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shea_gw

Painting problem

shea
11 years ago

Hello, today I painted the living room in my son's condo. We used a medium-dark blue/gray in a good quality paint, and painted over a taupe. When it was dry, the cutting-in-with-a-brush part was considerably darker than what was applied with a roller - at the ceiling only, not at the baseboard. What in the world caused this, and how do I correct it?

The only two options I can think of are 1: to get a small roller and roll as close as I can get to the ceiling (no crown moulding), probably having to run a very wide piece of tape on the ceiling; or 2: brush the entire walls.

Any other ideas for easier fixes? I'm not sure either of these options will be successful. I've never had this experience before, even when painting with dark or deep-colored paints. I will call the paint store in the morning to talk with them about it.

Comments (5)

  • PRO
    Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
    11 years ago

    Being that the base is OK and it is just at the ceiling makes me think it is just shadow

  • shea
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, that is possible, although it was on all 4 walls. I'll take a look this morning before I head to the paint store. The light will be coming from a different direction, and it is overcast today.

    I got some info from googling, I finally must have put the right combination of words in the search! I came up with "Picture Framing or Hatbanding on Drywall" in which the problem could be caused by the cutting in drying before rolling. This may have occurred because the paint was drying very fast.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Interior Painting Problems

  • Faron79
    11 years ago

    Yes, it's the "Hat-banding" effect.

    It actually has NOTHING to do with "Dry-time".

    >>> This effect comes mainly from the different THICKNESS of the film(S) at the top edge/"band" of paint.

    * In effect, you've got TWO coats of paint there.
    * Light will ALWAYS reflect differently off of "2-Layers" of paint, re. to ONE coat.
    * When I paint, I've NEVER had this effect.
    * I always brush all the C/I's first, like you.
    * Make SURE you're brushing the lower-edge of c/i down to a "feather/zero-edge". The bottom should look "hazy", with no edge. On average, my c/i's are ~ 3-4" wide.
    * When HORIZONTALLY rolling over this "Band", SLIGHTLY raise the top of roller so you're BARELY roller-stippling over the c/i itself.
    * You want to add "roller-stipple" there....NOT another FULL coat of paint.
    * It's a SUBTLE but very important difference here!!!!
    * I rarely c/i twice. On my 2nd coat, I just roll close to the edge, with normal flat-contact this time.

    Faron

  • paintguy22
    11 years ago

    I find this happens with certain brands of paint and is always more noticeable with darker colors. We can usually minimize this effect by rolling very tight to the ceiling, but many homeowner and DIY painters don't get close enough because they are afraid of smashing your roller into the ceiling. It's not really because of drying time though. Another kind of hatbanding related to drying time is when you cut in your ceiling line and then roll before that cut in area is completely dry, thus pulling off some half-dry paint. Your type of hatbanding is just because 2 tools were used (brush and roller) and you are just noticing the differential. I suspect the reason you don't notice it near the baseboard is because it's near the ground where there isn't as much light, plus if your basboards are taped off, it's always easier to roll down closer to the tape.

  • shea
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks so much, Faron and paintguy, your info helped me immensely and I will save it for future paint jobs. I gave it a second coat using your techniques and it looks so much better!

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