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Star Ceilings - Painted vs Fiber optic

22K views 35 replies 4 participants last post by  NightSkyMurals 
#1 · (Edited)
Star Ceiling – Fiber optics vs Painted

A star ceiling is a definite plus for any home theater or bedroom... but what is the best way to go? Should you install Fiber Optics or have the ceiling painted (either by yourself or by a professional)? Well, that depends...

(Mural by Night Sky Murals. Black lights help this painted mural shine brighter when there is light in the room)
Cal theater with logo by Jeff, on Flickr

(This home theater is in California and was really fun to paint. The owner built the soffit on an angle so the black lights would hit the entire ceiling. That way the stars would show up (fluoresce) throughout the movie. I have a special mixture of paint that I use in home theaters for those who want to have bright stars during the movie. Otherwise, with the lights off... the theater looks like the ceiling has been removed and the stars are more subtle.)


(A Fiber Optic Ceiling (not sure who did this one) with black lights around the edge for looks only)
Fiber optic star ceiling by Jeff, on Flickr


Of course my view is going to be a little biased... but I will try to be fair to all three options.

First, lets go over Fiber optics.

They are great to view in almost any light. This is a big “pro” when compared to a painted ceiling. A painted mural acts just like a real night sky and disappears in the light. Fiber optics can still be visible in the light.

When the lights are off in the room... the fiber optics are visible and beautiful. When the lights are on... they are still visible and beautiful. And, you can even make them twinkle.


But, there are some downsides to fiber optics too... The "Cons"

* They are pricey

* They require a lot of extra work to have them installed.

* Holes need to be drilled.

* Wires need to be run.

* If there is no crawl space above the ceiling... then panels need to be prepared, covered, wired and
installed.

* If you don't want to do all of the work yourself.. then you would need to hire someone to do it for
you and they may not have much of a clue what to do.

* You usually get only about 1/10th of the number of stars that a painted mural gives you.

* The holes drilled for the fibers are visible.

* Three, maybe four, different sizes of stars.

* Scheduling a few days, to a week, for it to be installed. Weeks as a DIY project.

But, they ARE nice and the big advantage is that you can see the stars at any time you want basically.


Now... what about the painted night sky murals... DIY and professionally installed?


This is where I can speak with more authority.

Let's start with the DIY option. This option can be both good and bad. Bad if you have no talent as an artist and you just throw up some paint with a paint brush. (I have seen, and painted over, many ceilings where the owner, or their friend, tried to paint the night sky with glow-in-the-dark paint. My first star ceilings were horrible 25 years ago too, when I first started painting them) It looks really easy, but there are definitely some techniques that need to be learned first.

But, if you or a friend are an artist and you want to freehand it... then go for it. And remember... you can always add more stars later if needed. Don't try to go too crazy at first. Paint, step back and look... and then paint some more.

There are also stencil kits that you can purchase on the Internet. Out of the 4 or 5 different stencils that I have tried out... there are two that are much better than the rest. One the less-expensive end is the Night Sky kit by Ursa Major (https://www.ursamajorstencils.com/products/night-sky) and on the high end is a DIY kit by Night Sky Murals (www.NightSkyStencils.com). So, do your due diligence or email me and I will steer you in the right direction for what works best in your situation. If you have more than one or two rooms to paint... you will be sore after painting with the stencil. A good supply of Ibuprofen might be a good thing. Just sayin. :)


"Pros" for the DIY option:

* Cheapest method to get a star mural on your ceiling.

* Usually slightly nicer than the plastic stars.

* You can paint over it if it looks ugly and then try again or call a professional.

* You can claim credit for having painted it.

* If you have to tear out part of your ceiling to fix something up in there... then you can repaint that
area yourself.

* By using a DIY Kit to help guide you... you can have aa very nice star-ceiling and save a lot of money (Two good kits were mentioned above).


The "Cons" to the DIY option:

* Sore neck and back

* It's very easy to create a very ugly mural if you aren't careful.

* It isn't usually as nice as one done by a professional (at least the better ones)

* More unnecessary work to perform where you aren't already proficient.

* There's a good chance that it'll only be slightly nicer than the plastic stars.

