Cathedral ceilings also known as vaulted ceilings instantly lend to a sense of spaciousness and character in a room. You want people to look up in awe. Sure, it won’t exactly be the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel they’re staring up at, but that’s no reason that your vaulted ceiling can’t be impressive in its own right.

Where things go from impressive to problematic for some homeowners, however, is trying to figure out how to paint that ceiling. While its height may be a big plus from a spaciousness and aesthetic standpoint, that nevertheless makes it harder to paint than lower ceilings. Still, you can get the job done with these tips for painting a cathedral (aka vaulted) ceiling.

Get a Tall Roller

You may not be a roller at a craps table, but you’ll want a roller that can reach high up towards your ceiling. In the case of a cathedral ceiling, you are talking about a roller of at least 18 inches in length.

Get an Extending Pole

That alone might not be enough. Additionally, you might want to extend existing painting poles and rollers even further. That’s why you’re going to want to look into getting extending poles, as well as poles which can add extended length to your existing poles.

Do the Molding Before the Ceiling

There are a couple of reasons for getting this done before the ceiling itself. First, you want to be sure that you have these cleaned and completed at the end of the process as well, and you don’t want there to be any splatter. That means painting these ahead of time and then taping them so as to prevent splatter while you are painting your ceiling. Second, painting the molding and trim around your ceiling gives you a nice border in which to work, helping you to keep your ceiling painting neat and clean.

Clean and Use New Rollers and Brushes for Your Ceiling

One of the most common mistakes people make when painting their ceiling – vaulted, cathedral, or otherwise – is assuming they can go straight from painting the walls and molding into the ceiling. You want to avoid this, as it’s a fast way to transfer whatever dirt, grime, or paint remnants there may be on your brush onto your ceiling, where they can be quite difficult to remove.

Instead, be sure to clean your rollers and brushes before beginning your ceiling. You’ll also want to be sure you’re using a fresh tub or pan of paint as well. Dip the roller or bush into the paint, use the extension poles where necessary, climb a ladder if needed (and be sure it is secured in place) and begin painting. You should apply at least a couple coats of paint to ensure that everything is clean, even, and will remain that way for some time.

With these tips, no matter the height, you’ll be able to paint your vaulted ceiling with ease.