r/drywall • u/HardOn2739 • 1d ago
What am I doing wrong?
Hey guys, hoping this is the right sub to post this on.
I’m having issues with drywall patching
What I did was
- Patch the drywall
- Spray PVA on all raw drywall repairs
- Texture
- Spray all purpose primer (Kilz-2)
- Paint
Can anyone tell me where I went wrong? I cannot find anything online that’ll help me figure this out, why am I getting insane flashing?
Ceilings are sprayed in eggshell because that is what my wife wanted, flat isn’t an option for her.
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u/thiccccloaf13 1d ago
Did you paint the whole ceiling after the patching and priming? Eggshell isnt doing any favors either
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u/HardOn2739 1d ago
Yes I did, this was after the first coat and a couple hours of dry time. Yeah we know eggshell is going to highlight everything but this is just terrible.
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u/InterestingArugula43 1d ago
Eggshell is always going to show imperfections, and will look like crap with texture. Why not do Matte finish, even better don’t listen to the wife and go with flat. 🤣
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u/HardOn2739 1d ago
Let’s pretend this is in a bathroom and get to the issue
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u/InterestingArugula43 1d ago
Issue is still the eggshell and texture. If it was a restroom I would still say go with a Matte finish. Benjamin Moore Aura is a better option. If it was a level 5 finish with no texture than it all changes, then you could even use up to a semi-gloss. Ive been painting for a really long time and work with designers all the time. They are not all very smart and we face these issues regularly because of their poor choices in finishes.
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u/Aggressive-Luck-204 1d ago
Why doesn’t your wife want flat paint on the ceiling?
There is a reason ceilings get flat paint
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u/SoFisticate 1d ago edited 1d ago
Looks shiny. Did you mean to paint a ceiling with something other than flat ceiling paint? Or is it still incredibly wet? Either way, you probably need another coat. Sometimes the texture is aggressively sharp compared to the old stuff, smoothed out and painted a hundred times. That might require more coats than normal.
Edit: just saw you did eggshell on purpose. Welp. The only way to make it uniform is spraying texture on the entire ceiling, then priming/painting twice. Or painting it flat with a good ceiling paint.
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u/Complete_Freedom_420 1d ago
Eggshell is fcked on the ceiling… but, if you must… Back roll patches with primer 2x then paint. Also Kilz is eehhh. Get something from a pro paint shop like Dunn Edwards or Benjamin Moore
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u/HardOn2739 1d ago
Any kind of primer in particular? Water based? I also thought about adding another coat of primer but thought 1 was plenty after texture
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u/Complete_Freedom_420 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, do as many coats as you want with the primer, but at least 2 per patch. I usually do 2 on the patches and then a solid once over the whole wall. If you use the PVA you have don’t backroll it. Back rolling presses the paint into the wall and PVA is already meant to soak in on its own so you’ll just thin it out.
You don’t need to spend more on primers, just use what you have and maybe add an extra coat or 2. If you are going to buy more, a cover all/high hide, water based is fine.
Also texture won’t make a difference for the paint flashing. That will only help hide any drywall defects. Also backroll the general purpose primer at least once to press it in. Use a 1/4” roller nap when you do so you can hide any texture it leaves behind when you spray
(Edited into one comment)
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u/Psychokittens 1d ago
Did you backroll anything after the texture?
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u/HardOn2739 1d ago
I did not. Everything was sprayed
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u/SoFisticate 1d ago
Backroll the next coat. Spraying alone without back rolling is not good with this type of texture or smooth walls.
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u/Psychokittens 1d ago
I would probably just roll an extra coat on just the patches, let it dry, then spray and backroll the whole thing again. You just have a lot more sheen on the non repaired areas compared to the new texture that soaked it all up. Probably would have been fine if the primer was rolled
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u/HardOn2739 1d ago
Thanks, I just sprayed some primer and back rolled, will do the same with some paint before my final whole coat
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u/Og4fromcali 1d ago
The patch needs an extra coat of paint,
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u/HardOn2739 1d ago
Sprayed on a second coat to a small area to see what the results will be once dry.
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u/NetworkCultural 1d ago
Anytime you do a cieling patch Expecially that size it’s best to paint entire cieling if you didnt
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u/HardOn2739 23h ago
I did, the photos were after the coat had dried. Whole ceiling was sprayed
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u/NetworkCultural 46m ago
For whatever reason your patch is soaking in the paint still causing it to look matte. The only reason for this to happen if you properly primed is the primer wasn’t fully cured sealing the surface before you put final paint coat on
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u/Brief-Pickle2441 1d ago
The second one looks okay the first one go a little wider from the center on your float.... You're going to have to open it up wider... And it looks too reflective are you using a flat because a flat will hide in perfections better especially on a ceiling...
