# why my patching shows through



## jan_renee (Dec 11, 2005)

i am not sure why after i patch a nail hole, etc. that it shows through after the paint is dry. If anyone can help me out, i'd surely appreciate it. I used joint compound to patch the holes and sanded it smooth then used kilz primer and the patched areas are still noticable, but mostly just at night when the lights are on but it drives me crazy----help! thanks Jan


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## CGofMP (Feb 23, 2005)

I am sure real painters will be along to tell you some GOOD answers soon enough, but in the meantime let me speculate a bit:

1) If the way the paint was put oin the patch differs from the way the entirety of the wall was painted it will look different. That is to say, if the wall was originally sprayed, and then your patch was rolled, there will be differences in how it reflects light and in how the paint itself looks.

2) Obviously it could be a color change in the paint. Even if you use the same coror from the original paint bucket, if the paint on the wall has been there over time it will have faded, picked up grease and dust, cured far longer, and otherwise have changed. This means that the colors will be slightly different. This factor increases the longer the times between original painting and patch painting increases.

3) I speculate that perhaps the patch material is soaking up paint a lot more than one might expect and just not getting the paint on it in the same way the wall is elsewhere. Make sure you are using the right patch material for the material you are patching. The primer is a good thing and it is what I'd have first bit on had you not used it. Perhaps another light coat of primer and then another top coat might do somethign for you.

4) Painting before the patching is COMPLETELY dried/cured. This could cause some bleed through and change the colors, it also would change the absorbtion - see above.


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## MinConst (Nov 23, 2004)

Jan,
You may also find that priming a part with Kilz will look different than the rest of the wall. The Kilz will seal the spot well while the rest of the wall remains unsealed. I had this issue with ceilings. Smoke will get sealed under Kilz but unless the complete ceiling wad sealed it showed.
This is taking for granted that you painted the whole wall and not just the patched areas. Unless the paint job was fresh, painting the patched areas only will look different.
As CG mentioned the texture can play a roll also. When you roll on paint generally you build up an orange peel effect. Then you patch and sand a smooth area (repair) and loose that orange peel build up. Nothing to do but try to build up the same texture.


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## K2eoj (Aug 14, 2005)

jan_renee said:


> i am not sure why after i patch a nail hole, etc. that it shows through after the paint is dry. If anyone can help me out, i'd surely appreciate it. I used joint compound to patch the holes and sanded it smooth then used kilz primer and the patched areas are still noticable, but mostly just at night when the lights are on but it drives me crazy----help! thanks Jan


How many coats of mud on it. try hitting it 3 times. If you can feel a bump you can see a bump. HS.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Are these patches made before painting the entire wall, or are you patching, spot priming, then spot painting?


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## MinConst (Nov 23, 2004)

I think we lost Jan.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

"...can you hear me now?"


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## r0ckd (Jan 12, 2006)

Jan come back!!!

My advice is simple, but has been proven. It's similar to the earlier posts. 

However, if you patch anything on an already painted wall, you'll need to paint that spot with enough coats that is doesn't have that "dry" look to it. That dry look comes from the paint being absorbed further into the drywall than the already paint surfaces that are not poruous at all. Build up the paint with a minimum of 2 coats before painting the whole wall. This should solve your problem.

Hope this helps,
Dan


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

One thing that you have all forgotton is texture. Often a repair will show up as a smooth spot on a wall textured by rolling or spraying. I often skimcoat walls for this reason.


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## KenTheHandyMan (Sep 1, 2005)

I find that a lot of walls are rolled, then when a patch is made, they 'brush' it on (like they're painting a fence or something (which is what Teetor is saying). I use a brush but only 'dab' it which mimics the textured brush look.Thinner on the edges, thicker in the middle, go past the edges a good bit too.


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