How to Finish a Basement Ceiling by Painting
- 1). Dust the basement ceiling with a broom.
- 2). Cover areas running adjacent to the basement ceiling with professional painter's tape. Shield furniture from paint drips with plastic coverings. Cover the floor beneath the basement ceiling with fabric drop cloths.
- 3). Coat bare wood basement ceilings with latex primer, using a roller stocked with a nap cover. Affix the roller to an extension pole to ease the process. Access the ceiling, using a step ladder. Use a paintbrush manufactured for use with water-based coatings to apply primer to areas of the basement ceiling that are inaccessible to the roller. Wait two hours for the primed ceiling to dry. Skip this step if the basement ceiling is finished with drywall.
- 4). Wash your painting tools with water.
- 5). Apply flat latex paint to the basement ceiling just as you would primer. Wait two hours for the painted ceiling to dry. Add another coat if you have thin coverage.
