We just painted our living room ceiling with SW primer, then 2 coats of Harmony "Egshel" paint. There are roller marks everywhere. We rolled the ceiling with a 3/8 in nap roller cover, and rolled in one direction, then perpendicular, to try to cut down on the marks. How can we avoid the marks next coat? Is it the Harmony paint that's the culprit? Which SW paint would you recommend for the ceiling, and then, for the walls? We chose Harmony because it's low VOC, but I'd rather have fumes than these roller marks!

Thanks for your help.

 

SWP make wonderfull paints. It is ALL I use and have used pretty much the whole line.....other than the Harmony line LOL!! I will say though that the issue you are having is not the paint.....it is technique. The #1 problem people do is they overload a roller than start going to town. They then press harder and harder to squeeze as much paint out as possible before they reload. Lesson 1 is to not overload the roller. Roll the paint on and then make sure you rool the paint off on the slanted part of the paint tray to the point where the paint does not drip. Work a small area at a time....maybe a 4x4' area. I use the 'W' techniques where I make a 'w' then roll the oposite way and then smooth it out the first way again. Lesson #2......Don't press hard on the roller. If you are running out of paint get more paint.....don't squeeze the paint out. Lesson #3.....if you are using an extending poll to reach the ceiling....stop using it. Get a small step stool and use the roller this way. Yes it will take ahile because you have to keep getting up and down and moving the stool....BUT you will have A LOT more control over the amount of pressure you use on the roller. Once you get the feel for it then you can start using that extending poll. Personaly though I NEVER use them unless I need to.....the closer the working parts are to you hand the more control you have over it. Hope this helped and best of luck to you!!

 

I agree that the problem stems from the way the roller is used. As Evan said alot of people try to press the paint out of the roller - BIG MISTAKE Keeping the roller loaded with paint both makes for a better looking job and an easier one. Personally I seldom roll with out the use of a roller pole. It is imperitive to use a light touch when laying off the paint. I usually just slop it on and then roll back over it leveling it out. Keep in mind [especially with enamels] that the way it looks while wet is a good indication on how it will look dry.

Unless the roller marks are heavy enough to feel one more coat of paint applied correctly will fix the problem.

 

Also use a quality roller sleeve
I'd consider stepping up the nap a notch if you're not too sloppy, and getting a Purdy or Wooster 1/2" sleeve

 

I never roll w/o a pole
Walls too
The only reason I do a poleless roll is if I'm in a closet or under stairs or something
And even then it's under duress and for the minimum amount of passes possible
I even have a 2-footer so I can roll hallway walls w/o bapping the other wall with the butt of the pole

 

Well everybody, I was very careful to load my roller up consistently, stopped lightly rolling as soon as I stopped depositing full stripes of paint on the ceiling, made an n pattern that I then rolled back over to smooth, did not use a pole, used a Purdy 1/2 inch nap, and was basically unbelievably anal retentive (the only way I know how to be), and I have roller marks everywhere.

I talked to my sister a bit ago, and she said she's never had luck with low VOC paint. Four coats of paint on my ceiling later, and I will never use it again. Ever.

I have decided to buy all new lighting for my living room that points down instead of up - I refuse to cut in and paint the ceiling a fifth time.

Hope my experience helps someone else. I do appreciate your pointers for the rest of my rooms, for which I will use SuperPaint or Duration.

 

.....Maybe I should correct myself. When I say I do not recommend or try not to use an extending pole I am talking about the LONG poles. To me I think they are a bit hard for a novice to properly control. I personaly always have a pole on my roller.......however it is only 2' in length. I do use longer ones of course but certainly not the amount that most people use them. I guess the key is to use whatever you are not only comfortable with but whatever gives you the best results........as you can see we all do thing a bit different. That is why I like this forum so much....no matter how much we think we know it is always nice to learn what others do and why.

 

I have used Harmony and other low VOC paiint but never noticed any problems with them. Sorry to hear that you did. For whatever reason there are products and jobs that work easily for some and not at all for others. When ever you find something that absoluetly doesn't work for you, you are best off staying away from it.

 

Just had to add my 2 cents!
Ditto for me after using [a] low VOC [paint] - the worse paint I've ever used. Never again!

 

We ALWAYS use a pole to roll. Floors, ceilings, walls, closets, everything. Even a little 1' pole is better than none.

 

Re the poles - I always use an extendable roller, or a 2' extension on a normal roller. Makes things much easier for sure. When using a big extension pole, yes, it is harder, but as with everything practice makes perfect. So if you stick with it you'll come up with a technique that has got to be better than moving around on a stepladder!

