---
title: "Which paint should I use on a ceiling?"
description: "A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first. The ranked options, the technique that changes the "
url: https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-ceiling/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

*Ranked best-first for the stated job. The third column is why the others exist.*

| 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

1. Find and fix the source of any water stain before painting over it
2. Seal stains with a shellac-based blocker, not with extra coats of emulsion
3. Cut in the edges and roll the whole ceiling in one session so it does not lap
4. 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?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-painted-wood/)
- [Which paint should I use on bare wood?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-bare-wood/)
- [Which paint sticks to plastic?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-plastic/)
- [Which paint should I use in a kitchen?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-kitchen/)
- [Which paint should I use in a bathroom?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-bathroom/)
- [Which paint should I use on metal?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-metal/)
- [Which paint can I use on tiles?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-tiles/)
- [Which paint should I use on a fence?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-fence/)
- [Which paint should I use on a floor?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-floor/)
- [Which paint should I use on radiators?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-radiators/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)