# Ceiling marks from painting.



## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

I have been on here regarding this ceiling before when I had some drywall problems. It turned out fine after 2 coats of SW Pro Mar ceiling paint. We had accident to where the ladder scraped the ceiling, not a big spot, but my husband tried to wipe it making a shiny larger spot. 

I ended up painting the ceiling again a couple of days ago, I saw lines, not sure what they are called. So I gave another coat today, same lines. I did go heavier this time and got the same results. I did completely sand the ceiling before repainting these last 2 coats. I am exasperated!..I am using a 14 inch Purdy 1/2 nap . I am going to try and attach a photo.






. The shinier photo was the first coat. Please don't tell me I have to sand again! Thank you in advance for any advice.


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

Hard to tell from this angle but if the surface is smooth - meaning you don't need more sanding - then my first guess is you're trying to get every last drop of paint out of the roller before refilling it.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

Yeah..no, I know I am not doing that. Are those what they call 'dry spots' ?. I just looked at the ceiling , to me it looks kind of thick,( paint wise) having said that it looks like orange peel, which I consider thick. On the second coat I went heavy on those dry spots. Wonder how many coats of paint a person will paint a ceiling before sanding it?. This paint is vert flat. I am a sander and primer, most people I know do neither!


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Stickshift is right on 2 accounts. You don't need to sand it again. He's also right that when you paint, you dip the roller as soon as the paint starts to thin. Don't wait until there is nothing left on the roller.


The Purdy 1/2" nap roller is one of the best. Before I use any roller, I wet my hand & I kind of (don't laugh) stroke the roller a couple times. You missed some spots on the first coat but that's understandable. You probably didn't back roll. That's what gives you the lines. Let me explain back roll. You start to paint at one end of the room. As soon as you see the paint getting thin, you dip the roller & move to the next line. When you get to the other side, you go in reverse. You won't have to dip as much but you head backwards, the paint will spread more evenly. The second pic looks pretty good. It's ok if you want to roll another coat, maybe in the other direction. It's not as bad as you think. BTW, that paint looked pretty shinny of ceiling paint.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

I am not laughing GuapO ! Lol. Thanks for explaining 'backroll'. I was thinking also of painting the opposite direction, although I was told to paint perpendicular to the light (windows) ?. So back roll, sounds like you paint half the room , once at the end paint the other half coming back?. Its Pro Mar interior latex flat. Not shiny at all. Thank you !


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Let me explain it again. You start to paint, say left to right. Then you do the same section right to left. When you do the left to right, you are dipping the roller as soon as the paint starts to get thin. When you go right to left, over the same section, you are spreading the paint more evenly than you did on the first round. Does that make sense?


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Normally you roll with the narrow direction of the room, easier to keep a wet edge that way than going the long direction. Back when we used flat oil on walls/ceilings we'd always cross roll the ceilings, first the long way and the final coat the short way.


I normally apply a heavy coat of paint, dip the roller and apply another heavy coat, then I take the somewhat dry cover and back roll the first stripe.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

THere's likely some low spots which can cause you to miss areas. You sometimes have to turn your roller 90 degrees to get into those areas. It's just a "feel" painters get from rolling hundreds of ceilings. Reversing the direction of your roll on the 2nd coat helps with getting those low spots too. 

Also, most ceilings are painted FLAT white. You are applying a satin or an eggshell which is extremely difficult to get proper coverage.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

I think you maybe right Gymschu! its a new ceiling so it could be a low spot, plus those lines are in the same spot 2nd coat. Paint is flat as a pancake though! Thank you!


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

Use a 9" roller.

Don't use flat paint, use ceiling paint.

Roll out a 6' x 6' area then roll in the opposite direction.

Keep enough paint on the roller and be sure to overlap all previous areas.

Never sand between coats of paint on walls or ceilings.

Make sure to keep an even pressure on the roller.

