Not for sure which tape you are using, but you really should be using the orange core delicate blue painter's tape. I never have had issues with this tape pulling. Paintguy has given you the scoring solution and there is always a possibilty you may have a dust issue on the drywall. That would be a really big enemy.

QUOTE: I will admit I am guilty of going back over an area but this is within a few minutes of applying the pain and generally just to even out where it appears heavy.

you may be applying to much pressure with your roller and leaning to much in a given manner. The roller and extension pole used should just glide up and down the wall very smoothly with little pressure from your arm action. Try and torque the closed end of the handle away from you when painting, also trying not to apply any uneven pressures; the lightest pressure should be a very light ceiling to floor on the last pass (smoothing it out) and moving on.

Don't know "how much of "multiple coats" are which you have applied, but if you have applied more 3 or more coats I would stop, go and get me a primer tinted to the color, prime and use your color again; allowing sufficient dry times depending on temperatures and how many coats you already have on there.

thank you both. The tape was put onto walls with 2 coats of paint that had dried for several weeks (unprimed though). The paint did not come off at the junction of paint and tape but rather underneath the tape between middle and trim edge. Either way, I may skip the tape when correcting.

I think from what you've both said, I'm guilty of going back over it (it just looks so wet, I can't help myself) AND applying too much pressure.
I am confused how to paint this though "the lightest pressure should be a very light ceiling to floor on the last pass." does this mean that you don't do 3-4' sections? Or do you do the top then bottom in "w" then go back over ceiling to floor?

If it's a 7'-9' wall, one dip of the roller usually gets me about 18" of the wall painted. This is 2 columns. The size of the roller is 9" so this is about 2 roller widths worth of wall space. I do not use a W pattern or any kind of pattern. If you are using an extension pole, you should be able to roll from ceiling to floor without worrying about filling in the top and bottom halves seperately. The light pressure on the sleeve can only be effective if you have the sleeve loaded properly, which is really the biggest issue DIY'ers have when painting. There is not enough paint in the sleeve so you have to apply pressure to get any paint on the wall. The rule is that if you have to push hard to paint, then you just don't have enough paint on your sleeve. Other problems could be that you are using a cheap sleeve, applying uneven pressure on the sleeve (one side of the roller cover is fluffy while the other side is matted down) or you could be using the wrong size nap. I usually prefer 1/2" nap for paints that are not flats, but most DIY'ers use a 3/8".

I emailed Benjamin Moore directly and they sent me instructions - if it's new drywall for dark colors you need a primer (they recommended a specific one with them).

"I usually prefer 1/2" nap for paints that are not flats, but most DIY'ers use a 3/8"."

And what is proper (for newly finished drywall) for flat paint? I would like VERY little stipple, if possible.

I don't know that there is a 'proper' nap. Applying the paint with little stipple has more to do with technique than it does nap size. If you spread the paint out properly and your last pass is done with a sleeve that wasn't freshly dipped, your paint should dry down. For flats, most pros use a 3/4" nap. Homeowners usually use a 1/2" nap.

Well, that's new. Granted I've heard a LOT of conflicting advice, but most consistently that shorter nap = smoother finish. Oh yeah, and that microfiber or lamb's wool (and a third that I can't remember) also produce a smoother finish.

So you're saying that nap length doesn't affect roller stipple? (You aren't in the DC area, perchance, are you? I'd love to hire this out. I'm tired.)

And I've always heard that you should do the "w" thing, don't overwork it, do another "w" right below, and then lay off the whole column when you do enough w's to get to the floor. BUT, I've recently been told that that is wrong: instead, you are supposed to do columns (and that guy, who spoke with conviction, tried to explain about skipping a space and working "back" into your last column's wet edge...or something like that, since I'm pretty sure I never understood it).

Generally, you are correct. Lower nap means less stipple. But I have used 1" nap sleeves to roll flats plenty of times. I used to work for a contractor that only did new homes and speed was the name of the game. His theory was bigger naps hold more paint so that painter has to dip less which saves time. It says right on the package that 1" nap is for 'rough surfaces'. 3/4" nap is for 'semi-rough surfaces'. Eventually I learned how to apply paint with big naps so that it looked like I used a 1/2" nap. Now, we had 30 guys and not all of them could do that....some were pigs. Give a pig a 1" nap sleeve and they could really make a mess. I'm talking BIG stipple and ugly skid marks that would come from loading that sleeve up with so much paint that the roller would slide around on the wall. And of course, they would leave it. That's new construction painting for ya.

So, generally speaking it is true that lower naps=lower stipple, but the application technique is also very important. Plus, if you are painting with flats and you are using a 3/8" nap sleeve because you are trying to maintain a low stipple, you may be creating other problems. It's important to put enough paint on the wall to keep that wet edge going...with a 3/8" nap size, that may be difficult to do. It's possible of course, but I just find rolling flats to be much easier when I am putting the paint on heavier and spreading it out. Another factor to consider is that paints dry fast. If you are using a small nap sleeve, they are going to dry even faster. One way to get roller stipple to show is to roll back into something that has already started to dry...this you certainly want to avoid.

