Victor Ceriello of Black Diamond Painting explains his process for getting a smooth, high-quality ceiling paint finish every single time. Plus, he shares expert advice on interior wall finishes as well as tips for producing optimal results. (Hint: It involves sanding.)

Here’s the Transcript

I got into painting when I was 22. Got on Craigslist looking for a summer job, got hired, and kind of fell in love with the trade. I thought it was definitely going to be a job for maybe one or two summers, and 10 years later I own a painting company.

My name is Victor Ceriello, my business is Black Diamond Painting, and I’ve been in business about a year and a half. We’re here in Berry, Vermont, and I was hired to repaint the living room, master bedroom, and the nursery. This couple just moved in and they’re expecting a baby within the next week or two, so this is all we could kind of fit in at the moment.

The Living Room

In the living room, we’ll be using Benjamin Moore’s Aura^® in eggshell on the walls, with White Dove as the color. I’m using Aura^® because it covers well, provides a great finish, and really brings interior paint jobs to the next level.

I’ll cut in everything with a 2½-in. brush to leave a nice straight line up against the ceiling and the built-ins. Then I’ll back roll with a 3-in. roller to cover up all the brush marks. Once that’s dry, I’ll roll a coat onto the rest of the walls.

I do recommend eggshell rather frequently on walls because I really like the finish of it. It provides more protection and durability than a matte finish, but it also isn’t like putting a satin on where it’s super shiny. The soft glow it provides really adds a lot to the finished product.

The Nursery

The other room we’ll be working in today is the nursery. We’ll be doing two coats of paint on the ceilings and two coats of paint on the walls. I’m protecting the trim and leaving that as is. Besides taping the window frames and baseboards, we’ll also be sanding the walls today. I think it’s a super-important step because it does help bring your project to the next level by producing the smoothest possible wall you can.

We’ll be applying Benjamin Moore’s Waterborne Ultra Flat Ceiling Paint. I think ceilings are one of the hardest parts of an interior paint job, but having a good-quality paint makes the difference. I find Benjamin Moore^® Waterborne Ceiling Paint to be like cheating. It just always looks great and produces a smooth finish. It’s definitely what I get the most compliments on at the end of the job.

I’d say painting’s absolutely craftsmanship. There’s always ways to improve yourself and improve the job that you’re working on. To me, quality is leaving a job with it being totally perfect, not a speck of paint on anything there shouldn’t be, and the homeowners beyond happy. That’s quality to me.

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