How to paint a ceiling plinth

Ceiling skirting boards, baguettes are an important detail that completes the finishing of the ceiling. This is not just a decorative element, but also a way to hide the joint between wall and ceiling coverings. Our tips site will tell you how to paint the ceiling plinth correctly, giving the entire sequence of actions and giving useful tips.

The portal has already written about how a ceiling plinth can look in the interior of a room. We talked about the correct cutting of baguettes, and about skirting boards for a stretch ceiling. Now it’s time to talk about painting this piece of finishing the room.

Important! In this article, we will focus specifically on foam baseboards. They are now the most popular due to their low price and richness of choice. They must be painted! Even if you decide to leave the baguettes white, you still need to go over the foam with that color. Painting will prevent foam skirting boards from yellowing, extend their lifespan and make them look more presentable.

First you need to choose a paint. Almost any option is suitable for ceiling plinths:

• Acrylic paints, one of the most durable.
• Polyvinyl acetate. Not a bad option, but only for rooms with low humidity levels.
• Latex. Waterproof, cleanable, abrasion resistant but may fade in the sun.
• Water-based. The most popular option. Inexpensive, easy to apply, durable enough.
• Do not forget to choose a color scheme for your paint so that the color matches the style of the interior, wall and ceiling decoration, and goes well with them.

Important! Baguettes are traditionally painted after they have been glued to the junction of the wall and ceiling. Only after all the seams and cracks have been repaired, you can proceed to painting. If you paint the skirting boards before installing them on the ceiling, the coating may be damaged, leaving fingerprints, putty or adhesive on the baguette. And the connections will remain visible.

In order to paint the skirting board, no special skills or tools are needed. A roller will not work because the surface of the baguette is uneven and usually quite narrow. Paint brushes of different sizes should be used depending on the width of the skirting board. Dilute the required amount of paint in advance with a color scheme, preferably with a margin, because if it is not enough, it will be difficult to choose exactly the same tone. Mix the paint and color carefully, you can just use a thin wooden stick.

You can start:

• Do not forget to remove the rest of the filler on which the baguette is attached with a damp sponge. You need to wait at least a day, or preferably two, until the composition dries and the plinth is securely fixed to the wall.
• It will not hurt to apply a primer to improve adhesion and reduce paint consumption. The primer is purchased for the selected type of paint.
• When the primer is dry, proceed to painting work, having previously protected the floor from paint, and also using masking tape to protect the ceiling and walls if they have already been finished..

Important! Even among experts, there is a debate about what is first glued to the walls – a baseboard or a baguette. Most professionals still advise you to first mount the foam baseboard on the putty, paint it, and only then glue the wallpaper on the walls under the ruler, cutting off the excess with the sharpest knife. Otherwise, the wallpaper may be damaged when installing the skirting board. Although, in the reverse sequence of actions, the baguette will reliably hide the unevenness of the upper edge of the wallpaper. You decide.

• Apply the paint along the plinth with light strokes. You don’t need to paint a lot on the brush – there will be splashes.
• Be sure to need a second coat of paint, which is applied after the first has dried. Water-based paints dry the fastest, so in this case the work can be done in one day.

Important! If the plinth is mounted under a stretch ceiling, a narrow gap remains between them, because the baguette is attached only to the wall, and not to the canvas. You can protect a stretch ceiling by simply inserting a sheet of paper into this slot and moving it as you paint. If the paint does get on the canvas, it must be promptly wiped with a wet sponge until the traces are dry.

In general, the process of painting foam ceiling skirting boards is simple. The choice of paints and shades is very large, it is important to choose a high-quality composition and comfortable brushes. Difficulties can arise if a baguette with an ornament, relief and it is decided to highlight it with paint. In this case, it actually turns out to be painted with a thin brush, you will have to work extremely carefully.