Using the proper ceiling paint ( says ceiling on it ) on the ceiling makes a big difference.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

It probably says more about my application technique than anything else but I've generally get better results using flat wall paint on ceilings than I do with ceiling paint.


I don't think I've ever used a roller wider than 9" on residential work. If there are any dips in the ceiling a 9" roller is better at covering them than a wider roller is [might not make full contact - skip over low spot]


I often sand lightly between coats of wall paint and the primer coat on new ceilings but agree sanding at this point is likely to cause more issues than solve.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

ron45 said:


> Using the proper ceiling paint ( says ceiling on it ) on the ceiling makes a big difference.


The paint noted by the OP is ceiling paint. Although it appears to be their cheap stuff. Seems strange that they would describe it as being both "super flat" and having "good light reflectivity". Looking at the first photo, I would not have guessed that it is a flat ceiling paint. 

_ProMar® Ceiling Paint is a top performer for budget-conscious projects. Its super-flat finish and good coverage minimize small surface imperfections for a beautiful final look in less time. With its ceiling-white color and good light reflectivity, ProMar Ceiling Paint enhances the fresh, airy feel of any room._


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

SPS-1 said:


> The paint noted by the OP is ceiling paint. Although it appears to be their cheap stuff. Seems strange that they would describe it as being both "super flat" and having "good light reflectivity". Looking at the first photo, I would not have guessed that it is a flat ceiling paint.
> 
> _ProMar® Ceiling Paint is a top performer for budget-conscious projects. Its super-flat finish and good coverage minimize small surface imperfections for a beautiful final look in less time. With its ceiling-white color and good light reflectivity, ProMar Ceiling Paint enhances the fresh, airy feel of any room._


They're trying to sell a product. Would you expect them to say "it sucks!" to do that? Yugos were great cars if you believed their marketing.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

as soon as i see the word "promar" i know what the problem is. It's a 40+ year old paint formulation. That would have been retired 30 years ago if they weren't selling so much of it because the painters get a "great discount" on it. There's a reason they have to give 
"great discounts" on their paint to sell it. It's cheaply made, and priced way, way to high to the retail customers. It's how they pay for all their beautiful stores, massive marketing campaigns, and their recent college graduate store personnel. Who know absolutely about paint other than what the SW marketing tells them.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

Thank you all for trying to help me out!. I put a heavy 3rd coat on this morning going the opposite way. That's a lot of paint up there! I am nearly back to why I tore the ceiling down in the first place, because it was textured!.
I still have those marks although not so bad. I am not satisfied though. Not sure if I need to put on another coat?, should I sand? maybe the spots or streaks area , or built up parts?. Can you partially sand areas and not all of it?. I am enclosing pictures . Thanks again for all your comments. The first picture is taken of the spot and paint build up ,asking if I should sand that area. Maybe they are not in order.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I don't think it's so much you, but, the drywall finishing isn't so good. In picture 2 I can distinctly see the wallboard joints showing up as faint, yet distinctive, shadows. It appears that maybe only one or two coats of joint compound were applied leaving dips. Pic one has me mystified as it really looks like Satin paint. Maybe pic was taken while paint was wet? Pic 2 is pretty darn close to what you get with flat ceiling paint. It looks decent enough. Once you get the curtains up to cut down on the light, you won't notice any imperfections.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

This ceiling did have 2 coats of 123 Zinsser primer, it had a slight sheen. It was sanded well, and had 2 coats of this same paint on. It looked fine until we had the scrape on the ceiling from the ladder and my husband 'wiped it down'. I completely sanded it down all over before rolling this now 3rd coat of paint. I am curious to how much paint you would usually use to roll a ceiling ?. This 3 coats has used almost 2 gallons of paint. Not a big room. I wont be able to live with that, do I sand it or try another coat? If profanity could fix it , it would be smooth as silk. Tomorrow I am painting a townhouse ceiling with new drywall for a family member. I may need some xanax or straight jacket! .


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Don't sand it again. It won't help. Roll another coat if you want but it's not necessary.