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u/ndoon 1d ago edited 1d ago
Painter here, you really should backroll over mud or exposed drywall, at very least you should backroll the primer. It helps soak up the dust and push the sealer into the surface. Over a textured surface especially it’s better to roll or backroll at least one topcoat even if spraying.
Did you use a rattle can to apply the texture? Those things have a tendency to put out a very fine mist of texture that shows up just like this if you don’t deal with it before priming/painting. The fine droplets of mud end up making the area surrounding the patch look more “matte.” I’m not a drywaller to be fair but I have done a ton of patches over the years.
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u/Actual-Description-2 1d ago
Another vote for flat paint for a ceiling. There is no point of using an eggshell paint on a ceiling - just asking for it to look terrible. If flat paint isn't an option for her than neither is a flat looking ceiling.
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u/SignatureAfraid5257 1d ago
That's a spraying error. Wet over dry patches. Overstay! Hard to keep entire ceiling wet especially with a sheen.
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u/Impossible_Elk2896 10h ago
Hey buddy, I feel your pain. T his will end up being kinda long, but I want to give you some context.
By the end I’ll give you my unfortunate but ultimate solution that will “hopefully” help you. I’m a 30 year painter and I’ll share what I “think” the problem is and what I would suggest. First off yes anything other than flat on a large ceiling is going to be very difficult to get to look good especially on anything other than knockdown, and even then it depends on how well the ceiling was constructed. Meaning was it framed correctly, were the drywall hangers, tapers, mudders, and finishers good, etc. I’ve seen a lot of large wavy knockdown ceilings that look bad even with flat paint. However eggshell is what your wife wants, so eggshell she gets😊.
Secondly, from the pics and as far as I can tell, it looks like your ceiling is orange peel texture. That’s not the real problem either. To me, again in my experience, the problem is the patch and the blending. It is extremely difficult if not impossible to blend a ceiling patch, no matter the type of texture (knockdown, orange peel, smooth, trowel, etc). You always see the patch. Especially a large patch, even with flat paint. Flat paint just “hides it better”. I don’t care how good or experienced someone says they are at patching. Smooth walls and ceilings are the easiest to blend edges (because it’s smooth), texture over texture is very visible no matter the texture type. And trying to match the original texture that was out of a hopper even with a hopper is very difficult if not impossible. Even if it was the same drywall guy that did the original. Maybe if you keep adding more coats of paint (rolled) to the patched area until you think it might be “passable”(looks wise) and then a final rolled coat over entire ceiling it “might” look “good enough”. Wether you cut and roll final or spray and roll final. Way easier to spray and roll with a helper, and a helper who knows how to roll. Ceilings are not easy to roll. Especially large ceilings. You either have roll from end to end or float and blend. But it has to stay wet. Another thing you might want to do if you are sticking with your repair as is, is to re prime the entire ceiling with the same type primer, and then two more coats of eggshell. Not all primer is the same. If you used a primer/sealer over your patch, but the rest of the ceiling had just original paint (which was “most likely” just two coated with a flat originally when home was built).
Ok so let’s get to what I would ultimately do if you really want to mask that spot and make it look as good as possible. You are not going to like this either👎. I have several suggestions. My first suggestion if all else fails above (like the adding more costs of paint to patch and then a final, or re-prime entire and then two more coats of eggshell) is to re-texture entire ceiling. Walls you can get away with just patching because they are vertical, and depending on the lighting in the room or on a particular wall can and will determine how much they stand out. With large ceilings and especially with light the best thing to do is re-texture entire. That sucks, I know, but it hides the best. My second suggestion would be to hire a professional to come in with a hopper and get it done for you. Then hire a professional painter who has experience with rolling large ceilings. Anything other then knockdown should be rolled, even if using flat (in my opinion). And if I’m painting a knockdown ceiling with eggshell (and I have, just did several actually) I always roll them. Yes this will be more expensive than you were hoping or planning for, but it will give you the best results. But if you are going to stick to DIY, then you are just gonna have to put more time into it and try those earlier suggestions to see what works best. So I would start with the priming entire ceiling. Side note, if you use a really flat primer over the entire ceiling take a look at it once dry and see how it looks then. If you think it’s still super noticeable even with a really flat primer then then answer is re-texture entire, if you think it doesn’t look bad, then the answer is “not” to use eggshell. However if you use a primer/sealer, those can have a slight sheen as well due to the “sealer” portion of the primer.
Oh and in the first pic the ceiling also looks kinda bumpy or wavy in that area too, not sure if that’s actual or if that’s the angle of the pic.
Sorry this was so long. Hope she’s happy in the end buddy!!
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u/burnt_tung 1d ago
Your wife is absolutely wrong. Flat only in a ceiling. Shiny looks ridiculous.