Primer on the ceiling before applying water-based paint

Before proceeding surface painting water-based paint, it is necessary to prepare it. If this is not done, then all the defects of the ceiling immediately after painting will appear again. To avoid repainting the same surface in the near future, a primer on the ceiling is required before painting.

Primer purpose

• Significantly reduced consumption of paints and varnishes.
• The possibility of stains is reduced.
• Reliable fastening of the finish layer.
• Increased surface protection against moisture.
• Longevity of operation.

The presence of even one such item confirms that the primer of the ceiling is a necessary part of the work, and not a waste of time.

Aqueous emulsion paint is an aqueous emulsion of small particles bound together. If such a paint was applied to a primed base, then during drying occurs gradual evaporation of water, which leads to the combination of molecules and the formation on the surface of the film coverings. The structure of non-primed brick, drywall, concrete, plaster and putty is porous and if the paint is applied immediately but on it, and not on a primed surface, then the water, instead of evaporating slowly, will begin to be absorbed into basis. This can cause a difference in the color of the coating and its dullness, as well as the appearance of spots.

Although the primer for the ceiling, used for painting with a water emulsion, is itself most often an acrylic emulsion, however, its molecules are much smaller, and they manage to infiltrate the top layer of the base and create a waterproof film. Due to this obstacle, water from the topcoat is not absorbed, but evaporates, which leads to the observance of technology and saving of building material.

Preparing the room for repair

Before proceeding with the repair, you must first remove from the room those things that can get paint. Those items that cannot be removed, you just need to cover with a large film, as well as windows and doors. The chandelier and lights that hang on the walls must be removed in advance. You also need to immediately clean the walls of the old coating to prevent dust from entering the fresh ceiling paint in the future.

Preparation for painting the surface of the ceiling

• Removing old coating. It is easy to get rid of wallpaper on the ceiling using a drill with a special nozzle or a wide spatula. Whitening should be washed off with warm water and roller, which periodically falls into the water, and then rolls across the ceiling. It is necessary to moisten the surface of the ceiling well until the whitening thoroughly gets wet. Wet whitening is then required to be removed with a spatula. After this, the ceiling should be wiped well with a damp rag several times to remove all residual whitewash. If it was applied to the walls, they must also be washed. Tile removal is much simpler, for this you only need a spatula, which will need to tear it off. The remaining adhesive must be washed off with warm water.

• Preliminary inspection and surface treatment. After the old coating is removed, it is necessary to treat the surface. But before that, you need to carefully inspect it in order to find places where the plaster falls off. If such places were found, you need to scrape off the plaster well with a wide spatula, which will greatly facilitate and speed up the work. It is also necessary to check the joints between the ceiling and the wall, for the presence of voids there. This is easy to do with an ordinary screwdriver. If there are voids, they must be thoroughly cleaned, and then coated with putty, otherwise all work at the junction with the wall and on the ceiling itself on the primer and painting will be done poorly.

• Primer. It is not difficult to choose a primer for painting for the ceiling, since it is presented in large quantities on the shelves of markets and shops. The primer is either alkyd or water based. For the primer of the ceiling, a roller and a brush are used, since with their help all existing irregularities can be well treated. If the surface is affected by a fungus, then first you need to make an antiseptic primer, which helps to prevent the appearance and development of bacteria.

The primer of the ceiling is carried out in several stages and before applying each next layer the previous one must completely dry.

• Putty. Proper preparation of the surface for painting includes putty, which allows you to cover up all the cracks and bumps that are there. For very large cracks, it is necessary to stick a reinforcing mesh in order to prevent the appearance of small cracks in this place. After this, you can begin to putty, which is also applied in several layers, not forgetting the junction of the ceiling and wall. Each previous layer must be dry and only then the next layer is applied. All layers of putty should be very thin.

Then the surface of the ceiling needs to be primed again, which can be done with a roller. When the primer dries, a final putty of several layers is performed. This is best done with a wide spatula, which will greatly facilitate all work. After applying the top coat, putty must be allowed to dry, and then you can clean the surface with sandpaper.

After that, the surface of the ceiling will be ready for applying water-based paint, so you can safely start painting it.