A metallic ceiling can lend charm and style to any room, but the cost and work might not be something you are prepared to invest. Instead of installing an actual metal ceiling, fake it with faux metal tile wallpaper and metallic paint. A weekend of papering and painting the ceiling can give you the same striking look for just a fraction of the work and budget required for installing a real metal ceiling.
Instructions
Prepare the Ceiling
1. Lay drop cloths down to protect your floor. Put on a dust mask, eye protection and work gloves. Set up a ladder.
2. Climb the ladder and prepare the ceiling one section at a time. Scrape off any peeling or cracked paint. Fill cracks with joint compound. Sand the ceiling smooth. Vacuum the ceiling and wipe it with a damp rag and a bleach-based spray cleaner.
3. Apply an acrylic primer/sealer to the ceiling with a paint roller and allow it to dry for 24 hours.
4. Brush a thin layer of wallpaper paste all over the ceiling and allow it to dry. This will help with adhesion when you try to hang the paper.
5. Determine which way you want the strips of wallpaper to run along the ceiling. Set out some milk crates with the open side facing down under the length of ceiling where the first strip will go. Lay a piece of plywood or a wide board over the milk crates to create a walkway to help you reach the ceiling.
6. Go to the corner of the room in which you want to start hanging your first strip. Measure 20 inches from the edge of the ceiling wall to which the first piece of paper will run parallel. Have a friend hold one end of a exactly 20 inches from the edge, then go to the other end of the room and hold the other end of the chalk line. Snap the chalk line to create a straight guide line for the first piece.
Papering and Painting the Ceiling
7. Measure the length and width of the ceiling and multiply it to determine the square footage. Add about 10 percent to allow for excess and purchase enough rolls to cover the square footage you have.
8. Set up a long table. Roll out and cut the first length of wallpaper so it's long enough to extend the length of the wall, plus 3 inches for overlap. Lay the piece face-down on the worktable.
9. Brush a generous, even layer of wallpaper paste on the back of the piece of wallpaper. Allow the adhesive to set for about 10 minutes.
10. Fold the wallpaper by folding back one short edge, pasted side to pasted side, to the center of the piece. Fold back the opposite edge the same way to meet in the middle. Bring the paper and step up on the walkway.
11. Unfold one edge and paste it to the wall, allowing for about an inch of overhang. Line up one edge to the chalk line and allow the other edge to overlap the corner where the ceiling meets the wall.
12. Smooth it with a wallpaper brush, being careful not to crush the texture in the paper. Continue pressing it and smoothing it onto the ceiling as you walk across the room on the walkway. When you reach the center, unfold the opposite side and work your way to the wall at the other end of the room. Make sure the seam is straight, using the chalk line as a guide.
13. Cut the next piece, lining up the pattern. Hang it the same way, lining up the seams. Continue until you cover the ceiling, moving your walkway over each time as necessary.
14. Trim overhang with a utility knife. Hold a trim guard against the edges to get a straight cut. Let the paper dry for at least 24 hours.
15. Paint the ceiling paper with a metallic paint of your choice. Add a second coat, if necessary.
Tags: chalk line, first piece, first strip, from edge, inches from, inches from edge, layer wallpaper