 

Exactly. You can't get the proper leverage required to create a smooth, blended finish only using one hand.
IMHO

 

Regarding roller lines. My partner and I just remodeled a 1600 sq foot house. He sprayed the walls and ceilings (one color). I came behind and rolled the sprayed paint on the walls. I had roller lines everywhere. I occasionally squeezed any excees paint off the roller with my hand.
We used a glidden eggshell Home Depot paint (not my choice).
I rolled the second coat out of the pail (not sprayed) and still had roller lines. The only technique I could use that got rid of the roller lines was to press a bit harder on one side of the roller and paint from wet to dry so basically, I just moved the line over to the end of the wet paint. I also seem to have a hard time not getting too much paint out of the pail (I use a pail tray)
When everything was dry most lines seem to have dissapeared but I sometimes find that when I use a higher gloss, lines will be more evident.
So, could you please elaborate more on correct roller technique. I have painted miles of wall but really don't have a clue what is right or wrong so when I run into problems, the solutions are sometimes hard to find.
Thanks very much.
PS, I always use a collapsible pole

 

I always had issues with Glidden paint, until I stopped using it. Rather than changing your roller technique, buy better paint.

 

mjd2k

You may need to use a better roller cover. It is true that quality paint will apply easier and help to give good results but the tools you use to apply the paint also play a part in the end result.

 

Thanks Mark,
Second time around I did use a quality sleeve and it did a substantially better job but still left some lines while the paint was wet.

I also agree that Glidden is not the best choice. ONe thing I have learned from this forum and my own experience is that paint I buy from a "paint store" certainly works better. This was an out of town reno and my partner had already bought the Glidden.

I only occasionaly have problems with lines so maybe it is a combination of equipement and paint quality.

 

Stores like Home Depot give Glidden a bad name because they only sell their bottom of the line paint. Some of their higher end products work well. I've used a lot of SWP and they have good paint but they also have some cut rate lines that I would prefer not to use even if they gave it to me. No matter whose paint you use - stay away from their cheap line, the better the material the better and easier the job will be.

 

I am an average homeowner, not a professional painter and I had this problem recently, read a lot of blogs and came up with this process - which worked really well.

I bought the best roller handle and roller at the paint shop - Purdy Handle & White Dove 3/8" nap. Total cost - $11.00

I bought a quart of paint conditioner Floetrol for $5 which makes the paint flow easily and retards the drying time so you can keep a wet edge easily. I added it to the paint as per the directions.

I wet the roller first with water and squeezed it out so it was damp, but not dripping. I got up on a ladder (no poles so I could really control the pressure) and, using lots and lots of paint on the roller, I painted a section about 2.5 by 3.5 feet. I could have easily stretched it out to about double that, but I resisted the temptation and then reloaded the roller and did the next section. I worked in strips, moving toward the light source (windows). I kept the roller and the ceiling really wet, ridiculously wet, so that I was always working with wet edges.

When I reloaded the roller it still had a ton of paint on it, so its counter-intuitive, but just do it anyway. Use a ton of paint and resist spreading it out too much. Small, wet, sections then reload.

Now here is the secret weapon. I had my wife sit in the room and look up at the ceiling to tell me if I missed a spot. I also did not go back over any spots once they were painted and wet. Leave it alone OK.

I worked slowly and used really light pressure. Think in terms of trying to keep the whole job wet - not trying to save paint or work fast or get the job over with. I already tried that and had roller marks everywhere.

Results - great job. No marks or lines. Took about 2 hours to do a room 30' by 20'. But saved a lot of time in the long run and now I know how to do it again.

 

Once you get used to using a roller pole, you'll not want to roll without one! The same control [maybe better] can be had with the pole...... and you save all those steps up the ladder.

"When I reloaded the roller it still had a ton of paint on"
that is the correct way to roll. Think of the paint as the lubricant for the roller. The more it's lubricated, the easier it is to use
Keeping the roller cover full of paint helps you keep a wet edge and with a little care, roller marks are eliminated. It also helps the paint to cover better

almost forgot
Welcome to the forums grxann!!

 

Don't think it was mentioned but as you roll, work away from the open end of the roller and you'll avoid the "railroad tracks" you are experiencing. Consider the roller handle as an upside down "L". If you are working right to left, keep the open end to the right and you'll notice the lines disappear.

Give it a try,

Bill

 

oh my god, its simply because you're using eggshell paint. Youll always have marks if you roll eggshell on the ceiling. Youd have to spray. Why eggshell on a ceiling anyway? Just hit it with the flat and its done, I cant believe nobody said this

 

I can't believe that you responded to a thread five and a half years old.

Welcome to the DIY forums. Please check the dates on threads before responding.