> I may need some xanax or straight jacket!


Forget about Xanax. Ask for oxycodone & call me when you get it.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

amospoint1978 said:


> This ceiling did have 2 coats of 123 Zinsser primer, it had a slight sheen. It was sanded well, and had 2 coats of this same paint on. It looked fine until we had the scrape on the ceiling from the ladder and my husband 'wiped it down'. I completely sanded it down all over before rolling this now 3rd coat of paint. I am curious to how much paint you would usually use to roll a ceiling ?. This 3 coats has used almost 2 gallons of paint. Not a big room. I wont be able to live with that, do I sand it or try another coat? If profanity could fix it , it would be smooth as silk. Tomorrow I am painting a townhouse ceiling with new drywall for a family member. I may need some xanax or straight jacket! .


Normal paint on a ceiling would be at MOST one primer coat, and two top coats. My guess is that you have so much paint on there, its gonna take a long time to cure, and have all the lines dissappear. Either that or you are rolling improperly and leaving lines on every coat. Try adding a bit of water for touch ups. It makes it blend better. I dont understand why you rerolled the whole ceiling for a laddre scuff. you should have just tried to touch it up, and feather it out. Wait a few days and it will blend in.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Woodco makes a great point. I know when I paint textured ceilings they can look very streaky and incomplete. After a day or two of drying, they end up looking just fine. Flat ceilings like yours, may take 2 or 3 days of drying to look decent. Part of your issue MAY indeed be the 2 coats of 123 primer. It has a sheen to it and two coats would almost create a satin finish underneath your flat topcoats. I wish there was an easy solution to this, but, with all those coats of paint on there and not being happy with how it looks, you might have to skim coat the whole mess and start over. Personally, I would be happy with it.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

Thought I would post to let you know that the 3rd coat of paint to the ceiling today worked out ok. I thought I always painted with a very generous amount of paint on the roller, but never to where it could be dripping. Today, it was almost and sometimes did drip. I am thinking I do indeed need to either put more paint on in future or dip the roller more often. Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated!.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

It's almost always beneficial to apply paint liberally. It also takes less effort when the roller is well lubricated with paint. I normally 'slop' the paint on and then when the roller cover is somewhat dry - reroll to dress it up.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

Hello Guys! I'm back..I just read back over this thread when I was painting that ceiling a while back. I am getting ready to paint another ceiling that has had drywall replaced due to replacing a textured ceiling. I was oblivious to the comments about Promar. Maybe I was frustrated and wasn't paying attention to the paint opinions. So what I would like to know is, should I still use the 123 Zinsser primer water base (that does cover well and has a slight sheen? and then what ceiling paint? I don't care what the cost is, I just want a easy life. Thank you once again.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

123 or any quality latex primer is ok.
BM508 or ultraspec 500 flat.


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## Timborooni (Apr 16, 2011)

123 is fine. No need to go too terribly heavy. Because it dries to a slight sheen, it doesn't sand as well as a flat primer. So, no roller marks or you'll have to live with them. However, because it dries to a sheen, it seals well and has good hold out. You'll use less ceiling paint. Keep in mind, the primer is not supposed to look as though it was painted and complete. 1 even coat of primer is fine. Follow up with a coat of paint, 2 if necessary. You might want to ditch the 14 inch roller. You may be floating over low spots. If you're painting a flat non-textured ceiling, IMO a 1/2 roller cover is overkill. Go with a 3/8. Since you're goin' all pro painting all of these ceilings, get yourself a pole sander. Hit your ceiling with the pole sander after priming and before your first coat of paint. Check areas on the wallboard where the drywall compound has been sanded. Aggressive sanding to smooth the compound can fuzz the paper on the drywall. You'll feel it once the primer is dry. Knock it back down with your pole sander.

Lately my goto paint for ceilings is SW Eminence. Yeah, it doesn't dry as white white white as I would like...I prefer white white white ceilings...but it has good hide in part because it's not white white white. I mean, it is white, just a softer white. It's good ceiling paint.


