Ceiling painting · Calgary, AB
Ceiling painting in Calgary
Flat, vaulted, stairwell and textured ceilings. Describe the rooms and a local contractor will assess the ceilings, including height and texture, and quote.
Free estimate · No obligation
Typical requests
- Water stains after a leak has been fixed
- Yellowed or dingy ceilings in older homes
- Tall stairwells and vaulted living rooms
- Painting popcorn instead of removing it
- Ceilings patched after electrical or plumbing work
- Priced by
- Area, height and access, texture, stains and repairs.
- Usual finish
- Flat ceiling paint, which hides flaws and glare.
- Check first
- Textured ceilings in homes built before the early 1990s.
Textured ceilings in older homes: test before you disturb
MyHealth Alberta lists textured wall and ceiling finishes among building materials that may contain asbestos, and advises that for buildings built before the early 1990s, an environmental consultant should test before any renovation that will disturb those materials. Painting over texture in good condition is different from scraping it, but ask the contractor how they will work with it, and test first if anything will be sanded, scraped or removed. MyHealth Alberta: asbestos and your health.
Ceiling types
Every ceiling is a slightly different job
The same room can take very different time depending on what is overhead.
| Ceiling | What makes it different |
|---|---|
| Smooth, standard height | What makes it differentStraightforward, but shows roller marks and patching under side light. Good prep and a flat finish matter. |
| Knockdown or orange peel | What makes it differentHolds paint well. Repairs need texture matched so patches do not show. |
| Popcorn (acoustic) | What makes it differentUsually sprayed. Absorbs a lot of paint. Hard to remove once painted. Test older ceilings first. |
| Vaulted or cathedral | What makes it differentNeeds taller ladders or planks and more setup. Joins with walls are long and visible. |
| Stairwells | What makes it differentOften the hardest reach in the house. May need a stair platform or scaffold. |
Tall stairwell or vaulted ceiling?
Mention it in your request. Access is one of the first things the painter plans for.
Stains
Why a water stain comes back through new paint
Water, smoke and some old marker stains contain material that dissolves into fresh waterborne paint and bleeds straight back through, sometimes after two coats. The fix is a stain-blocking primer over the mark before the ceiling is painted.
Fix the leak first
A stain means water came through at some point. Make sure the cause, whether a roof, a bathroom above or a pipe, has been repaired and the drywall is dry and sound before it is painted. Otherwise the stain will simply return.
Before the painter arrives
- Confirm any leak above the ceiling has been repaired
- Note which light fixtures or fans you want taken down
- Clear the room, or at least the middle of it
- Know the year the house was built if the ceiling is textured
- Decide whether the ceiling colour will change
Common questions
Ceiling painting questions
Question not answered here? Ask it in your quote request.
Can a popcorn ceiling be painted?
Why do ceilings cost more than walls?
What colour and sheen should a ceiling be?
Should the ceiling be painted before the walls?
Related
Also worth reading
- ServiceInterior paintingCeilings are usually best done in the same visit as the walls.
- ServiceBasement ceilings and wallsOpen-joist basement ceilings are a different job, usually sprayed.
- GuidePreparing for a painting estimateWhat to clear and decide before the painter comes to look.
- GuidePainting cost factorsHow height, texture and access change the price.
Free, no-obligation estimate
Get a free ceiling painting quote
Tell us which ceilings and roughly how high. The contractor will check texture, stains and access on the visit.
Useful to include
- Which rooms, and any vaulted or stairwell ceilings
- Smooth, knockdown or popcorn texture
- Water stains, and whether the leak has been fixed
- The approximate year the house was built
Get a free painting quote
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