Whether or not you have old tin ceiling tiles which need to be freshened up with paint or you’ve bought new stamped ceiling tiles (these days they are made with aluminum rather than tin) painting them is easy. The embossed patterns invite you to get creative with paint and bring out a little of the the design for a very distinctive Victorian look.
Clean the old tin ceiling tiles plus sand or wire brush off any spots of rust. If the rust is in depth, go to a good old hardware store, or auto or marine supply store and get some rust converter primer. This is a water based product that when painted over rust, converts the rust to an inert surface won’t rust anymore. It’s a little expensive but completely works.
Prime unpainted tin with an oil based primer formulated for metal. Follow the instructions on the merchandise label for using plus drying times.
Use a one-fourth” nap lambswool roller to roll the ceiling, or just a brush if you have purely a couple tiles. The lambswool roller cover can typically get into all the nooks and crannies and will leave a nice finish. Count on doing 2 coats of good quality water based paint.
Follow step one above for treating rust if there is rust present, and use a wire brush plus perhaps a small flexible scraper to remove loose and peeling paint. If you have got bought new “tin” ceiling tiles, they sometimes come preprimed and could be left white as is, or painted any color you like. Let your creativity run rampant if you wish to carry out a custom painted job on your tiles. Use artists brushes and acrylic artists paints to intensify embossed designs. Simply do not forget that if you have got to do the entire ceiling, it will get tedious painting the identical complex pattern every time!
Use somewhat muted colours rather than bright primary colors unless you wish the ceiling to look really wild. Apply two coats of acrylic varnish over the ceiling after you are finished with the ornamental painting. This may even out the gloss, making it more uniform, and if there’s ever smoke or alternative residue to clean from your ceiling it will be much more washable. When using acrylic varnish don’t be alarmed that it goes on appearing milky–white. It will dry completely clear and in contrast to oil based varnishes, won’t yellow over time.
Spot prime any bare metal with oil based metal primer