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## In Ontario (Oct 5, 2018)

Two questions. Forgive me if this has already been covered.

Was the roller brand new when put on the first coat?

What did you husband "wipe it down" with?


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

I struggled with ceilings for a long time. Ignore all the people talking about technique. I beat myself up for years trying to perfect my technique and I could never get it right. Use the right paint and it will instantly solve all your problems. I usually use Promar 400. It's better than the Promar ceiling paint. BM508 is excellent, but more expensive and harder for me to get.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

> If you're painting a flat non-textured ceiling, IMO a 1/2 roller cover is overkill. Go with a 3/8



I would never use a 3/8" nap on a ceiling! A 1/2" nap holds more paint and makes rolling the ceiling a lot easier.


Better paints are normally a little easier to apply than the cheap ones. That said I don't normally buy the best paint available to paint ceilings. I rarely use ceiling paint. I generally use a mid grade [or slightly cheaper] wall paint on ceilings.


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## Timborooni (Apr 16, 2011)

What's not easy about rolling a flat non textured ceiling with a 3/8" nap roller? Keep the roller properly loaded. 1/2" can be problematic, maybe even more so in inexperienced hands. 1/2" can create texture. can accentuate between areas that your paint has been applied with a roller as opposed to a brush. It can go on too thick where you've cut in, perimeter, around ceiling fans, light cans, picture framing/hat banding. If there is a fine line between having to apply a second coat or one coat will get you reasonably within the ballpark, a 1/2" will guarantee you'll have to apply a second coat. More texture, even thicker perimeter and difference between cut in and rolled. If the substrate has been primed with 123, lots of hold out, 1/2" applies too much paint. ymmv. And a 1/2" has more cast-off spittle, and you have to overwork it to get all of that paint spread out evenly.

Maybe i'm overstating my case. But, to each their own, a 3/8" works fine for me. I'm not a paint slopper. I'll move to a thicker nap if the substrate has texture.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

ZEW496 said:


> What's not easy about rolling a flat non textured ceiling with a 3/8" nap roller? Keep the roller properly loaded. 1/2" can be problematic, maybe even more so in inexperienced hands. 1/2" can create texture. can accentuate between areas that your paint has been applied with a roller as opposed to a brush. It can go on too thick where you've cut in, perimeter, around ceiling fans, light cans, picture framing/hat banding. If there is a fine line between having to apply a second coat or one coat will get you reasonably within the ballpark, a 1/2" will guarantee you'll have to apply a second coat. More texture, even thicker perimeter and difference between cut in and rolled. If the substrate has been primed with 123, lots of hold out, 1/2" applies too much paint. ymmv. And a 1/2" has more cast-off spittle, and you have to overwork it to get all of that paint spread out evenly.
> 
> Maybe i'm overstating my case. But, to each their own, a 3/8" works fine for me. I'm not a paint slopper. I'll move to a thicker nap if the substrate has texture.


Its a textured ceiling...Hell, i'd be using a 3/4"


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

A 1/2" nap holds more paint making it less likely to dry roll. Rolling should always be done with a light touch, you should never need to press hard on the roller. The extra roller stipple is negligible. I rarely ever use a 3/8" nap IMO it makes the job harder than it needs to be.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

double post


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## Timborooni (Apr 16, 2011)

I rarely use a 3/4" nap. 3/4" is for rough surfaces. Rarely do you find rough surfaces interior, normally semi-smooth at most. Though not always achievable, no roller stipple is ideal. There's no excuse for even "negligible" stipple if avoidable than to make the job easier on yourself and get the job done more quickly. Stipple builds up over time and multiple paint jobs. I choose to contribute to that as least as possible. Use the right tool for the right job, work smarter not harder, but don't sacrifice quality for ease and expediency.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

You cant see stipple on textured walls, so it makes no sense to try to avoid it. Also, if you use good paint, and good technique, you can lay it off nice either way. With smooth walls, I use a 1/2." I want a tiny bit of stipple. It helps refract the light away from the flaws from the crappy drywall work I see in every house around here, anyway. Its a wall. It doesnt need to be perfectly smooth. Also, the subject at hand is ceilings. You want the deadest flat paint you can get, its up high, and noone will ever pay attention to stipple, or lack thereof anyway.


