How to paint a vaulted ceiling without scaffolding.
Just me and my very long pole.
Okay, and a rickety, ancient small wooden ladder …
So here’s my “tutorial” of sorts …
1. Furniture and stuff moved. Check.
2. Holes spackled. Check.
3. Drop cloths dropped. Check.
4. Ceiling Swiffered. Check.
5. Run out of excuses to get started. Check.
After I worked my way out of this corner, I needed a serious break …
… and started to wonder if I perhaps had bitten off a bit more than I could chew …
That whole craning my neck backwards while inhaling paint fumes was quite the dizzying experience.
When I got back to work, I decided that I should probably tackle the dreaded “cutting in” before my arms turned into wet noodles …
… in helping me do this …
Let me tell you, that was pretty backbreaking work …
… and necessitated another break and a giant glass of water.
When I reached this point, I was ready to throw in the towel and reach for the Yellow Pages …
But after another break. A little TV time with Ellen. And some nourishment, I charged right back in …
… and at the end of the day, I am proud to say that I successfully turned this impossibility …
Into this possibility …
My husband approves and says it looks like the sky. The kids love the color and my daughter … a future HGTV design star … tells me it makes the room feel so much warmer and cozier.
Though, I do have a little secret …
… you see …
… as I was revisiting the fabrics and plans I envisioned for the room four years ago I came across this…
And with dreams of bead board in my head, I didn’t take that blue hue all the way to the floor …
… but instead added a new “impossibility” to this project in the form of bead board wallpaper and cap molding …
I’ve never wallpapered before. This should be interesting.
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Wow Linda! My neck and shoulders hurt just reading this post. It truly did come out so great, I love the color and am impressed you did it with that little ladder. We have one of those and refer to it as our “death trap”. haha
This journey has been sooo fun to be a part of, I’m glad we did it together!!
FABULOUS!!!! What an incredible job!!! I can’t imagine doing this! The end results are picture perfect …love the color…just a fabulous and wonderful accomplishment!!!! It was such a great experience working with you and so glad that I have a new friend! Hugs!
I HATE painting ceilings! I can’t imagine painting that ceiling, eek. Great job; the color looks beautiful, and I am looking forward to seeing the wallpaper. I am still working on my impossible project…hopefully I complete it by 7 AM. 😉
You deserve a massage and a cocktail (or two)!! The color is fantastic and love that it covers the whole ceiling too. Me thinks it was definitely worth the effort – bring that pole and those attachments to my house – what’s your hourly rate?! Can’t wait to see the breadboard wallpaper (sometime this year please)!!!
Kelly
Congratulations! It looks beautiful! HUGE accomplishment. The bead board will look GORGEOUS.
Great job!
When I get one of those arm-wrenching projects I always try to tell myself I’ll look better in sleeveless for it! Ceiling looks great and bead board can never hurt!
O.M.G. woman!!!!! I have no doubt in my mind if you could paint that ceiling you can hang wallpaper! Your challenge was a challenge for ANYONE!!!! And you dominated!!!!
Don’t you dare take till 2013 to finish, this is going to look awesome and I want to see it long before then.
You ruled the ceiling, oh yeah, you rocked the paintbrush, oh yeah, go Linda, go Linda……..
~Bliss~
that looks fabulous! But I have my doubts about the wallpaper. After spending 6 weeks stripping down wallpaper from our current house, I absolutely detest the stuff. Maybe we need a year of impossibilities challenge 🙂 One project a month ha ha ha perfect motivation!
This turned out so great…that is a Big project! Can’t wait to see the beadboard, too!
Linda, this is just fabulous. My office has a big vaulted ceiling and I have been umming and arrhing about painting it for a while. Going to tackle it soon. By the way what was the name of the color you used?
This turned out great Linda! Go girl!
omigosh! really great job, love the color…it does look like dreamy sky! that’s a cool tool you used. i have a staircase hall i want to paint and that could come in handy for the high ceiling and cutting in. the bead board wallpaper is going to look great with the wall color too…looking forward to seeing it all done!
so so light and bright and PRETTY!
Congratulations – you did it !!! What a great (although neck-aching and back-breaking) job and love that hue of blue xxx
I’ll be there tomorrow – did I do it too ???
Wow, and it took us 3 ladders and your ceiling looks even taller. Don’t try this once you get bifocals. Congratulations.
It looks great – I love the color you picked! Congrats on getting it done. 🙂 Can’t wait to see it with the bead board too – it’ll be gorgeous! Looking forward to linking up tomorrow…
Lizzie
Linda, congratulations! You did it! I am so grateful to you and the others for sponsoring the Impossibilities challenge! Everyone has gone above and beyond what they thought! Maybe you should host this more than once a year, since I have a lot more challenges that don’t need to wait another year! Blessings from Bama!
