# Banding/Flashing Issues



## DZthompsen (Feb 7, 2019)

New to the forum. Quick background. 26 years old. 3 years experience doing drywall but 10 years experience as a concrete finisher (born to trowel) so I’m not a “vet” but I can hold my own. All that being said, I’m in the early stages of going on my own and I took on a project of my own and I have an issue that I think is caused by painting. 
This is a level 5 remodel on both the walls and ceilings. The issue is that I have flashing on the sloped part of the ceiling. It CANNOT be seen with natural daylight. It CAN be seen at night when the ceiling lights are on. I have a picture with areas hi lighted in red. The bevel in the center is hardly noticeable and only seen by a trained eye. The part that of the ceiling that meets the wall, however is very noticeable. You can see exactly where the mud was and even though I skim coated it. The walls turned out perfectly and have no banding/flashing even on the same bevel corner where the ceiling meets the wall. It’s an old house (2x4walls) and all the angles are really cold (Minnesota) and drafty, ESPECIALLY on the beveled angle, causing the mud to take longer to dry between coats. I’m a mesh tape guy and use 1 coat hot mud, then 3 coats of lite blue on angles for level 5. I primed the walls and ceiling the next day with 2 coats of Glidden pva primer. Then painted the walls with Behr P&P in one Premium Plus Eggshell (Light brownish/gray) and the ceiling with Behr Ultra White Flat ceiling paint the next two days. I took my time with this and prepped accordingly. I have taken a flat edge to the ceiling and it’s flat as glass. I know the obvious fix is to skim it and restart the painting process but I want to know where I went wrong and how to avoid it and other alternatives to fixing it. So...
1) Did I not let the compound dry enough before priming? If so, did that lock in moisture? 
2) Was I screwed from the beginning because of the lighting? (our greatest enemy) 
3) Glidden PVA primer is pretty cheap so did I go wrong there? 
4) Could the Ultra White ceiling paint be TOO white that the compound actually sticks out behind it? (Just a theory I’ve had) 
I have more pics and information if needed. Thanks everyone!


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Was the mud white or still grey when you primed it? Often if the mud is still damp the moisture in the latex primer will soften it even more with a chance of moving the mud around.


If everything feels dry I'd apply another coat of paint and see where that brings you.


Why would you skim coat if everything is perfectly flat??


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

I agree that the primer was low quality as well as that the lighting there will show any changes in slope, etc. I also found that finish paint/primer combo shows those flashes more, if used. If the homeowner agrees, you could reprime with 3/4 nap roller as well as finish with thick roller plus flat paint. Lighting will show more rough texture I think. You could try recessing the bulb little more into the can, although that maybe compromising how bright the hall and the staircase is.


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## DZthompsen (Feb 7, 2019)

Mark SR- haha Yes the mud was dry. Even though the mud may be white and appear dry, it can still hold moisture. Most painters will carry moisture meters to make sure it’s full cured. The reason for skim coating would be to give the wall a uniform coat that has the same porosity. Flashing is most common when you don’t skim coat because the paper and compound absorb at different rates. I skim coated the wall before priming and the flashing still occurred. So I I followed the correct process for level 5. I’ve done it many times. I’m not a painter and rarely see the walls painted after I leave the site. I’ve never had a call back about flashing so that’s why I think this is due to my lack of painting knowledge. The main thing I’m after is: Did I possibly paint and prime to soon? Was the quality of primer to poor? 

Carpdad- I purchased some USG Sheetrock First Coat primer and Behr P&P Premium Plus Ultra Cieling Paint. I’ll be applying both with a 1/2 nap roller. Different and deeper bulbs didn’t help the issue. I’m convinced that it’s a cheap paint issue. I’ll keep you updated.


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## DZthompsen (Feb 7, 2019)

During the day, with natural light, it’s flawless. But at night, with atifical light, the gap between my fingers in the picture stick out like a sore thumb all the way down the wall. Frustrating. Gonna start painting now


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I've painted my whole life and have never owned a moisture meter. If the j/c is white - it's dry enough for primer, if there are grey spots you need to wait awhile longer.


Given a choice I never use PVA primer. It's bare minimum and only suitable for bare drywall. A good primer will seal the wall good enough where there shouldn't be any flashing. I still think another coat of paint should fix it.


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Then, also, the skim coat and the joint compounding still isn't the same surface. It is possible that unless you skim coat like the plaster, you can't. I think thicker primer and using 3/4" nap roller can hide the difference more, but that is a problem lighting as well. This worked for me before with can lights and ceiling. Is it possible to put a cover on the can light for more diffuse lighting? I think even the can lights have covers and using brighter bulb could compensate for the cover.


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