The W pattern to me is just simply a way to explain to people to spread the paint out and then roll back into it. What you don't want to do is slap your dip in one place. Here is what I do. Imagine that one column is 9" (the size of your roller). One dip of my roller will get me 2 columns worth of wall space done if the walls are 7-9 feet high roughly. I dip my sleeve and skip that first column so that all that paint I just unloaded from my fresh dip on the wall is in column #2. I then roll out column #1 and then roll back into column #2 once or twice to finish filling column #1 in. After that first column is filled, column #2 doesn't have that much paint in it because I worked it out already....yeah, really really hard to explain with words, but I hope you get the idea. I'm really not making a letter, and I'm certainly not breaking the wall down into upper and lower. You really want to roll ceiling to floor. If you go and watch videos on youtube by pro painters, this is how you will see most of them paint. I think maybe the W pattern concept was invented before they used rolling poles.

"I think maybe the W pattern concept was invented before they used rolling poles." Okay, see, now THAT is something to thwart my family's long devotion to w's.

"...and ugly skid marks" (Are there any other kind?...) I was reading some forum where professional painters were sort of slamming on new construction paint jobs. They were being quite blunt (one guy was wanting to leave the ceiling with just primer because it happened to actually look good...really? just primer?...and the homeowner was unlikely to ever notice) which was helpful because truth is powerful, but it was hugely eye-opening about general practices for that type of job.

We were actually considering getting one of those paint sticks (where you load the handle with paint) and have my husband apply the paint to the surface, with me working behind him, moving the paint around appropriately. I guess this was our way of getting around the paint-drying-too-fast-for-newbies aspect. I'll have to think of whether this is stupid or not with your column approach. (I think the two-person plan began because I'm afraid of our ceiling.)

Using your column approach (and I think I get it), how How HOW do you do a ceiling? I have to do ours and I have never seen one painted. Our living room is 14'x 28' with windows only on the one end (it's a condo). I can't possibly keep a wet edge everywhere.

(If I had any faith left in people around here, I would SO hire this out. I'm not stupid: painting is a profession for a reason and good painters are totally absolutely freakin' worth every damn dime. But my area is swamped with mediocrity and the good ones won't even come near my little hat-box-sized-apartment. So I'm stuck trying my best to emulate what it took you years to learn. What could go wrong, right?)

The problem with the painting stick where you load paint into the pole is that it is very slow. You have to wait for the paint to seep through the perforations and into the sleeve. It's really the same deal with those Wagner Power Painters...lots of waiting and slow rolling. Dipping and rolling out of a pan/bucket is actually much faster. Ceilings are tough, but you can actually map out a way to keep a wet edge. You can also prime the ceiling to give yourself more open time. I actually just roll one half and then roll the other half because I am fast enough. When you are rolling the second half, you sort of feather your rolling into the first half. In other words, don't turn round with the roller in the middle of the ceiling because that could show as a stop mark. Also, some paints are better than others to use on ceilings. I like BM Super Spec flat or ICI Ultra Hide. The cheaper flats look better on ceilings than the more expensive ones.

Shame to hear that the paint sticks are pokey. I really was thinking that that was the magic bullet for us. What about the same concept but just arm my husband with a long-nap roller? (I'm not sure there is an efficiency here beyond the fact that it would be him instead of me constantly re-loading.)

I guess I sort of assumed that the initial paint to seep out would take a bit, but after that you'd be good to go.

Of course we will prime the ceiling. Twice, I guess, since I read on a different thread that you should prime twice on raw drywall. (And I guess I'm supposed to sand after each step though I'm not sure I understand that part. Why is sanding necessary? What part of the primer are you tring to smooth? What do ytou even sand WITH? I don't get it. Not saying that I won't do it, but I'm not sure the objective, with definitely makes it harder to accomplish.)

"...don't turn round with the roller..." I'm not sure I know what you mean by this.

(one guy was wanting to leave the ceiling with just primer because it happened to actually look good...really? just primer?...and the homeowner was unlikely to ever notice)

This guy is a hack.

Of course we will prime the ceiling. Twice,

One good coat of primer is all that should be needed.

. (And I guess I'm supposed to sand after each step

Sanding on the ceiling also should not be necessary

I explain pole sanding in this other thread. Sanding is really only necessary to remove contaminants that may keep the paint from sticking. Also, when you paint new drywall, the walls may be rough.

When I say don't turn around with the roller, I mean like you are rolling, you stop in the center of the ceiling and then go back the other way. That change of direction you make could show as a stop mark. You really want to roll towards the center of the ceiling, and then lift your roller off the ceiling as you are rolling to sort of feather that into the area that as already been rolled.

Shame to hear that the paint sticks are pokey. I really was thinking that that was the magic bullet for us. What about the same concept but just arm my husband with a long-nap roller? (I'm not sure there is an efficiency here beyond the fact that it would be him instead of me constantly re-loading.)

I guess I sort of assumed that the initial paint to seep out would take a bit, but after that you'd be good to go.

Of course we will prime the ceiling. Twice, I guess, since I read on a different thread that you should prime twice on raw drywall. (And I guess I'm supposed to sand after each step though I'm not sure I understand that part. Why is sanding necessary? What part of the primer are you tring to smooth? What do you even sand WITH? I don't get it. Not saying that I won't do it, but I'm not sure the objective, with definitely makes it harder to accomplish.)

"...don't turn round with the roller..." I'm not sure I know what you mean by this.

Sorry for the double post. Computer has mind of its own apparently. (The spinning beach ball on my mac is now in charge....)