Great job! It looks awesome! And thanks for the tip about the attachment. We have high ceilings in our house and I know they will be a pain to paint. I finished my impossible project last night! http://www.attemptsatdomestication.com/call-me-kim-possible/
It is so lovely. The color is perfect, and I can’t wait to see it with the beadboard wallpaper!
Yay, Linda! Amazing job! It really looks great. Post the great wallpaper adventure BEFORE 2013, please!
That looks so pretty!! I can’t believe you were able to do it with just the rickety old ladder!!
You did the hardest part and did it well. I painted walls in a room with 16′ peak ceilings, but didn’t do the ceiling. That had been done when a contractor doing our roof fell through the ceiling, making a hole they had to patch and sprayed the ceiling. Ready to be sprayed again, no. more. sand-texture-that-came-out-popcorn!! Proud? You should be!
Janet
I hope you get a great neck massage after all that. Looks wonderful and I love the color!
Goodness me! I hate decorating and so I stand absolutely awestruck at how you got on and did this. I love the colour you chose – and your husband’s right…it does look like sky! You could have put some little fluffy white clouds up there!!
I look forward to seeing your beautiful bedroom when it is all completed.
I would say you should pat yourself on the back, but I am afraid that as stiff as your neck, shoulders and back are after that project it would be another impossibility. And you probably aren’t quite ready to imagine another one quite this quickly!
Oh boy – wallpaper! Are you in for a TREAT! I did it ONCE and learned my lesson!
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Love that color! The hard fought battle was definitely worth it.
That makes me tired just looking at it! Great job!! It looks beautiful!
Great job on a huge paint project. I’ve used that little brush attachment before and it’s so helpful. Before we had that gadget we duct-taped a “hockey stick” paintbrush to an extension pole. It worked, but looked hilarious.
I hung that beadboard wallpaper in our basement bathroom (over paneling) a couple of years ago. It’s easy…no matching. And it really looks like beadboard. Good luck! So glad I found your blog.
Angie
I hate painting REGULAR ceilings…What an accomplishment! Can’t wait to see when the room is finished, now that you’ve shared your inspiration photo.
Wow, that is one doozy of a ceiling to paint! I love the new color!! It looks fantastic! Thanks so much for hosting the challenge!!
Great job! You did it, so proud of you!
~Misty
http://www.413sparrowlane.com
You did it!!! Oh my gosh, that ceiling (and ladder while we’re on the subject) looks terrifying. I can’t believe you were able to paint all those cooky angles with just a long reach brush. I’m so thankful you didn’t get your head and arm permanently stuck in a right angle position.
The bead board will make the room totally POP once you’re finished. Can’t wait to see that all done. But for now just rejoice in the painting job! Congrats!
That looks fa.bu.lous!!! And with the bead-board wallpaper,it is going to be very beautiful. I can see that was a humongous challenge, but you met it and conquered it!!! Good for you.
Hugs, cindy
Well done … the room looks so fresh now!
Oh my what a job! Looks awesome though. Thanks for sharing with my newbie party.
beautiful color! i love the bead board wallpaper idea–it will be wonderful:)
It looks awesome! I love that you are going to add beadboard wallpaper to it!!!
Thanks for linking up!
–Katie
@ Creatively Living
Being a woman who HATES to paint – anything – except maybe gourds – I am in awe of your success! I painted a whole interior of a house once. Never again! But it does make me qualified to to say “job well done” and to have some idea of all those pains and hurts you talked about!
You will LOVE playing with wallpaper! Honestly you will! Just be sure to start using a plumb bob in the middle of any wall and you are on your way to a beautiful job!
You did it! WOW! It’s fabulous, Linda! I can’t wait to see more! 🙂
As a short person, this definitely caught my eye. My neck almost began to hurt reading about it, but was totally soothed by that beautiful blue paint.
All worth it.
Thanks for the peek ~
Mary @ Sea Quilts
Great job- I love the color and how it turned out- can’t wait to see the finished product with your bead board wallpaper!
Looks tricky, but a really terrific job! Thank you for sharing at Potpourri Friday!
I’m just now seeing this… If you can do that, then I can paint the walls up my stairs…
Again. My husband is not going to be thanking you…
OMG I have that same wallpaper that has been sitting in my garage for almost 2 years bc I am afraid of it. Well it and the whole wallpapering thing.
Please, oh please, come to the burbs and help me!!
We could drink wine!
And eat goodies!!
I came across this page while looking for tips on cutting in paint on a high ceiling. You did a great job on yours and that shade of blue you picked looks lovely. How were you able to cut in around the fan base without getting errant paint on the base?
I’m pretty sure I got paint on the fan base, but it’s just so high up you really can’t see it!