How do I paint a ceiling without making a mess?

Order of work, roller technique and the preparation that keeps paint on the ceiling rather than on everything below.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 3 hr
Read: 2 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Do the ceiling before the walls, cut in the edges with a brush first, then roll in overlapping strips working away from the window. Use a roller with a decent nap, do not overload it, and use an extension pole rather than a ladder where you can.

Ceilings are unforgiving because you see them at a shallow angle in raking light, which shows every missed patch and roller line. The technique is not difficult but the sequence matters, and so does not overloading the roller.

Safety

Work from a stable platform or step ladder on a level surface, never from a chair or the top step of a ladder. Do not overreach — move the ladder instead. Wear eye protection, since ceiling painting drips into your face.

What you'll need

Roller and extension pole
Brush for cutting in
Dust sheets
Ceiling paint
Step ladder (optional)
Eye protection (optional)

Step by step

Clear the room and cover everything.Ceiling painting spatters much further than wall painting. Cover the whole floor and anything you cannot move.
Do the ceiling before the walls and woodwork.Always. Splashes onto unfinished walls do not matter; splashes onto a finished wall mean repainting it.
Fill cracks and sand any flaking areas.Ceiling cracks along joints are common. Fill, sand flat and spot-prime bare patches, otherwise they show through.
Cut in the edges with a brush, about 50mm wide.All round the perimeter and around light fittings. This is what lets you roll without hitting the walls.
Load the roller properly and do not overload it.Roll it out in the tray until evenly coated. An overloaded roller drips onto you and leaves ridges.
Roll in overlapping strips, working away from the main window.Working away from the light source lets you see wet edge and missed areas as you go.
Keep a wet edge and work in a continuous sequence.Do not stop halfway across a ceiling. Dried edges overlapped later show as a visible line.
Apply a second coat once the first is fully dry.Roll the second coat at right angles to the first for a more uniform finish.

Tips

An extension pole is far better than a ladder — you work faster, more evenly, and without constantly climbing down to move.
Ceiling paint often comes with a colour that fades as it dries, which shows you exactly where you have been. It is genuinely useful on a white-on-white job.
Wear a hat and eye protection. Ceiling painting drips, and paint in the eye ends the afternoon.

Common mistakes

Painting walls before the ceiling — Ceiling work spatters onto the walls, and you end up repainting them.
Overloading the roller — It drips, leaves heavy ridges and gives an uneven finish that shows badly in raking light.
Stopping halfway across a ceiling — The edge dries and the overlap shows permanently as a line. Finish the whole ceiling in one go.

Questions people ask

Do I paint the ceiling or the walls first?

Always the ceiling first. It spatters onto the walls, which does not matter if the walls are not yet painted — and matters a great deal if they are.

How do I avoid roller marks on a ceiling?

Keep a wet edge, work in overlapping strips away from the window, do not overload the roller, and apply the second coat at right angles to the first.