How to reduce the appearance of ceiling sag lines?

nugley

Is it possible to reduce the appearance of these sag lines on my ceiling?

In the past, I painted the ceiling using Taubmans Trade Pro White Flat Interior Ceiling Paint and a 6mm nap paint roller.

Aside from filling, taping and feathering the sag lines, I've read online that using a high solids ultra flat paint, a higher nap sized roller (e.g. 10-12mm) and diffused lighting would help to reduce the appearance of sag lines and surface imperfections. I'd like to hear what others in the community have done to reduce the visibility of ceiling sag lines.

MitchellMc

Hi @nugley,

You’re on the right track thinking about paint and roller nap, but the root of ceiling sag lines usually isn’t the paint itself. It’s typically the joints or seams in the ceiling panels that weren’t filled, taped, or feathered properly. Simply switching to a flat paint or a thicker roller nap (even up to 16mm) can help diffuse light and make imperfections less noticeable, but it won’t fully solve the problem if the panels themselves have uneven joints or minor sagging. That being said, sagging panels don't typically manesfest as depressions at the joint lines, that would more suggest the joints were not set correctly to begin with.

If the sheets are actually sagging between joists, that’s a structural issue that needs fixing first, usually by pushing the panels back into position, applying some adhesive, and screwing them off securely. Otherwise, the most reliable approach is to lightly sand the ceiling in the problem areas, re-fill the joints and any low spots, feather the edges properly, sand smooth once dry, and then repaint with your flat ceiling paint. That combination of repair and repainting is what really reduces the visibility of sag lines. Using a good-quality flat paint with a slightly thicker roller will help blend the finish and hide minor imperfections, but it works best after the filling and sanding have been done. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell