I just finished painting my ceiling with the Flat white ceiling paint - American Traditional Latex Ceiling Paint flate white #178562 - with a roller. I left it dry for a day and the next day i noticed i missed some spots so I took a brush and touched up the spots. Well now 2 days later You can see these spots! What do i do? Do i have to redo the whole ceiling again? Advice please? If i do should i just use a roller?

 

Yes, apply one more coat by roller and it should be fine.

 

This was such back breaking work and I did not want to do this if I did not have to. What type of roller I should use? I got this sponge roller at lowe's the other day - Is that the right type? Can i just do a part at a time? My middle floor is one long room actually so there are no breaks in the architecture, Can i just do parts of the floor at a time? Or do i have to do it all at once? I just want it to look uniform. Thanks for the advice!

 

Actually i think it is a Foam roller not sponge - it is totally white and has its own roller

 

there is a paint company (maybe more than one) that now make white ceiling paint that, when wet, looks slightly pink (or blue? purple? i forget - anyway, it's tinted a color!) and then as it dries, it turns to white. brilliant! if you use that kind, you won't miss any more spots!!

back breaking? you're standing on the floor using an extension handle on that roller, aren't you? please don't say you're using a short little handle while moving a ladder around.......

 

i was actually using the wagner power roller with an extension - however the extension wasnt that long so i had to use a ladder and drag it around all day!! Yes and i used the paint that goes on purple and dries white.... What type roller should i use?

 

so you're saying you can still miss spots using the purple-turns-white paint?? DANG!!! that stuff sounded like such a lifesaver!

i think the type of roller you use depends on the type of surface you've got on your ceiling. is it that dreaded popcorn stuff, or a trowelled on texture or just plain smooth?

 

looks like it is smooth with some plaster in some parts - I guess the builder covered up mistakes but nonetheless smooth.

 

oh, in that case, i'd think any short-napped roller, or foam roller, would be fine. i know popcorn ceilings need the long-napped rollers. i'm not a pro though, better wait for Prowallguy to show up again.........

 

Forget the foam roller. Use a high quality (Wooster, or Best-Liebco make good ones) 3/4" roller cover. Its definitely best to roll it all out at once, or it will "flash" where it has dried then overlapped with another coat.

Try to cover all the floor and furniture before hand. This eliminates stopping and starting to re-cover items/areas. Start at one end, and roll the whole ceiling in one direction. Don't over-roll. One roller full of paint will do no more than 6 sq. ft. Roll out the first section with a liberal, even coat. Then roll out adjoining section, rolling it back into the first area to blend it in. Also, after you rolled out the paint from the roller on the second section, re-roll the whole first section. Do the third section, blending in with the second, and re-roll the second. And so on, and so on. The re-rolling of sections with a 'dry roller' is called backrolling, and helps eliminate these missed spots called 'holidays'. Schedule the time to do it all at once; when you start and stop is where problems come in.

I know it isn't fun, but it is the way it should be done. If there was an easy way to do it right, I'd be out of a job.

 

And I thought the power roller was supposed to make it easy
We've said it many times - nothing beats a good roller, roller cover, and an extension handle.
Forget the foam roller.

 

Well I wanted to post my results - Just finished over the weekend. I went to Lowe's and bought a 3/4" Nap roller and did like everyone said with doing a section and then another and then going back over and blending. Worked like a charm! The whole ceiling looks even with no spots!! Thanks for the advice. However - the 3/4" nap roller when i got to the sides of the wall - I would get paint on the sides because the tape i had was not as big as the rollder - I have never used that size nap before and I got it on the sides. I did not want to stop so i just kept going. Now can i just go back with the paint that i used on the walls and just touch up over the ceiling paint that is there? With a brush or roller? OR do i have to do the entire wall? Or can i just use krudkutter and get off the white ceiling paint? I just used green interior eggshell finish paint for the walls from Home depot. And i have some left over so I can go back and touch up. I just want to make sure the walls look even. Any ideas?

 

It sounds like just a touch up with a brush should cover it up OK

 

You think with a brush it wont make it uneven looking?