* It's frustrating.

* You'll probably glow in the dark for a few days from the paint that gets on you.


Now.. ”The Professional Option”. Are they really that expensive? Here's the quick and easy answer... Some are. Some aren't. And, by the way, I am. (But, I am a lot less than having fiber optics installed)

A quick word about “Professionals” here. There are many people/companies that will teach others how to paint a star mural. One problem is that most of those who are teaching others to paint have never even painted one themselves, or if they have, it was only a handful of ceilings. Usually they are either companies who want to sell their glow paint (so they teach you a method which creates a need for their paint, and they usually are terrible techniques)... or they are just lazy people who see a good idea and try to capitalize on someone elses success by marketing a “Star-Painting Business Kit” themselves. And, as a result, the people they “train” have learned really bad techniques from these non-skilled, snake oil salesmen. So you want to be careful who you hire.


Here are two examples.

This first picture is of a mural that was done by one of the popular companies painting and teaching others to paint these murals. Please don't ask who did this because I won't name them. I show it only to make the point that you need to check around. This picture was taken with a black light on because they probably didn't have a camera with a long shutter exposure. Thus, the background color. BTW... the picture at the beginning of this thread is of one of my murals with black lights on too.

(Another unknown "Professional's" mural)
Bad star mural 2 by ? by Jeff, on Flickr


This next picture is of a mural that I painted on a really nice ceiling with big beams in it.*


(Mural by Night Sky Murals)
IMG_6410 by Jeff, on Flickr


Having said that... I have seen some work done by other artists that really surprised me because the murals they painted were actually really nice. They were much better than I had expected, after hearing who they'd learned from. But, these murals were painted by people who were already muralists before they decided to add star mural ceilings to their portfolio.

So please be careful when hiring an artist and try to see their work first... or at least have them drop by with, or send you a sample of their work that you can look at. I mean... do you really want to spend all that time decorating your theater room... only to have an amateur come in and destroy your ceiling? There are good artists out there... but you need to search to find them.

As for the cost... You can find people who will throw some paint up on your ceiling for anywhere from $1 to $4 per square foot. My prices start at $11 per sq. ft... and can go as high as $16 per sq. ft. depending on the detail and preparation before I can paint. I'm more expensive than most, but I am fair and the value that you get, I believe, comes out to be a better deal.


OK... here are the “Pros” to having a professional paint the mural:

* The look is Incredible! (When done right, by a true professional)

* Painted night sky murals blow fiber optics away in the dark. (Fiber optics excel in lighted areas) But for
realism... there is no comparison to a painted mural.

* You can have a realistic looking Milky Way in your mural, that has a cloudy look to it and has thousands
and thousands of tiny little stars.

* You can have other deep space objects and the moon added in. (I suggest only having a crescent moon
painted in... because I try to make the mural look like a night sky that you would see from a remote
location on earth. Galaxies and Nebula aren't really visible with the naked eye from earth) But, it is
possible to have all those things with a painted mural.

* You can create the illusion of mountains surrounding the room when the mural is brought down the
walls.

* Ceiling fans and heat registers can be painted too... so they don't become black holes when the
room is dark.

* If you feed some professional painters some BBQ (ahem!) they might even throw in a
shooting star or two.

* Virtually invisible in the light.

* Thousands of stars in the mural... compared to hundreds with fiber optics and DIY options.

* 15 to 25 different sized stars in the murals. This is what creates an incredible 3D look.

* Paint can glow for up to 12 hours, in perfect conditions (the smaller stars will *
fade in about 2 to 4... and the larger stars will glow longer).

* The paint can be made to fluoresce under a black light for viewing during a movie. Not as bright as
fiber optics, but still visible.

* The mural actually changes the longer the lights are off. The mural will look one way when the lights
are first turned out... and totally different 3 hours later.

* The stars seem to twinkle... naturally. Something about the paint and the rods and cones in your eyes
will have you swearing that the stars are really twinkling.

* No smell.

* Can be painted on most finishes

* Usually painted in only a day.

* No need for a crawl space in your ceiling for the mural to be painted. Nor is there the need to add a
false ceiling. Your regular ceiling is just fine.

