To show you how to clean a dirty tin ceiling, I took some photos to show you how we clean one in preparation for painting. You can also use this method to just clean most tin ceilings that don't need a fresh coat of paint.
This paint job was a tin ceiling in a small kitchen, and the tin ceiling was covered in grease from the stove. You can see in the picture below how stained the tin ceiling is. The lighter areas are where we did spot cleaning to see how bad the grease on the ceiling was.
Kitchen Grease on Tin Ceiling
To to clean a dirty tin ceiling, we first cover all the counter tops and floors with plastic. We wore paint coveralls and gloves, goggles, and masks to shield ourselves while cleaning the ceiling.
We then used teaspoon (Trisodium Phosphate) mixed according to the package directions in a bucket of warm water on the ceiling. We used large sponges to apply the teaspoon to the ceiling and then removed the cleaning solution and grease with sponges soaked in warm water. It took several applications of the teaspoon to get the tin ceiling clean.
TSP is a strong cleaner! Follow all label directions and safety guidelines on the box, OK?
See the difference cleaning the ceiling makes
If your ceiling has grease on it or is stained yellow, you have to remove this stuff before painting. The paint wont stick to grease.
After cleaning one area, you can see the contrast
It took a whole day to clean the ceiling, applying the soap several times, then allowing the ceiling to dry before painting the ceiling. We used a ⅜" nap roller and a high quality latex paint.
Materials List
TSP P Free (less harsh cleaner)
Cleaning Sponges (you will need a bunch of these)
Have you cleaned a ceiling? What was your experience? Tell us below:
@rhkennerly
never done that, but just a a ceiling magician in. Cut out two 2 ft by 4 ft sections of ceiling, installed a patch and MATCHED the popcorn. Absolutely amazing. I have been told by dozens of people that you can't match popcorn.
@rhkennerly
btw, we've got a lot of smoke on a bathroom ceiling, candles. I suppose this TSP trick would work there, too, since it's kind of a greasy soot?