13 Simple Paint Hacks That Make Painting Your Home So Much Easier

Turn An Old Umbrella Into A Ceiling-Paint Shield

Painting a ceiling is one of those jobs that looks easy until you're standing underneath a roller with paint slowly making its way toward your face. No matter how careful you are, ceiling painting can produce little drips and splatters. Some land on the floor. Others find your clothes, your arms, or somehow the exact spot you forgot to cover. Here's a surprisingly creative solution: an old umbrella.

Take an umbrella you no longer need and position it underneath your roller along the extension pole. Secure it firmly to the pole using zip ties so it stays in place while you work. The open umbrella essentially becomes a small catch basin underneath the roller. As paint drips downward, the umbrella can intercept much of it before it reaches you or the floor. Obviously, you'll want to make sure the umbrella is securely attached and doesn't interfere with your ability to control the roller.

It's not exactly the kind of tool you'll find in a professional painting kit, but that's what makes the trick so fun. Instead of buying another specialized gadget, you're giving an old umbrella an entirely new job—and making one of the messiest parts of painting a little cleaner.