How do i paint over a stain on my ceiling


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Old 03-28-17, 07:03 AM
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How do i paint over a stain on my ceiling

Some snow got in my ridge vent, melted and water stained my ceiling.
I had two white paints in the basement and tried the flat one first. It was too dark. I tried the second, an extra white satin, and it was too glossy. I bought the same extra white in a flat and it is a mess.

From the front it is too dark. From the back it is too light. (from the side it blends right in.) The light comes from the front.

So, what the heck do I do now?

I understand the best way is to paint the entire ceiling, but it is 17' high and about 1000sf. That just isn't going to happen, so I need the second best way.
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Old 03-28-17, 07:24 AM
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Did you apply a solvent based primer to water stain first? they usually bleed back thru if you don't.

Except for bath rms most ceilings are painted with flat paint. There are so many shades of white it's next to impossible to just go out and buy a match without knowing which one was used to start with. If the ceiling color has been altered any because of the HVAC system or other contaminants it pretty much impossible to get a match.

Someone good with colors might be able to take a white that is too white and doctor it up a little by adding color. Going off of the color I'd be inclined to add a drop of black and see how that does. You could also cut off a piece of the painted drywall paper and take it to a paint store to get them to try and match it. Obviously you'd need to repair that cut out spot.
 
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Old 03-28-17, 09:22 AM
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Learn to live with it or paint the whole ceiling would be my two options.

I agree with the oil based primer for sealing.
 
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Old 03-28-17, 05:35 PM
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I did not use a sealer.


As I said, when viewed from the direction light comes from, it is darker. When viewed from the other side, it is ligher. When viewed from directly below, it is a perfect match. I figured it was a matter of reflection; also the new paint seems smoother than the old paint. I guess that might affect the reflection. I tried roughing it up with sandpaper, but it didn't change.

I guess I will just have to live with it, but if the reflection stuff rings any bells...
 
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Old 03-29-17, 03:00 AM
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Reflection has to do with both the sheen of the paint and the 'texture' of the paint or ceiling. Generally something like that does not show up in a pic although I've seen it more in person than in pics. That said, the odds are the paint touch up mismatch usually becomes less offensive with time. Not so much that it will blend more but your focus will be on other things.
 
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Old 03-29-17, 11:31 AM
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Probably as good as I am going to get...

I took the first paint back. It was a premium wall paint, but all they sold in quarts. I bought a gallon of basic ceiling paint. It is not great, but much better than the wall paint. It is still a bit too smooth so the reflection is different, but I guess it is paint over multiple layers of paint, and that different than the same paint over drywall.

Would it make any sense to rough it up a bit with sandpaper? What grit?

Now I have to decide whether to bring it back. They said I could return it if it wasn't right; I used less than 1% of it and the can is clean.
 
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Old 03-29-17, 01:45 PM
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I wonder if some of the difference is because you brushed the paint on while the existing was likely rolled.
Not all ceiling paints are the same color white, there is probably a 100 different shades of white over the different brands/lines of paint.
 
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Old 03-29-17, 02:13 PM
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There was no ceiling paint, but all the cans left in the 6 year old house when I bought it were from Sherwin Williams. Presumably the ceiling paint was SW also. When I was there today they told me they only had one ceiling paint. Is that likely to be correct?
 
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Old 03-29-17, 02:25 PM
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They may have only one ceiling paint but they have a good assortments of white paint. I never cared too much for ceiling paint. IMO wall paint covers and applies better. I often used their ProMar 200 or 400 on the ceilings. It really boils down to what the customer/contractor wanted to use.
 
 

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