How to Decorate a Ceiling

DIY home improvement projects can always seem a bit daunting, especially when you’re planning to renovate your ceiling.

Thanks to developments in home improvement, you have a few options when it comes to how you decorate your ceiling.

If you’re looking to start the year with a fresh new look for your ceiling, we’ve created a comprehensive guide on how to transform it. Read on to find out more.

Tiling

We’ll begin our guide with the most difficult method of decorating. For people who have their heart set on a tiled ceiling, this section is for you.

Tiles can look spectacular, especially in a bathroom or a shower room. However, the first few steps are crucial to the success of the entire project.

You need to start by measuring your ceiling, and determining what size tile you’ll need. Once you’ve completed this step, you can begin fitting your ceiling tiles. It’s best to start in the corner of the room and work your way out to the edges. Remember, ceiling tiles are created specially to lock together, with two grooved edges and two tongued edges. The tongued edges must face towards the center of the room when you fit your first corner tile, so you can fit the other tiles to the first.

Apply adhesive to the center of the back of your tile, finishing around an inch from the edge. As you continue fitting your ceiling tiles, you’ll be slotting each into the next.

To ensure your design is perfect, it’s recommended that once you’ve finished installing your tiles, you install cove molding around the edges of your ceiling.

Cladding

Installing cladding is one of the easiest and fastest methods of redecoration for ceilings and walls alike. The biggest benefit of installing cladding on your ceiling is that even a DIY novice will find this a straightforward project.

Unlike with some other DIY methods, there is no need to prep your ceiling surface, or make sure its skimmed before you start your project. As with tiles, you must ensure that you measure your ceiling as accurately as possible, and once you have your cladding cut to size, you can start fitting it.

Apply a generous amount of adhesive to the back of your panel and simply secure it into place. Once you’re happy with the placement of your panel, you can then screw in the tongue section. Repeat this process with each of your cladding panels and they will neatly lock into place using the tongue and groove edge.

If you’re struggling with any of these stages, there is a great video on how to easily fit ceiling cladding.

This method of decorating is really well suited to all rooms of the house, and can even be used as bathroom ceiling cladding. This works particularly well due to the lack of grouting in the paneling, in which helps keep the mold to a minimum and makes cleaning a lot easier!

Painting

Even though it’s probably the most popular method of decoration, painting a ceiling can be a tricky job for a novice. Once you’ve chosen your type of paint, and your perfect shade, it’s time to prepare your ceiling.

The first step is to ensure your surface is clean, free of dust and completely dry. If you find you need to remove a bit of dirt from your ceiling, use a small amount of detergent on the area, rinse with clean water and let it completely dry before even considering painting it.

If your ceiling has been previously painted with gloss, you’ll need to rub it down with sandpaper.

Once your ceiling is prepped, don’t forget to protect your furniture and floors. Dust sheets and clear plastic drop sheets are easy to find in your local DIY shop and will do wonders for taking care of your carpets and sofas.

Now you can begin painting! Make sure you give your ceiling at least two coats of paint, sometimes three is needed if you’ve chosen a particularly dark colour. Also, ensure that you start painting around the light fittings first, then along the ceiling line before spreading paint across the whole surface.

So, there you have it, three different methods on how you can transform your ceiling! Whether choose to install living room ceiling tiles, or bathroom ceiling cladding, our handy guide will help you renovate your home in any style you choose.