# Causes of & fixing tiny bubbles in latex paint



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

At this point all you can do is pop those bubbles, fill them with spackle, and try to touch them up. Use your finger to fill the little holes and use a damp rag to remove excess spackle so you only leave an area to paint as big as the hole itself. Maybe even use a q-tip dipped in paint to do the touch ups. You don't want big areas to paint/touch-up as you may end up with lots of dead spots and "shiners" on the wall. 

Your only other option is to do the above an repaint THE ENTIRE WALL, but, if it's a rental I don't think you want to do that.


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## Dave88LX (Nov 10, 2011)

I planned on doing a second coat anyways so I don't mind doing that. 2nd coat will go on a lot quicker since I won't need to cut in.

I did hit a few with a sanding block and it knocked them down. Little craters now. IF I can clean/wipe up the area and repaint and it be OK, that's find with me. Like I said the wall is far from perfect, but I can't accept these bubbles.


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## HighGlossPL38 (Nov 19, 2013)

*you need to buy a good roller*



Dave88LX said:


> Oh that is frustrating, I hit 'reload' instead of 'new tab' and had to recreate my thread.
> 
> I painted my foyer area last night and almost immediately saw some small bubbling. I was hoping that they would collapse but they didn't. It was ~68* inside, interior wall, no weird humidity, painted over a new coat of primer.
> 
> ...


Well, if that picture is an indication of the roller you used it may be the biggest part of the problem.
Before I start, it probably is too new, all rollers need a little break in time before they work correctly. Usually they shed or tear paint until the fibers settle down and start to work. I spend a good 3-5 minutes washing all new rollers with water in a laundry tub or something similar, working the fibers with a stroking motion, removing loose fibers. Then I roll paint for a minute or two on a scrap piece of anything that is clean. 
Then a good roller needs to be loaded correctly. That means it needs to hold enough paint so you aren't dipping into the bucket a lot. More paint than you would think needs to be loaded. And you need to work the paint into the roller when in your bucket. 
Ok, now you should go out and buy a *good* roller, and the correct size for your application ( 9" or 18" for a wall...not a 4" or 6" mini-roller as in the picture. They aren't meant to paint a wall. They are used to trim, behind a toilet, between windows, small areas, etc.) like a Purdy Colossus which has a blue striping. These are the only rollers I ever use. You want a 1/2" nap for interior walls, part # 001810290.
Then you need to know how to use a roller correctly. Start at the top of the walls whenever possible and go down. Work across the room left to right, always trying to go from the top down. It's ok to go up and down, but finish each pass going down. Overlap each pass by 1/2 the width of the last pass.
Finish each pass with a light to medium pressure, not heavy.
That should do it except for your choice of paint.
BUT... you already know that much, as you say, you read that here before.
Have fun.


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## HighGlossPL38 (Nov 19, 2013)

Dave88LX said:


> Oh that is frustrating, I hit 'reload' instead of 'new tab' and had to recreate my thread.
> 
> I painted my foyer area last night and almost immediately saw some small bubbling. I was hoping that they would collapse but they didn't. It was ~68* inside, interior wall, no weird humidity, painted over a new coat of primer.
> 
> ...


Here is how to fix the wall now that I told you how to roll the wall...
Buy some joint compound, not the light stuff, regular mix.
Mix some compound in a 5 gallon bucket with water, thinning it out.
You want it thin enough to stick to a roller, not leak and drip right off the roller, but very thin.
After it's mixed good, grab a 6" or 8" (I would use 12") spackling knife and spread this mixture on the wall. Using the same knife, scrape the area you just mudded, scrape it right down, smooth.
The mix will fill the pores or craters.
Let it dry for a solid hour or two.
When dry, start sanding lightly. Use 200 or 180 sandpaper and go over the entire wall. 
When you are done, use a good drywall primer (Sherwin Williams make a great product for this) and re-cover the wall.
Apply some good paint and WaLLaH!
That should do it, a perfect wall.


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## Dave88LX (Nov 10, 2011)

JackoD said:


> Well, if that picture is an indication of the roller you used it may be the biggest part of the problem.
> Before I start, it probably is too new, all rollers need a little break in time before they work correctly. Usually they shed or tear paint until the fibers settle down and start to work. I spend a good 3-5 minutes washing all new rollers with water in a laundry tub or something similar, working the fibers with a stroking motion, removing loose fibers. Then I roll paint for a minute or two on a scrap piece of anything that is clean.


OK, you got me there. I lightly wet the surface of the roller and then started using it (got bad advice). I do notice that the first areas I did are the most problematic. _Most_ areas don't have any at all.



> Then a good roller needs to be loaded correctly. That means it needs to hold enough paint so you aren't dipping into the bucket a lot. More paint than you would think needs to be loaded. And you need to work the paint into the roller when in your bucket.


