Painting Techniques for a Child's Ceiling
- Painting clouds on a ceiling is a simple procedure and can be completed in two days. The base coat will be a light shade of blue using a satin finish latex paint. Use normal precautions when painting on the base coat, such as taping off the walls and using a drop cloth to cover furniture. Wait for the base coat to dry completely before attempting to paint the clouds.
Paint the clouds with white satin finish paint. In a small container, mix a ratio of 70 percent paint and 30 percent water. Use a sea sponge to apply the clouds to the ceiling. Test your technique before actually starting on the ceiling. Dip the sponge into the paint and water mixture. Dab the sponge lightly onto a practice area to determine the amount of pressure you will need. If the clouds are too light, add more white paint. Add more water to give a more translucent look. Once you are confident with your technique, you can start painting the ceiling. Start painting in the center of the cloud and work toward the outside. There will be less paint on the sponge as you work toward the edges, producing a more realistic-looking cloud.
Use dampened cheesecloth to soften the cloud by dabbing the paint while it is still wet. This will give a hazy appearance to the clouds. - Divide the ceiling into four sections using a carpenters blue chalk line. Stretch the line between opposite corners and snap the line. Do the same between the other two corners. The ceiling now has four sections. Each section can be painted a different color or you may decide that two colors are enough.
The colors from the ceiling also can be extended down the wall to give a border of 6 to 8 inches on the wall. - Stenciling is a quick way to decorate a ceiling for a child's room. The options are seemingly endless for boys and girls. Stenciling brushes and paints can be purchased at fabric or crafts stores. A simple design is to keep the stencils in the corners of the ceiling. This requires only moving the ladder four times. Another option is to run the stencil pattern along the edge of the ceiling. A train pattern or a parade of dancing ballerinas would look nice this way.
