Hiding Minor Imperfections on Plaster Ceilings with just paint?

Hello,

I have some minor cracks and some areas that I scraped and patched that don't look 100% perfect on my plaster ceilings. They are all minor imperfections. I tried the "textured ceiling paint" route myself and it was a complete and total disaster! The sand textured paint was about as thick as joint compound, and with the textured roller, it started to splatter EVERYWHERE! I stopped after about 30 seconds, and spent the next 15 minutes cleaning up!

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any "tricks" to hide minor imperfections on plaster ceilings. They are white now, and I will re-paint them white. What kind of paint finish should I use? Eggshell? Flat ceiling? Which one is best for hiding imperfections?

Also, will it help if I use a thicker nap roller than standard, something like 1/2" nap or thicker? Will that help conceal as well?

Finally, what if I use a textured roller with regular (non-textured) paint? Will it still splatter and go all over the place? Is there a certain kind of textured roller to use that will leave just a touch of texture of roughness, but not be a huge mess and splatter all over the walls? What do you all recommend?

Thanks,

V

 

Regular paint won't hide the cracks! Elastromeric paint might be ok although it's an exterior masonry paint designed to seal and hide fine cracks in the masonry. I've only used it once on a ceiling, a rental, it did ok. Like texture paint, it's thick and care must be used to apply it in a consistent manner.

Ideally you'd skim coat the ceiling with joint compound, sand, prime and paint. Flat paints are the most forgiving, the more sheen the paint has, the more it will highlight the defects. What size nap to use is determined by the texture of the ceiling. I'd use a 1/2" nap on a slick finish ceiling progressing to 3/4" for light texture and 1"-1.5" for heavy texture.