Think I got that part right. When I first started painting things, I didn't know better and ran the roller dry, trying to stretch every last bit of paint. Since that time, now I know better, try to keep the roller loaded, and just dip when necessary.



> Ok, now you should go out and buy a *good* roller, and the correct size for your application ( 9" or 18" for a wall...not a 4" or 6" mini-roller as in the picture. They aren't meant to paint a wall. They are used to trim, behind a toilet, between windows, small areas, etc.) like a Purdy Colossus which has a blue striping. These are the only rollers I ever use. You want a 1/2" nap for interior walls, part # 001810290.


Oh, I thought I did get a decent one. :laughing: I think the White Dove is better than the Golden Eagle from what I read last night; don't know if they have the Colossus locally, I'll have to look.

The area I painted is an awkward split-entry foyer/stairway area so I figured I would use this 6" roller the first time around just to roll out my brushed cut-ins, and then use the 9" roller on the second coat. Is this a bad way to do it? (Pictures below).



> Then you need to know how to use a roller correctly. Start at the top of the walls whenever possible and go down. Work across the room left to right, always trying to go from the top down. It's ok to go up and down, but finish each pass going down. Overlap each pass by 1/2 the width of the last pass.
> Finish each pass with a light to medium pressure, not heavy.


OK got that part right too!



> That should do it except for your choice of paint.
> BUT... you already know that much, as you say, you read that here before.
> Have fun.


Yes, this was bought before I knew any better. I don't really like this paint. It feels real watery and stringy. My wife picked it out because she has some secret obsession with anything Martha Stewart. :whistling2: Next time I'll have her bring the Martha Stewart color card to Sherwin Williams for the new house.:thumbsup:












Look at those quality drywall joints. They're taper joints! How do you mess this up!!!


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## Dave88LX (Nov 10, 2011)

JackoD said:


> Here is how to fix the wall now that I told you how to roll the wall...
> Buy some joint compound, not the light stuff, regular mix.
> Mix some compound in a 5 gallon bucket with water, thinning it out.
> You want it thin enough to stick to a roller, not leak and drip right off the roller, but very thin.
> ...


This is great advice, and I'll save it for later use. The truth is though that the entire rest of the wall is messed up for various reasons, so this would be like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole. Between the bad joints, bad repairs and patches, years of runny drips of terrible painters etc., I would almost rather start off with new drywall. Like I said, this is the house I'm going to be renting out (and I'm in a time crunch to finish), so I won't be able to take the repair that far unfortunately.

I'm normally about fixing things the RIGHT way, but in this situation, I just need it to be the "good enough way that will blend in with the rest of the walls. :laughing:


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## HighGlossPL38 (Nov 19, 2013)

Dave88LX said:


> This is great advice, and I'll save it for later use. The truth is though that the entire rest of the wall is messed up for various reasons, so this would be like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole. Between the bad joints, bad repairs and patches, years of runny drips of terrible painters etc., I would almost rather start off with new drywall. Like I said, this is the house I'm going to be renting out (and I'm in a time crunch to finish), so I won't be able to take the repair that far unfortunately.
> 
> I'm normally about fixing things the RIGHT way, but in this situation, I just need it to be the "good enough way that will blend in with the rest of the walls. :laughing:


You know, I agree. And I have done the same thing in a few cases.
It is sometimes better and even faster just to bite the bullet and re-drywall.
I did the basement walls in my own personal home a few years ago with drywall, over cement block, after furring it.
I got a bad batch of China or something drywall from my supplier and really didn't notice how lousy it was until it was painted.
I tried forever to get it to look good, but could just not get it right. The paper was loose and bubbled and sagged in many spots from the gypsum plaster. It got even looser after painting it and pulled away so much that I gave up and re-drywalled the entire room down there. 
It was worth it in my case.
I was really worried I got some of that Chinese tainted drywall that emits fumes and causes all kinds of problems, health and otherwise. I ripped out the stuff and started over.


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## Dave88LX (Nov 10, 2011)

That stinks, I remember the "drywall scare" a couple/few years ago. 

I hate this house. When we moved in, I went to fix a nail pop in the ceiling. Fixed it, and the next nail down the line popped. Fixed that, next one popped, soon adjacent ones started popping. Basically the whole ceiling was sagging ~1/2 to 3/4" off the trusses and I had to screw the whole thing back up. Same thing happened with the walls. In hindsight, I should have just ripped it all out and started over. I spent more time fixing holes and trying to make it look decent, and it still looks terrible with horrible seams, years of bad paint jobs etc. etc.


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## Dave88LX (Nov 10, 2011)

JackoD said:


> Ok, now you should go out and buy a *good* roller, and the correct size for your application ( 9" or 18" for a wall...not a 4" or 6" mini-roller as in the picture. They aren't meant to paint a wall. They are used to trim, behind a toilet, between windows, small areas, etc.) like a Purdy Colossus which has a blue striping. These are the only rollers I ever use. You want a 1/2" nap for interior walls, part # 001810290.


