If you are reading this then you are most likely doing your research before attempting to spray your exposed ceiling. Let me first say that this project is not hard, it is just tedious and you may want to cry a few times.
The project quickly becomes overwhelming and you question why you started this in the first place. But, it is worth the end result and it gets better as you get the hang of the project and if you basically avoid all the mistakes that I made.
Even though I made just about every mistake possible, I started to enjoy working with the paint sprayer toward the end of the project. I feel more confident in using this tool and I would definitely use it again for other projects despite the tears shed during my first project.
Starting the Project Too Late in the Day
This can be a big problem, especially if you are working in a basement with very little natural lighting. If you start this project too late in the day, you will quickly run out of light in the back half of your basement that doesn’t have a window.
I made this mistake on day 1 of my project because I was eager to get started spraying the ceiling. I didn’t realize how long it would take me to cover the walls and set up the paint sprayer. After I finally understood how to use the paint sprayer, there was very little lighting coming into my basement and I already removed the bulbs from the recessed lighting.
When spraying a basement ceiling, the recessed light bulbs are removed so you can easily spray the outside of the light fixture. I recommend starting early in the day and using a portable light to brighten up the area that you are painting.
Get to Know your Paint Sprayer
Before jumping into this project, get to know every detail of the paint sprayer that you are working with. Make sure you understand how everything operates to keep yourself safe and avoid mistakes. Watch videos on your paint sprayer to clear up an confusion before attempting this project.
Leaving the Windows Open on a Windy Day
I thought it would make sense to open the basement windows to help ventilate the area while I sprayed the exposed ceiling. Well, I didn’t consider that it was windy and that the paint would blow all over the basement.
The black ceiling paint that I was working with acted as a dry fall paint because it turned into a black dust and blew all over the place. Leaving my basement covered in black dust, like seriously covered. Things that were covered by plastic were completely covered in a thick layer of black dust because the wind was blowing the plastic around.
It is important to work in a ventilated area, but make sure that the winds aren’t high the day of your project.
Basement Door Opened
Remember how I just said ventilation is important? Well, I left my basement door opened thinking that would be the safest thing to do and I also opened the window upstairs above my basement window that was opened.
I took a break from the project about half way through and noticed black dust footprints on my kitchen floor. Then I noticed a layer of black dust on my kitchen counter, then my stair handrail, then my tv remote, then my coffee table, and literally everything else that I touched upstairs!
The same black dust from my basement made its way upstairs and covered almost every inch of the space. Since the windows and basement door was opened, I believe the dust swirled around through the window and through the basement door.
It was a nightmare! I broke down in tears with panicked thoughts of lead and other crazy things. After I put my kids to bed, I stayed up late into the night trying to remove as much dust as I could.
I even took the next day off to steam clean couches, rugs, and deep clean everything in the main living area. I was so paranoid that I even purchased an air purifier to make sure it was safe.
I was so scared to start the project again thinking it would stir up more dust. This time I made sure to keep the door and windows closed when finishing the rest of the project. Thankfully the dust didn’t make it up stairs this time!
Close All Vents and Turn off HVAC
Make sure to turn off the HVAC system and close all vents to avoid dust from entering into your upstairs. I managed to get this step right during my project, but it didn’t matter because I was working in windy conditions.
Wearing the Incorrect Mask
I highly recommend wearing a respirator for this project because the paint blows more than you realize. You don’t want to breathe in the paint fumes and have paint all over your face from a faulty mask. So, spend the money on a respirator to properly protect yourself.
Purchase Multiple Safety Glasses
Your face will be covered in black paint when you paint an exposed ceiling. Even if you try to stand further back, you end up getting covered in paint. Your safety glasses will be totally black after half of your basement ceiling is painted. I recommend purchasing about 3-4 plastic safety goggles, so you can swap out goggles as they lose visibility.
Incorrect Paint Suit Size
I purchased an XL size paint suit for this project because that was all that was available at the store. I am typically a size small in clothing, so this XL paint suit was swimming on me. I had a ton of extra material that I was constantly pulling up and tripping over.
A few times I didn’t realize how much material was beneath my feet, and I tripped up the ladder. So, make sure to purchase the right size suit or you could trip and get seriously hurt during the project.
Wall and Floor Protection
It is worth the time to properly protect the walls and floors during this project. I rushed to protect the walls and didn’t carefully cover the basement opening to the upstairs good enough. I also, decided to pass on protecting the floors because I was going to put new flooring down in a few months after a contractor came.
Since I didn’t properly protect the walls and the entrance of the basement, the black dust made its way up the stairs and paint splattered down some areas of the wall. The floor looked like a seen out of a horror movie and wasn’t useable after the project. I was afraid the black paint would chip off the floor if my kids were to play with toys or walk on the basement floor.
We weren’t ready to put the laminate flooring down just yet because our contractor wasn’t coming for a few months. So, I vacuumed and mopped the basement floor 3 times to remove as must dust as I could and repainted the concrete to seal the black paint.
Remove as Much Stuff as Possible
It is exhausting to move stuff from the basement before this project, but I can’t stress enough the importance of removing as much as possible. No matter how well you think you prepped the space, the paint dust seems to find its way onto your things.
If you can’t remove everything try to cover it as best you can and be mindful when working in that space with the paint sprayer.
Leaving your Mouth Open When Showering
Okay, this is a weird one but your face will have a ton of black paint on it after the project. Even if you wore a paint suit, safety glasses, and respirator. I made the mistake of taking a shower after the project and leaving my mouth open while I washed my face.
The paint washed off of my face and I ended up swallow black paint since my mouth was opened. I was coughing up black paint for a couple of hours after. Thankfully it went away quickly, but keep your mouth closed when showering after this project!
Move Your Whole Arm While Spraying
During the project make sure to move your entire arm when moving the paint sprayer across the ceiling. You want to avoid just moving your wrist because you can easily injure your wrist from the pressure of the paint sprayer.
I ended up with tingling and numbness in both wrist for a month after this project. It could of been from all of the deep cleaning on top of the paint spraying, but make sure to move your entire arm instead of bending your wrists.
Use a Good Quality Paint
The first paint that I used was very messy, didn’t provide great coverage, and was not easy to wipe clean. In fact the paint shipped off in some areas when I tried to dust the ceiling.
I highly recommend using Behr’s Flat Ceiling paint in the color Blackout to spray your basement ceiling. This paint was much easier to work with, provided great coverage, and is more durable. If I used this paint, I might of been able to use a couple less cans of paint.
Not Enough Paint
I recommend purchasing a couple of extra gallons of black ceiling paint for this project because there is nothing worse than being mid spray and you run out of paint. True story, that happened to me.
I was on the last half of the basement and ran out of paint with very little daylight left. I raced to Lowe’s still covered in paint for 2 more gallons to finish the project before the sunset.
So, if you think you need 8 gallons purchase 10 to be safe. The paint goes faster that you think when painting an exposed ceiling because there are so many nooks and crannies that you have to get into.
Conclusion
I hope these mistakes don’t scare you away from trying this DIY project. My goal is to be honest with you and let you know how terrible this project can be if you make the same mistakes.
While this project was stressful and some unplanned things happened, I would definitely use the paint sprayer again. I now learned every possible mistake during this project and I feel confident that I can spray another exposed ceiling without all the dust and paint splatters.