While in the process of giving the patio a facelift, I kept feeling like I was not achieving the look I wanted. I wanted a bright area, with bold lines, and to be clean and inviting. As I was closing in on the completion of all the projects, it still felt a little “dark”. Then I had my epiphany. It was the ceiling. The ceiling and the walls were the same beige color. Granted it was not a dark color, but having all the walls and the ceiling the same boring color, made it feel like a cave.
The only problem with painting the ceiling posed, was that the corner where the ceiling and the walls met, was very bumpy. No matter the brand of tape or how steady my hand I was not able to create the appearance of a straight line. Depending on your vantage point the appearance of the line changed. Well that was not going to work.
Then, another *lightbulb*, I decided to add molding and trim out the ceiling. It was perfect, it would give me a straight line, as well bring in more white paint color.
So here is what I did. : I used primed MDF finger board. This can be purchased at many lumber stores.
Because I would be installing the molding onto a stucco finish I would need to use a masonry bit and masonry screws.
You will need to pre-drill your holes into the stucco using the masonry bit. I would suggest having someones help hold the molding in place while pre-drilling the hole. ( It can take a good amount of work to drill through stucco/concrete. Once pre-drilled, use masonry screws to secure .
At this point there will be very large holes where the screws were places. Fill holes, and then smooth and or sand.
Once the filler is dry, follow up with primer so that the filler will properly take paint.
As I previously mentioned there wall surface is very bumpy, so even when the trim was screwed to the stucco it left tiny little gaps. I went through and using paint-able caulk filled all the gaps.
Once the caulk and primer has dried , follow up with paint. This is obviously an outdoor space, and so I would need to use an exterior paint.
The only thing left to fix (as far as the ceiling goes) was the awful light. Luck would have it that I found the EXACT same light fixture that I had hanging in my front entry! I had purchased both lights on separate occasions from thrift stores! So for $6 I had a new light fixture!
You can read all about how to makeover the light fixture here.
I added one of these fancy- schmancy ceiling medallions for $8. (They really do add a lot to the look. So worth it!)
That pretty much sums it up. This may not have been a super fun tutorial but , bottom line is, that painting a ceiling white can brighten up any room! As with this case, it made a huge difference. So when decorating a space don’t forget that the ceiling a large percentage of the surface space in a room. Don’t neglect it!