So I took your advice and picked up some Colossus rollers (4"/6"/9", all 1/2", for the hell of it "in case"). The 9" x 1/2" is Item No. 140630093 though. Is this the same roller with a new part number, or something different?

(Picked up at the local SW store)
http://www.amazon.com/Colossus-leng...UTF8&qid=1389401287&sr=1-1&keywords=140630093

I guess my biggest question is how it rolls out. I used the 4" roller in conjuction with my brush for cutting in, basically to roll out the paint after I cut it in (following this technique here from B&K Painting/Idaho Painter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdSm_kDYwsg ). Using Zinsser 1-2-3 primer (haven't used the color coats yet), it seems that this Colossus roller lays out the paint in a different pattern/stipple than I'm used to. It seems to lay it out kind of runny/large patterned. I don't know if I laid it on too thick or not. Or should I even bother using the Colossus roller with primer, and only use it for top coats?


Also, the way the brush is designed, it appears to get right into a corner. Is there any reason to cut in with a brush and then roll it out in the corners, or just hit it with this roller from the start?


Since it's dried, it looks a lot better, but still, a lot weirder than the conventional rollers that I am used to. Any ideas?


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## HighGlossPL38 (Nov 19, 2013)

Dave88LX said:


> So I took your advice and picked up some Colossus rollers (4"/6"/9", all 1/2", for the hell of it "in case"). The 9" x 1/2" is Item No. 140630093 though. Is this the same roller with a new part number, or something different?
> 
> (Picked up at the local SW store)
> http://www.amazon.com/Colossus-leng...UTF8&qid=1389401287&sr=1-1&keywords=140630093
> ...


Ok, I stopped in for a minute today as it's Sunday and I have the day off, glad I did.
I am not sure about that part number as it not listed on Sherwin Williams. Is it an Amazon number?
I only buy direct from my Sherwin Williams stores and the number I posted is good. I know as I just bought a dozen of them on Friday.
Now, you said you just did your primer so far with it? Ok, remember I said a new roller needs a break in time? Did you do as I suggested and wash it for 3-5 minutes under running water and stroke it real good?
I'm not kidding, it makes a huge difference. And then paint with it for a while (of course you did that by priming with it)

<> Kind of runny?
That's probably the primer you used. A good high quality finish paint, mixed right, won't be runny if you follow the mfgs. recommendations. I never cut any paint either. Did you cut the primer with water?
And don't roll too fast, nice slow even motion, roller good and wet (loaded).
Now after washing it with water again to get it real clean it should roll your walls and leave a super smooth finish as it is now broken in. And keep it clean always, don't be afraid to wash it regularly. These rollers hold up well. If you have to leave it for a while when painting, lay it in your pan or bucket keeping it WET with paint.
Outside work, never leave it in the direct hot sun for long, wet or not. I hide my stuff in the shade if I have to walk away for more than a few minutes.
I treat my tools like I treat my cars and trucks. I baby them.
You will have to trust me on this, there are no better performing rollers out there that I have found, from any company.
And I have used them all.


I


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

/Quote JackoD/ "there are no better performing rollers out there"


Do you like them better than microfiber?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Jmayspaint said:


> /Quote JackoD/ "there are no better performing rollers out there"
> 
> 
> Do you like them better than microfiber?


Not to long ago I would have have probably said yes. But now I am a microfiber convert. The more I use them the more I like them.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I have found that these, arroworthy 1/2 to be much better than any other out there.
Just my humble opinion


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

chrisn said:


> I have found that these, arroworthy 1/2 to be much better than any other out there.
> Just my humble opinion


Me too. The Colossus are good as far as woven naps go, but there still woven naps.


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## HighGlossPL38 (Nov 19, 2013)

Jmayspaint said:


> /Quote JackoD/ "there are no better performing rollers out there"
> 
> 
> Do you like them better than microfiber?


That depends on what I am painting. 
As we were discussing walls interior walls and a particular issue I was referring to that situation.
I should have said "for this application".
Although the Colossus covers 90% of the work I do, both interior and exterior, there are other rollers I do use and like. The Benny Moore Aura is another good one. It offers a good balance between smoothness and hide ability.
I have used mohair, lambs wool, microfiber, foam, you name it. Hell, I've laid paint on surfaces with rags and newspapers before.

I like and use microfiber for doors IF I am not spraying them. I always try to spray doors, if at all possible. I get the closest thing to a factory finish, by spraying.
But for the walls you are doing, I would want some stipple, a little bit. And the roller I mentioned will give you a very slight stipple. This texture helps hide flaws.
The microfiber leaves too smooth of a finish for a wall for my taste. And the more you use the Colossus the better it becomes. You keep it clean and it will last you for years, as a homeowner.
And if you have to touch up a very smooth wall in the future it becomes difficult to match. That's a whole different conversation though.
You do you though. Whatever suits you and your tastes best.


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