How to Paint Around Recessed Lights?

Hello Regina. I took help from a friend to paint the ceiling of my bedroom which had recessed lighting. So, I am the right person to tell you how to paint around recessed lights. The key is to use a high-quality blue or green painter’s tape with steady brush rolls. I also used a paintbrush. So, there are a few steps involved in carefully painting around recessed lights. I will share the process below.

How to Paint Around Recessed Lighting?

Here is the method you can follow:

1. Use green or blue painter’s tape to make a clean line where the light fixture comes in contact with the ceiling. 

2. Use the tape to stick the painter’s plastic in areas over the rest of the light fixture to secure it from splashes and splatters.

3. Take a medium-sized brush and dip it around ½ an inch into the paint. Scrape off the excess. 

4. Be cautious while painting around the fixture. It is okay to get a bit of paint on the tape but avoid big, gloopy drips on it.

5. Paint a perimeter of 4-6 inches around the light fixture with the brush. Start your paint rolling. 

6. Get as close as possible to the fixture with the paint roller without risking getting paint on the light.

7. Ensure you keep the roller in the same direction for every roll. Let the paint dry and remove the tape.

8. If you see the paint being torn while removing the tape, take a utility knife to cut a small gently swam at the edge of the tape.

This is how to paint around recessed ceiling lights. I hope this helps you!

I recently went through the same situation while painting my kitchen and living room. I was scared if I painted upon the recessed lights by mistake. So, I did thorough research on how to paint around recessed lights and found that it's really easy by using a frog tape, wire clips, putty knife, etc. I have shared the entire tips I came across below.

Steps to Paint around Recessed Lights

Here’s what I followed and worked for me to paint around recessed lights without paint getting upon them:

• First, I made sure the trim around each light was clean. I used FrogTape for sealing the corners and it's amazing. I pressed the tape with a damp cloth for a tight seal. 

• I found another way but that needs a bit more work. I could pull the trim ring down which is held up by wire clips. I tried this trick earlier once. 

• I used a putty knife to take the trim a bit down without fully removing it. That gave a space to paint below the recessed lights that made it look so perfect.

• I also found that using a good quality, angled brush (I went with the Wooster Shortcut) made cutting around the lights much easier and more precise. 

Ultimately, the combination of good tape, careful brushwork, and keeping a wet edge gave me a clean, professional finish around recessed lights. I hope you found this answer helpful.

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