* Invisible in the light... just like the real night sky. Your room looks like it always has in the light (For darker colored ceilings... some stars will be visible in the light).


The ”Cons” to having a painted mural:

* The cost can get up there, but usually less than fiber optics.

* You need to throw some ribeyes or ribs on the BBQ for some artists. :)

* You need a fairly dark room for the mural to be seen as intended.

* You need a good fluorescent light source to charge the paint for 10 minutes (Still, plugging in a
black light or two is easier than wiring for fiber optics. Or, if a soffit has power, black lights can be put in there which makes things much easier).

* You could get a bad professional (Do your due-diligence)

* Invisible in the light. This is a “Con” only if you want them to be visible in the light.



Here is what the painted murals look like in the light and in the dark. Again, we do have a special paint (and others might have something as well) that will allow the stars to fluoresce under a black light in a semi-lit room.

Split Room- NSM by Jeff, on Flickr



OK, I tried to give a fair overview of some different options for a star ceiling. But, whatever option you choose... get a star ceiling. They are so incredibly relaxing and romantic. You've designed everything for the light... do this one thing for the dark. You will be glad you did.

If you have a day-sky (blue sky and clouds) painted on the ceiling... then get a night sky painted on top of that. When the lights are on, the day-sky will be visible. When the lights go out... the night sky will appear. It's very cool!

I've gotten many questions about the murals from people who are building home theaters... and home theaters are probably my number one area to paint in. Bedrooms shouldn't be overlooked. How cool would it be to drift off to sleep every night? Trust me... it's way cool. :)

Please ask any questions that you have and I will try to answer them for you.

If you are in the building stages.. and can still add some wiring for lights... I can tell you where you should have them placed. If you can still add a soffit around your room... I can give you good ideas about how to build that too.

So, if you are considering stars in your ceiling.. ask away and I will try to help you out.
 
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#34 ·
Wanting to paint your star ceiling, but not sure how you want to lay things out? I get questions on that all the time... and thought that this might help.

This is what I send to people who are buying my DIY Kit, but it should be helpful to anyone who wants to freehand their ceiling too.

These are some of the more well-known constellations, but if you like other ones, you can easily find them online. These are also laid out roughly where they'd be in relation to one another.

Unless you are OCD about tputting every star where it needs to go (where only you would know), then I'd suggest only worrying about putting the Big and Little Dippers where they need to go in relation to one another and if you have room, then Cassiopeia too. Then just place however many others that you can in your mural, without going too small or too crowded, and call it good.

The constellations are awesome, but they aren't the entire night sky. They play a big part in the look and feel, but don't overthink things. For constellation sized stars you can use a Q-Tip to paint it, and it should be about the size of the Q-Tip.

Once you have your constellations mapped out and painted, then you'll move on to adding in a good number of randomly placed smaller stars. The smaller stars should be painted with something small and pointed. I suggest that people use a small paint brush... and then turn it around and use the pointy tip of the handle. DON'T USE THE BRUSH END!!

Good luck. I'd love questions if you've got 'em.

Jeff

Eye Font Circle Diagram Science
 
#35 ·
Adding to my last post... here is a sheet with more constellations (not all as popular as the previous post). They are not in their accurate locations in relation to the others. I made this for anyone wanting to paint their own star ceiling and not have to search all over for different constellations. Just pick out what you like and add it to your ceiling.
Astronomical object Font Art Science Circle
 
#36 ·
A question that I get asked a lot by people using our DIY Kits or just free handing their own star ceiling and are looking for a little help, is this... "My constellation stars have little peaks in them and they aren't round, am I doing something wrong?"

So, here's something that might come into your mind if you decide to paint a star ceiling yourself:
Font Circle Logo Event Astronomical object


Take a guess, then scroll down...
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Font Gas Metal Logo Carmine



If you ever decide to create a star ceiling and have questions, please don't hesitate to shoot me your questions. I won't be painting much longer (It used to be only my lower back that hurt... but now it's every joint!!), so it'd still be fun to answer questions to help others create beautiful star ceilings.

Jeff
 
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