Mess-free method of painting ceilings?

[stonecircle]

Can anyone suggest a way of painting ceilings that doesn't cause any mess? Our house is quite full (of people and stuff!) so rather than clear a room, put sheets down and have the whole room out of bounds while I decorate, I like to do it in stages. Last time I painted our living room (2 rooms knocked through) I ignored the ceiling and just gradually worked my way round the room moving furniture and painting walls as I went. But now it needs doing again and I really can't ignore the ceiling any longer.

Whenever I've tried painting ceilings with a roller I've sprayed paint everywhere; paint brushes take too long and make my arm ache. Can anyone suggest a quick, easy and mess free method?

I've got this fun task to do tomorrow too! (Or rather DH will under my instruction ) Have you looked at using paint pads? I find them far less messy than rollers, they can get a bit clumpy if you overload them though so you need to be more careful and work in smaller patches so it might take longer & you will still need to use a brush for all the cutting in.

lots of sheets

do the ceilings before the walls, then splashes on walls will not matter

don't put the roller so deep into the paint on the roller that it comes up the sides.

move the roller slowly to avoid splatter.

You might still be able to get solid emulsion paint, it comes in a container shaped like a roller tray. I had some by Dulux a long time ago but I think some DIY sheds tried selling it. Sadly it is about twice the price of liquid paint. It does not drip, and is reluctant to splatter. It is about as solid as butter.

Use paint from a major manufacturer, not cheap stuff. It will cover better, so you need fewer coats, and it will be thick, not watery, so will drip less.

Wipe off all splashes at once. It help to have an assistant with bucket and sponge working with you.

Going slowly without using too much paint and using a normal roller and a stepladder (instead of one of those rollers on sticks) makes less mess I think.

looks like this, but should be much cheaper at Homebase

You can also get paint that goes on pink and dries white for ceilings so you can see where you've been as you go along.

Helpful advice - many thanks. I like the idea of pink paint so you can see where you've been.

Not quick. But I use a hand held mini roller and roll quite slowly so the paint doesn't spin off the roller. Takes longer but is cleaner.

I feel that if you can't see where you've been with standard white paint, the ceiling didn't need painting!

poundland sell huge plastic sheets which are great for covering heavy objects. Don't use on the floor as they are slippery - that is where the old sheets and newspaper come in.