Ceiling, walls, then trim

Work top down. Ceiling first, walls second, doors and trim last. Gravity is not optional.

Why this order

Ceiling spray and roller splatter land on walls. If the walls aren’t finished yet, you wipe it in the next coat. If you already cut perfect trim, you just ruined it.

Trim last also means you can bury a slightly fat wall line under a caulk joint and a sharp enamel edge. That’s the clean look people notice.

Same-day rooms

On a simple bedroom we often skip the ceiling if it’s already fine. That’s how a room stays a day job. Adding a ceiling coat is the usual reason a “quick bedroom” spills into tomorrow.