Damn ceiling!

I am at wits end. Here is the deal: Brand new ceiling, plastered by a professional who did a lousy job, so I spent 18 hours joint-compounding and sanding. I noticed how terrible the ceiling was after the first coat of ceiling paint--once the paint dried, it looked like a giant ripple potato chip over most areas. So I smoothed it out with joint compound and sanded. Task accomplished, albeit I shoudl have had the plasterer do the work.

I have since painted this ceiling three times and each time the paint job is terrible. The ceiling itself is now smooth, but the paint itself looks awful: spots everywhere, lap marks everywhere.

The thing is, I know how to paint. I've done a zillion walls and do as good a job as a pro. If you look at walls in my house, they are flawless: no spots, no lap marks--just one uniform look all over.

This is the first smooth ceiling I've ever done as all my other ceiling are sanded rough (I asked for rough, but the plasterer screwed up and in order to remedy it, had to go smooth--but that is another story). Okay, it is not a wall, but it has blueboard and plaster just like my walls. The only difference is it is horizontal rather than vertical.

I NEED to finish this ceiling so I can move on. Should I just call a pro, or try a sprayer (i'venever used one)? I usually use Benjamin Moore for my walls, but I used a "lesser" brand (two different ones, in fact) for the ceiling. I mean, it couldn't be the paint that would make THAT much of a difference? What is also strange is that even though I'm on my 4th coat, the paint does not seem to spread far, and seems to dry awfully fast. Its almost as if by the the time I re-load, the previous section has already dried, preventing me from easily blending in.

Please help with suggestions, I'm very frustrated!!!

 

The paint pro's in here will get you straightened out. My only advice is to use flat paint on the ceiling if you are not already.

 

The lap marks from the roller are from rolling too hard, stretching the paint. What do the spots look like? Did you prime? Are you using flat paint on the ceiling?

 

Well, that first coat of paint was done by my father while I was at work and he used the wrong can that I had left out. Instead of the PVA primer, he grabbed the ceiling paint. So, while I know fully well that priming is the way to do a job right, but, after a few coats, you should essentially be at the same point as if you had primed, no? I mean, didn't that first (and even second) coat act as a primer?

As far as pressing too hard with the roller, yes, I'm pressing a bit more than I usually do, but that is only becuase of what I alluded to above...that the paint seems to not be going very far. I'm not getting anywhere near the kind of coverage I normally get when I paint walls. So, I've had to work the paint in more than I would have liked to.

As far as the spots, spots is perhaps not teh right word. What I meant is spots in the sense that, once dry, it looks like I just didn't roll in certain areas...or that paint didn't come into contact with the surface. Every so often you see a 3-4" diameter spot where it looks like I didn't paint. But, as I'm rolling, I can easily see that the entire surface is wet. Very strange.

Lastly, flat paint for a ceiling is a no-brainer (I don't mean this as an insult to anyone), and besides, do they even make a non-flat ceiling paint???

Thanks for your preliminary repsonses and hoepfully with this additinal info, you can help some more.

 

Lightheartedly:

No, but the paint is already there. Primer will improve the hold out.

So, the results would be unexpected?

Maybe the roller is not making solid contact in a low spot in the ceiling, so the coat is thin there.

You might be surprised at what folks put up there.

Considering all the work that is going into this ceiling now, I would be inclined to apply a coat of Zinsser 123, then the finish paint. You might try a longer nap roller pad to prevent light coating on these spots which may be too low for the current pad.

I am sympthetic to your situation, but sometimes it is necessary to cut to the chase and start over.

 

Yes. You get what you pay for.


Rolling overhead is more difficult than a wall. It takes practice to do even coats. I agree with Chris - sounds like you are pressing too hard and stretching the paint to get the extra coverage (and out of frustration & difficulty working overhead).

Are the spots always in the same location? Do the spots disappear in the morning or late afternoon (the amount and angle of light can hide/show flaws)?

Are you using an extension pole or using a step ladder?

Are you rolling in a W pattern or straight?

The paint is well mixed - did the store mix it (shake) and/or did you stir it before use?

 

These are all excellent suggestions.

You like Ben Moore paint, so I would use B.M. Regal Wallsatin, buy 1 more gallon than needed. Use a 3/4 nap roller, with a good quality (50/50, or lambwool) nap, and literally slather it on. Then roll it and backroll it, maybe 2 or 3 times.

It also sounds like because the ceiling wasn't primed, and from your first post I gather the paint is being applied directly onto joint compound, that the ceiling is sucking up the paint. A primer at this point won't help much, but hey, it can't hurt either.