 

Mmmm... well, if it were me I'd be "playing it by ear"
But I do this for a living
Wetting a roller after the paint is up costs me a 6 doller roller sleeve
A brush is easier to clean
I also don't use HD paint
I know the Benny Moore will cover the splatter in one coat and smooth out, especially if I use my light "touch up" touch
I can't see how bad the splatter is from here, but I assume it's minimal because of the taping
If there is nothing near the ceiling because of the tape, for sure you could just roll around the top part of the wall
Just use a smaller nap and a slow hand
If the paint is up to the task, it should blend in

If it's a lot of splatter, it may be easier for you to roll
If it's a lot, I probably would myself

 

The splatter is minimal - except for one wall that has a line all the way across. What type of roller should i get? and what is the light touch up method? Just dont press hard? Thanks for the help by the way!

 

oh and one more thing - When i taped up for doing the ceiling some of the ceiling paint seeped underneath the tape on parts of the wall - Should i just tape up the ceiling and then just use what you suggested and roll the top part all the way around?

 

Just a sleeve with a nap smaller than 3/4"
Maybe 1/2"
I guess my "touch-up method" is : Don't goob it on too heavy and don't press too hard
lol
Try to blend it in

 

I'm not a big fan of taping
I personally don't ever do it (unless I'm spraying)
If you are just "touching up" you shouldn't have to
You just have to be careful

 

Well - Where the wall meets the ceiling it looks a bit uneven - it is not a stragiht line all the way across. I would think they only way to make it look even is too put tape on the ceiling and but it up against the edge?

 

Ah...that's different
I personally would still do it by hand with a brush
And that would be my suggestion for someone else off-hand
But as I mentioned, I don't use tape
I understand that some people prefer it
Perhaps someone that does will chime in about how they do touch ups

 

As others have said I don't like to use tape but You need to fix what you have run into. Touch up usually works much better on walls than on ceilings do to sight angle and lighting. I believe the touch up you need to do on the walls shouldn't be overly noticable. I wouldn't use more tape if possible. A good quality brush helps to paint a straight line. Some use a straight edge to paint against. If you do it that way be sure to wipe clean before using on the next section.

 

For small touch-ups I swear by the Wooster Jumbo Coater & Pro/Doo-Z 3/8" cover
This is also a good argument for painting the ceiling before the walls.

I would agree with the above about no tape. Cut in the line at the ceiling with a brush, and use a roller for the touch-ups, rolling sideways, and as close to the ceiling as possible to avoid a hat-band type look around the top.

 

Could not find the wooster roller at my lowe's but did find a 3/8 nap wooster classic cover. I also bought the trim device that is a small roller with this straight edge attached. Looks like a gimmick but i am going to give it a shot.

 

Yea that trimline gimmick did not work - Not only it did not work but it left little scrapes on my ceiling! Anyways, I tried using a brush but still got paint on the ceiling, It really takes an artists touch or a much steadier hand than mine! So I went back to tape and it did not turn out a straight line but i guess it looks ok - Wish i knew how to do it right!!

 

The above is a good example of what I've been preaching for years, that painting is a 'craft' or 'trade', and not everyone can do it. It takes several years of practice and experience to achieve a professional looking paint job.

 

As a professional painter I know that not everyone can be a 'painter' but I do believe most anyone with an eye for detail, patience and a little guidance can get professional results. Before I became a painter I could paint a straight line, however it took an eternity to paint said line. The biggest mistake's I see DIY's make with paint application is inferior brushes and matching their speed with their skill level.

 

I did get Purdy brushes - some smal ones - And i tried with the small side first going to the left with the painting - And the problem was I either ran out of paint or it would hit the top (ceiling). So I think my problem was my speed - I would try to get it done to fast and would mess up. but it seemed like even when i went slow I would have a problem....

 

Its in the little things. You did good to start with good tools. You also need good paint. Plus use a paint pail, not the can the paint comes in. Then knock off the excess paint by tapping the brush on the insode of the pail. Start the stroke away from the edge. Finally - use the TIPS of the brush.

Too many diyers load way too much paint on the brush and paint with the sides of the brush instead of the tips.

One last thing - if you expect to get paint on the ceiling, you will. ie) follow the above and go with confidence. An unsteady hand comes from fear of messing up.