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## Timborooni (Apr 16, 2011)

The subject at hand is a ceiling. The OP applied multiple coats of ceiling paint with a 1/2" roller. Now she is noticing heavy stipple. She doesn't like the texture. Apparently the reason she tore down the ceiling in the first place was because it was textured. Now she feels like she is back to where she started, texture. Don't know what kind of texture she had up there before, but now she has roller texture/stipple, from multiple coats of paint, applied with a 1/2" roller cover.

Cheer up OP. At least the stipple is hiding poor craftsmanship from the drywallers. Don't look up and you won't notice. Don't look at texture on the walls either. It's just a wall.


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Sorry only read first few posts. I'm starting to think the paint you used had too much sheen and the window light is making it show? Could it be the paint quality is too good? I painted my ceilings with behr ultra white flat and noticed it can reflect lights differently. It is not flat like benjamin moore 5 gl bucket paints?


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## Timborooni (Apr 16, 2011)

I'm not sure about Behr ceiling paint, but Behr's "flat" wall paint is not a true flat. It has a slight sheen. Pretty sure it has to do with promoting their wall paint as "washable". I've used it at customer's request, or I have been provided a color chip and feel the customer might be particular about the color so I go directly to the source. I'm not fond of it. Behr paint is saggy prone stuff.


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

Thank you! .ZEW496, I love the 123 primer, always looks nice. If it didn't have a sheen I'd leave it alone. In ONTARIO, I always use good rollers, think that was a Purdy white dove, I slightly damp it down and always use new, I really like the microfiber ones now, I used them painting wainscoting , using BM Advance paint, dried like it was sprayed on (thanks to some of the guys on this thread). He wiped it down with a clean wet clothe , I didn't see him do it. I should have tried to patch it up and waited, I hate the ceiling and will sand it and paint it again. I would rather have a texured ceiling than a unsatisfactory painted one. MATHMONGER, I hear ya!..I believe ya! I used that paint on the recommendation of a "professional painter" my friends husband. I even bought it using his account, was told it would have cost us $50.00 instead of $25.00?..I wont use my friends husband to paint as I value her friendship , she also works with him. MARK, thank's for so much advice you have given me, I too would have used a flat white regular paint for the ceiling, but using my friends account for the ProMar at $25.00 I just went with that. WOODCO pay attention!! I took the bloody textured ceiling down for a smooth one


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## amospoint1978 (Jul 17, 2014)

To be fair, the Pro Mar ceiling paint wasn't bad at all. When the ceiling was marked up , I painted the whole thing again and again, it went downhill from there, I suspect there are low points. Thanks so much for all your advice and taking the time to respond. I can honestly say I learn something new every time I come on here. By the way, I have found a brush that I love 'The Ball' proform 2.00 that I use for Advance painting.


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## Timborooni (Apr 16, 2011)

I agree. Although given the reasonable compromise of applying paint using a roller has its limitations, smooth ceilings and smooth walls is the ideal and the desired goal! I rarely if ever consider the application of a heavy coat of paint and/or accompanied roller stipple a remedy to a totally separate goal of fixing or concealing existing flaws. Flaws are corrected with proper preparation prior to the application of a finish coat of paint. It's largely dictated by the expectations of the customer, or yourself if you are painting your own home. The time, effort, and money can be spent to properly repair flaws, or not. But don't expect paint to do the job of drywall mud and sanding. Heavily applied paint and roller stipple texture just compounds the ugly.


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## Skullfacer (Aug 17, 2021)

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