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Ceiling Paint vs Regular Paint

15K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  JamesRW 
#1 ·
Painting a ceiling. I had some left over interior white. So I went to Lowe's and asked "what's the diff", and the paint rep said "Ceiling paint is more porous, will let moisture through. If you paint a ceiling with regular interior, the moisture can't get through and you start getting cobwebs with little black balls in the corner of the ceilings".

Any truth to this? I always thought the only diff was ceiling paint was a flatter sheen.
 
#4 ·
Brushjockey, spot on as usual, although I might just disagree about the cheapest paint being ceiling paint and you shouldn't buy it........I love PPG's Ultra ceiling paint and I buy it at Menard's for about 17 dollars. It is dead flat and usually covers in one coat (flat on flat). I was having so much trouble with SW's Brilliance ceiling paint that I had to find something better.......thanks to ChrisN, I did.
 
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#5 ·
It involves the pigment:resin ratio. Quality flat wall paints have more acrylic resin in them to promote wear, washability, etc. Paints designated as ceiling paints have less resin and more filler pigments that make them dead flat so you wont see lap marks on the ceiling. Lapping is more noticeable in critical-light rooms. (Think big or many windows)

Because of less resins, which add to the cost, your lower-line flats are able to be sold at less cost.

You can use wall paint up there, but you may be dealing with flashing andd lapping issues. If you must use it, thin it a little with water to help. Don't exceed the manufacturer's recommendation or you wil get rained on by paint splatter.
 
#2 ·
Totaly wrong.
Your are right, it's just a flat finish.
Rule #1 never take any advice from a box store. If they knew what they were doing why are they work there for low pay?
 
#3 ·
The difference between a ceiling paint and a flat wall paint is that the ceiling paint is supposed to be the flattest finish. No wash at all. The cobweb comment was kinda of off-
You can use a wall flat- but it will still have a bit of angular sheen. On some ceilings that can make a difference.
And a quality ceiling paint isn't cheap. if the cheapest thing they have is ceiling paint, count on it also being the worst product on the shelf.
 
#10 ·
LOL! I'm standing there thinking "but do I *want* moisture to go through my paint, into the sheetrock and maybe into the airspace of the next floor, I mean, isn't that a bad thing?"

Thanks to everyone who contributed! Sometimes I hold back on here thinking someone will rake me over the coals for a real dumb question. But usually the people here are really kind. It's appreciated from a fairly newbie DIYer.
 
#20 ·
JeffNC, Brilliance was supposed to be the reformulated Classic 99 Ceiling paint. I loved the Classic 99. For me, if I'm covering flat white with flat white I expect one coat to do the job, at the most 2 coats.......Brilliance just doesn't get it done for me. I get lap marks, poor coverage, etc., you get the picture. ChrisN got me hooked on the PPG Ultra. I was skeptical at first but after doing a couple ceilings with it, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Covered in one coat. Clean, white, no angular sheen. I was very happy. I'm not saying it works for every painter out there, but, it has worked for me.
 
#24 ·
Good information to know regarding ceiling paint!

I haven't tried the SW Brilliance, but had similar issues with BM Muresco @$32 gal.

I am repainting all the ceilings in my home, and ended up using Zinsser Ceiling Paint ($20 per gal.) from Menards. It also has the "pink" that turns to white, so visually that really helps!
 
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