We’ve all had it happen before. We get super excited to do some interior painting and refresh our space. But when we actually get around to the painting work ourselves, inevitably there are those couple strokes or mistakes that end up getting on the ceiling. And even if no one but you notices, it can be such a pain trying to figure out how to get paint off the ceiling.
We’re here to help you figure out the exact right steps and little tried and true tricks that exist for how to get paint off the ceiling. You might be surprised by some of the clever techniques paint experts have come up with over the years. Before you know it, your ceiling will be gleaming and exactly the right colour (with no mistakes) that you want it to be!
Remove Any Paint Splatter While You Work
Sometimes things can work out just fine when you’re doing some interior painting. If you can get to the paint on your ceiling before it’s dry, that’s always the ideal option. It’s recommended to have a damp cloth nearby when you’re doing some painting at home because you never know when those splatters will happen and cause trouble.
If you’re able to just run a damp cloth or rag across your paint spots when they’re still wet, there shouldn’t be an issue. You can even apply a small amount of window cleaner to your rag and use that to help cleanse the area. Paint splatter or spots that have dried up are definitely harder to remove from that state. Once the paint is dry, that’s exactly when you’re going to want to think about other techniques and tricks for how to get paint off the ceiling.
What You’ll Need to Get Paint Off the Ceiling
If your ceilings are painted white or another light colour and your interior paint for the walls was a darker hue, you might need to strip it off. For this how to get paint off the ceiling process, you’re going to need:
- Goggles to protect your eyes
- A fan
- Protective gloves
- Painter stripper or remover
- A rag
- Putty knife or paint scraper
- trisodium phosphate
- Primer
- Paint of choice
How to Get Paint Off the Ceiling Using Paint Stripper
When the paint has been dry for a long time and you need to try and get it off, sometimes you need to use a little paint stripper or remover to help you along. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of paint remover on a dry rag and wiping it over the paint splatter spot to get the paint to come off. Other times, it’s a little more labour intensive.
If you have a larger chunk of paint splatter, simply use a paintbrush to carefully spread the paint stripper on the ceiling surface. Give the paint stripper a little bit of time — about 20 – 30 minutes, to soften the paint. Then you take a putty knife and gently scrape off the excess paint. If you need to repeat this process, that’s okay. When you’re done getting the paint up, it’s always good to give that area a cleaning with a little trisodium phosphate dissolved in water.
Cover Your Mistakes With Paint
A lot of the time when you’re thinking about how to get paint off the ceiling, you can actually use paint itself to fix mistakes! If it’s a dark paint colour that got on the ceiling by mistake, you’re going to want to use a primer prior to paint in order to properly cover up the bold colour. It might be best to use a sponge applicator for the primer in order to get a light but even layer.
You’re going to want to give the primer an hour or two to dry. Then you’ll want to go in with your ceiling paint in order to cover up any paint splotches. It’s ideal to use a small angled paint brush in order to effectively feather the paint out, especially if this mistake lays closely to the adjoining wall.
