Basement Ceiling Painting

in Lancaster, NY

Spraying a basement ceiling is something that we are doing more of. Takes a bit of preparation due to the nature of painting the ceiling. All can lights, pendent lights, smoke detectors, shut-off valves ect need to be covered. Plastic and tape from the ceiling to the floor. Anything not being painted must be covered. This particular job required 4 rolls of green and blue tape.

The easiest and fastest way to paint a basement ceiling is to spray it with an airless sprayer. It takes paint (Dryfall) that has the consistency of pancake batter, atomizes it and sprays it onto the surface.

When doing black, we will often do 2-3 coats due to the inability to see. We use lots of light, however you always get holidays (skips). We have learned through experience, its best to do multiple coats over multiple days to ensure we get uniform coverage, with out the drips. If you apply too much paint, it will begin to sag, run and drip (bad)

When we are doing a basement ceiling, we ask the homeowner to limit or avoid incursion into the work area completely. This is due to the amount of plastic sheeting that is involved as well as the prep. You will notice that the plastic is tucked under our cloth drops, This prevents the plastic from being blown around when spraying. If the homeowner comes down for a sneak peak, and tears a hole in the plastic, that entire area will need to be taped and redone to prevent overspray onto anything no one wants painted. Plus, the product we are using will permanently stain clothing. Its on the drops, the plastic ect.

Here is Ms. Stacy in her Tyvek suit spraying the ceiling

Dryfall is a interesting product in the fact that it sprays on wet, and then dries almost instantly. What is nice about it is that it has decent coverage, and is easy to apply with consistent results. It was originally designed for industrial applications - factory ceilings, but has become popular among homeowners looking to finish their basement ceilings with out the expense of using drywall.
Your color choices are: White or Black.

Being a water based product, there is no smell.

The black is recommended over the white, as it gives a more rich cozy feel to the space. The white typically requires a primer coat first, to seal in stains and knots. With the black, such staining goes unnoticed.

All done