Fallen into the trap of ending up with a patchy ceiling

[Rsian]

Hi all,

From what i have looked up, I am not the only person who has ballsed up their nice newly plastered ceiling.

I used Wickes matt emulsion water down to about 80/20 for the miscoat, which went on fantastically well (with one or two 'laps'?).

I was planning on using a better paint for the final coat, but i had a couple of hours at home, I had loads of the Wickes stuff left, and figured if the first coat went on well enough...!!!

The natural light went soon after i started and I struggled to see where I had already painted and am now left with a very patchy ceiling, not aided by I now don't think my roller was very good (it has been used quite a lot - very clean but maybe not very even anymore).

My question is not only what would be the best paint to use for another coat to try and cover up the patches, but also I have seen lots of different roller types, different piles and materials, what would roller would be best to help hide the patchy/rough areas of paint?

Thanks.

 

[joe-90]

it's not the paint it's the painter. Get a new medium pile roller and a roller pole and just keep going over it (slightly thinned).

 

[Rsian]

Does a roller pole help in any other way than be ab le to reach better (does it help to apply the paint more evenly?). Our ceilings aren't very high.

 

[misterhelpful]

A pole does help to maintain even pressure while working and could help in your situation. If your ceilings are low enough to reach by hand you may not need one, but if you need to keep climbing/moving a stepladder, the time taken to do that could be enough for the paint to begin to dry and cause the patchiness.

Personally, I dont rate the Wickes paint very highly but I agree with joe that it could be 'the painter', meaning that technique and good equipment is just as important as quality paint.

It's very important to have good light (as you now know) and also not have the room too warm, especially when painting a ceiling because of the heat rising, as it will cause the paint to dry faster and give you difficulty in keeping a wet edge (causing those lap marks).

If the patches have a rough texture, it may be necessary to give those areas a light sanding (180/240 grit paper is usually coarse enough) and dust off before applying more paint.

 

[Rsian]

The heating is low in the house, both raiators are off the wall in this room, yet the second coat was drying in around 15-20 seconds, is this normal?

 

[joe-90]

Thin your paint down a bit more. If the plaster is soaking it up you need to thin it.

 

[misterhelpful]

As said, thinning the paint will extend the open time but if it's drying that quick I would use a different brand. (I would personally, anyway.) If the problem continues it could be a fault with the plaster, but, as you say the mist coat went on well, I doubt that is the case.

A paint conditioner (like Floetrol) may help if the problem persists with a better paint but it's not worth paying for a conditioner to try and help with Wickes paint.

 

[Rsian]

Cheers guys, I'll see how i get on tomorrow.

 

[joe-90]

Never had a problem with Wickes paint. It's made by Leyland. Just thin it and keep rollering it. I can get perfect results that way, so you should too.

 

[misterhelpful]

Never had a problem with Wickes paint. It's made by Leyland.

Not any more. It used to be supplied by PPG (owners of Leyland, Johnstones) and was pretty good but is now supplied by JWO Group - a relatively new German company, according to a quick search.

I am assuming that Rsian is using the Trade range (thought I'd read that but must have just assumed it when reading there was 'loads left' ) but if it's the Master range then I will agree that the paint is much better, as I've said numerous times before.

 

[Rsian]

Yes, it's the trade range.

 

[deanibusmaximus]

If possible either clear the room of obstacles or rearrange the furniture so that you can walk the whole length of the room with your roller (on the end of a pole if possible).
This will enable you to work more quickly, and finish off each band of paint by laying off, walking the whole length of the room without the roller leaving the surface, then remove the roller from the surface with a fairly quick flick of the roller to prevent leaving a stop mark. then move onto the next band of paint slightly overlapping the last one. work in full length bands and not areas.
Works for me. just flawless

 

[Robbie uk]

Wickes paint is no longer made by Leyland. They now have it made by a new German supplier.

 

[joe-90]

It still has to comply to the same standard that all paints comply with. Nowt wrong with Wickes stuff.

 

[smccullagh]

If you're concerned about your ability to paint, I've heard about a ceiling white emulsion that rollers on pink and dries white, although have never looked it up or tried it. Might be worth some investigation?

I personally use the Harris extendable ceiling roller and have had good results every time and it folds down for easier storage.