellac-based blocker cures that in one coat because shellac is dissolved in alcohol, not water, and once dry it is impermeable to the water-soluble stain beneath. The other rule for ceilings is sheen: any gloss level at all catches the light raking across from a window and reveals every joint, screw pop and roller lap, so flat matt is chosen for what it hides. Find and fix the leak before painting, since a sealed stain that is still wet will simply reappear.
The options, ranked
| Option | Good at | Bad at |
|---|---|---|
| Flat matt emulsion | Zero sheen hides the undulations and joints that raking light across a ceiling reveals mercilessly. | Not wipeable, so it marks if it is touched. |
| Shellac-based stain block | Seals water stains, nicotine, soot and crayon so they cannot bleed through; nothing else reliably does. | Strong methylated-spirit smell, and brushes must be cleaned in meths. |
| Bathroom or kitchen ceiling emulsion | Contains a fungicide and copes with condensation better than standard matt. | Slight sheen, which shows a poor surface. |
| Sprayed application | Fast and even over a large ceiling with no roller stipple. | Everything in the room has to be masked, including the walls. |
Technique that changes the outcome
- Find and fix the source of any water stain before painting over it
- Seal stains with a shellac-based blocker, not with extra coats of emulsion
- Cut in the edges and roll the whole ceiling in one session so it does not lap
- Roll away from the window at the end so the stipple is not lit from the side
What goes wrong
- Painting over a stain with ordinary emulsion, which will bleed through
- Any sheen on a ceiling with imperfections
- Painting a ceiling that is still damp from a leak
Compiled practical guidance rather than a published standard. Product formulations vary by brand and market, so read the label — and where the work is structural, electrical or gas, the regulations that apply where you are govern rather than anything here.
Other paint questions
| For | Use |
|---|---|
| Previously painted wood | Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based. |
| Bare wood | Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice. |
| Plastic | Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional. |
| Kitchens | A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel. |
| Bathrooms | A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix. |
| Metal | Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic. |
| Tiles | Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower. |
| Fences | A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first. |
| Floors | Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber. |
| Radiators | A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will. |
| Exterior masonry | A breathable mineral or masonry paint — and on an old solid wall, breathability matters more than any durability claim. |
| Galvanised metal | A mordant wash, a self-etch primer or a purpose-made acrylic primer for galvanising — ordinary oil-based primer peels off in sheets. |
| UPVC | A uPVC-specific paint or an adhesion promoter with an acrylic topcoat — and avoid dark colours, which can distort the frame. |
Common questions
- Which paint should I use on a ceiling?
- A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first.
- What should I avoid?
- Painting over a stain with ordinary emulsion, which will bleed through Any sheen on a ceiling with imperfections Painting a ceiling that is still damp from a leak
Related pages
- Which paint goes over previously painted wood? Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based.
- Which paint should I use on bare wood? Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice.
- Which paint sticks to plastic? Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional.
- Which paint should I use in a kitchen? A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel.
- Which paint should I use in a bathroom? A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix.
- Which paint should I use on metal? Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic.
- Which paint can I use on tiles? Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower.
- Which paint should I use on a fence? A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first.
- Which paint should I use on a floor? Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber.
- Which paint should I use on radiators? A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will.
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place