How To Get Paint Off Ceiling

There's definitely not just one way to paint a ceiling. Even if you favor classic white, there are as many subtle shades to choose from for your ceiling as there are for your walls. And if you overlook these options, you might make a mistake that stays with you for years. Here are some tips for choosing a ceiling paint color that will best coordinate with your look, whether you want your ceiling to blend in, coordinate or contrast with your walls.

1. White Ceilings

A crisp white paint is probably the most popular option for ceilings, and it's not a bad safe-bet choice. But painting your ceiling white isn't always as simple as buying a few cans of untinted paint and calling it a day.

In spaces that have bright white walls with no particular undertones, a similarly untinted white for the ceiling can work well to give a sense of gallery-like seamlessness.

However, if your walls aren't pure white, you should consider how the tones of the two surfaces will look next to each other — and whether your ceiling paint should be matching, contrasting or somewhere in between.

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2. Ceilings That Match the Walls

If you're using an off-white or an otherwise very pale color for the walls, the simplest solution is to use the same color on the ceiling. In this example, you can see that the walls and ceiling are all the same white shade, carrying just a hint of creamy warmth.

Using one shade for the walls and the ceiling deemphasizes the points where different surfaces meet and puts the visual emphasis on other features such as furnishings, architectural elements and art.

This holds true even if there are bright white moldings breaking up the walls and ceiling. The ceiling still blends away and the eye is better able to take in the moldings.

Overall, using the same pale neutral for the walls and ceiling gives a sense of serenity and welcome, especially when used throughout the entire home for a sense of continuity.

However, the richer the color you choose, the more it can begin to shrink the space when applied to the ceiling. If you have a tall room or want the space to feel cozy, this isn't a bad thing. But if you're going darker with your walls or your wall hue isn't so neutral, you may want to consider some other options.

See 11 tricks to make your ceiling look taller

3. Ceilings Tinted to Coordinate With the Walls

Whether you're using a rich neutral or a bright hue, you can make sure the ceiling color coordinates well by tinting it with just a little bit of the wall color. For example, if you're using a rich buttery cream for the walls, choose a ceiling white that's tinted with just a bit of the same yellowy undertone.

There are a few ways to approach this. One is to literally pour a little bit of the wall paint into a can of white ceiling paint, stir thoroughly and use this as the new tinted shade.

However, that method has a few issues. One, you can't easily predict how the shade will turn out. On first try it will likely be either barely tinted or too dark, and it can take a lot of remixing to get it right.

Second, you'll never be able to get a second can of the exact same shade, either for future touch-ups or because you ran out of the first batch partway through painting.

The better option is to choose a pale color from the same family, often the palest option on the same paint chip. If you choose what's essentially just a much lighter shade of your wall hue, you'll be virtually guaranteed to get a coordinated look.

For bold hues, you may not be able to simply choose an off-white from the same paint chip. But you can speak with a design professional or knowledgeable paint store associate to create a custom formulation based on the tints going into your wall hue.

This way the formula will be recorded and you'll be able to re-create it. And if you swatch it at home and decide it doesn't work, it can be adjusted much more easily than a DIY concoction.

4. Ceilings Darker Than the Walls

The idea of tinting paints to match can work in reverse as well. In this dining room, the dark paint treatment in the ceiling cove highlights the architecture and makes the room feel more intimate.

But this accent shade wasn't chosen at random. The hue carries similar tones to ones found in the wallpaper, as well as the white trim color of the doors and moldings. The slightly warm trim shade was likely chosen from the same color family as the ceiling, at the same time, so no features subtly clash.

Contrasting the walls in darkness, but not in color undertone, creates a very livable effect. For this reason, a very neutral gray is a great choice for anyone who likes the idea of doing a dark ceiling but doesn't want to take a big color risk (especially in an area that isn't as easy to repaint as a typical wall).

Unfortunately, a truly neutral gray can be tricky to choose in the store. Often colors will look a bit purple, blue or brown when applied at home. For this reason, it's always wise to choose a few options and swatch them at home, or order oversized swatches to see the color at a better scale before committing.

5. Ceilings as a True Accent

Of course, sometimes a ceiling can be beautiful in a hue that completely contrasts with the walls. The entryway shown here has an icy pale blue in the ceiling coves and a somewhat warm white for the walls, so they certainly don't match. Coordinating colors like this isn't an exact science, but you can use several approaches to help.

One is to swatch all of the colors being considered together as stripes on a long plank to see how shades look next to each other. Starting with a recommended pairing from a paint line can help, but seeing the hues at home in your ambient light will reveal how they look together in real life.

See the right way to test paint colors

A second tip is to pick up the ceiling hue from another accent you already have. Here, the ceiling color repeats one of the colors in the wall treatment, which then is also used for the blank wall.

You could also look to fabrics or art to find a shade to replicate. Just keep in mind that this hue will be in an attention-grabbing spot when on the ceiling, so choose the most neutral shade in the inspiration piece to keep the room looking put-together rather than loud.

6. Crisp White Ceilings for Contrast

While we're talking about contrasting ceilings, let's go back to where we started: pure white. In spaces with a lot of fresh white in other elements, such as white linens or other accents, a pure white ceiling can be perfect, despite not "matching" the wall tone.

In this example, you can see how the faintly beige wall and bright white ceiling contrast. This makes the wall color stand out more and gives a sense of freshness that works well to bring a contemporary edge to this traditional townhouse.

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