# Ceiling Paint



## Frank Steele (Jan 14, 2008)

What is the difference between ceiling paint and regular latex wall paints?


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## canadaclub (Oct 19, 2006)

Cost is one issue. Also, latex wall paints are available in different sheens..eggshell, satin, etc. Personally, if all you need is a flat white, I always use drywall primer. It's flat, covers well and is less expensive.


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## DIYHelper (Feb 28, 2007)

Ceiling paint is formulated merely to cover/hide the old coating and not impart any sheen (generally speaking). Wall paints have to stand up to stains and burnishing, people bumping into them, fingerprints and need to have greater durability. That is why there is such a big difference in price. While a primer may work, I wouldn't recommend it and ceiling paints are pretty cheap anyway. You may spend more time than you need to because primers are built to seal, but not necessarily to hide. Of course, that's just my opinion.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Wall paints are formulated to be on walls, where they need to be more washable, dirt repellent and burnish-resistant (among other things)

With ceiling paint, many of those things aren't necessary, but things like being higher hiding, having less splatter while applying, and having higher adhesive qualities are more important


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## canadaclub (Oct 19, 2006)

I have always been interested in trying the ceiling paint which goes on pink or blue and then turns white but, and I'll be honest with ya's...its like showing up at a new customer's house with all brand new tools, brand new pouch and brand new truck! Sort of lacks the 'craftsman' image. The reality is sometimes I find myself painting in some difficult lighting situations where that type of paint would come in handy.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

*color changing c-paint*

To be honest, I haven't tried it
But I would be remiss not to mention that I have not heard or seen anything good whatsoever about the actual application or finish with that type of paint
Only bad reviews of application and finish problems

Not first hand information I know, and I don't usually pass along hearsay (and won't w/o saying it is hearsay)
But when your dealing with paint on a professional level, and so many DIYers on sites like this, it's a little disconcerting to hear so many overwhelmingly negative reviews

I suppose what makes the paint work as a gimmick, means the actual paint product suffers


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I suppose what makes the paint work as a gimmick, means the actual paint product suffers

There you go, I have tried it (once) the idea was good but the quality not so good. If I remember it took 3 coats to cover on an already white ceiling, hardly worth watching the pink turn white, although the homeowner was intrigued, at least the first time around.


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## amdspitfire (Feb 5, 2008)

ceiling paint is amazing, I'm applying some Behr now and its a lot "stickier" wont drip and goes on so easily. I have heard the ones that apply pink are good too, but I just went with the Behr and the color is a lot nicer than the primer I applied first.


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## GreenContractor (Jan 2, 2008)

It is more than just cost, they are formulated to "stick" to the wall very differently. Ceiling paint is formulated not to drip and covers differently with the change in the formula, so that gravity doesnt get the best of the paint.


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## Frank Steele (Jan 14, 2008)

Lame question here - So why not use it on walls too?


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## GreenContractor (Jan 2, 2008)

usually most people want a different sheen on the walls like eggshell, semi-gloss for trim and flat for ceiling paint


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## End Grain (Nov 17, 2007)

An old painter's trick from years back was to add a few drops of blue colorant to each gallon of ceiling paint. The addition of blue made the white paint appear even whiter and crisper to the human eye.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

dyier said:


> Lame question here - So why not use it on walls too?


Because it is not formulated to repel dirt and dust (as being upside-down gravity does that), is not washable by any means (again no need for that on ceiling), and has horrible wearability (again, not needed on a ceiling)

Technically you could, but you don't want to
(just because you _can_ doesn't mean it's a good idea)
It will be looking pretty poor in short order


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## GearHd6 (Sep 2, 2007)

canadaclub said:


> I have always been interested in trying the ceiling paint which goes on pink or blue and then turns white but, and I'll be honest with ya's...its like showing up at a new customer's house with all brand new tools, brand new pouch and brand new truck! Sort of lacks the 'craftsman' image. The reality is sometimes I find myself painting in some difficult lighting situations where that type of paint would come in handy.


We used the ceiling paint that goes on pink and drys white. That stuff is the best! Its so easy to tell where you've painted and where you havent. We've done all the ceilings in our house with it. Try it, you'll like it! We used the Glidden paint.


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## mikebal (Feb 27, 2008)

Hi All, Regarding the price of ceiling paint, what is the standard price in relation to wall paint? The same? Half as much? More that primer? Less than primer? Also, is there a ceiling primer different from what we would use for walls?


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## DIYHelper (Feb 28, 2007)

mikebal said:


> Hi All, Regarding the price of ceiling paint, what is the standard price in relation to wall paint? The same? Half as much? More that primer? Less than primer? Also, is there a ceiling primer different from what we would use for walls?


If you're buying premium quality stuff...30-40 for the topcoat, 20ish for ceiling paint.

Another thing people don't really know is that good primers will be just as much as paint. They are meant to do completely different things. Primers are NOT just watered down paint, which some people think.

A ceiling primer would be the same as a standard wall primer.


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## kcdave (Jan 19, 2008)

We just painted our basement ceiling and the Sherwin Willians guy gave use some real basic flat wall paint. We painted another area of ceiling a darker color and he gave me Classic 99 flat for it. Bother went on and covered well, although the dark paint required 2 coats (which I figured it would).


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## clmasse (Mar 4, 2008)

Ceiling paints have larger particles in them. flat paints have smaller particles for durability.


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## DIYHelper (Feb 28, 2007)

clmasse said:


> Ceiling paints have larger particles in them. flat paints have smaller particles for durability.


This isn't really the case, although it can be. Durability is a function of the particle size partly, but also the quality of the particle itself. All particles can be formulated to be soft, or can be very hard.

Ceiling paints can have larger particles because that is a feature of the resin that is frequently used for them.


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