I am going to raint my bathroom ceiling... (only a few lines to read, i promise)?

Question

The cieling is already a slightly glossy white, but due to paint coming off in some areas due to the steam, i have decided to repaint the whole cieling. I also hope to refresh and burst more gloss since its about 15 years old and cud use a touch up.

I also removed caulking on one side of the wall, as i peeled it off, it ripped off some of the paint on the side and now reveals this paper like texture as the cieling wall.

I have Alkyd primer and Alkyd paint already, can i just prime ONLY the areas where the original paint came off, then paint the WHOLE cieling with my glossy white paint?

Do i have to use any compound to even out the gap that the removed paint made to align it with the rest of the wall?

This pic shows where the cauking was removed.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=20zqvk1&s=4

(i dont know if its a good pic since there is so much glare on the computer i can barely see)

Answer 1

Yes you can just prime the bad spots, but I would recommend priming the entire ceiling. Also I would use a stain blocking primer. As for the spots where you removed the caulk you can either re-caulk or put up wood trim all around the ceiling and wall joint. You can also use a lightweight spackle to even out any gaps. Lightweight spackle is perfect for smoothing out bad spots on walls and or ceilings.

Answer 2

I would prime the entire ceiling or you may wind up having the same steam problem later.  You don't have to use compound but if you don't want the difference to look noticable, I would.  When you paint, that crease is going to show through a little.  Won't make a difference except visually.

Answer 3

As a house painter I would say you can prime only the areas where the paint came off.  It's a good idea to even out the gaps with a premixed patch.