I would give the ceiling a good day drying before taping it off. Is it possible to cut in the ceiling by hand? Then you wouldn't have to use tape. You want to cut-in the whole room, let it dry then roll the whole room. We used to be able to cut in one wall and then roll it, but newer formulations to all acrylic paints lately have made them dry too fast for that, even with Floetrol added. The main thing is that you do not want to roll over cut-in areas that are not completely dry, as that will create a hatbanding type of effect. You can only cut-in only once, but that's cheating. Everything should get 2 coats if the paint is washable. Once your first coat is on though, the second coat goes much quicker.

Interesting. I had thought the hatband stripe came from rolling onto a dry cut in paint. Thanks

Darn--*** My aching back (I've pinched my sciatic nerve sp?), was hoping I could get away with cutting in only once. :>) So, if the paint dries too fast to do one wall at a time, can I assume, that for an 11 x 25 ft room, that by the time I have cut in the whole room, it will be dry enough for me to start rolling? Do I just test 'dry to touch'?

One more question, should I wait overnight between the 2 coats for the wall? Or, if I feel up to it, can I do both coats in one day?

Actually, a couple more questions ...what length of pole do you use to paint walls? I used a broom handle for the ceiling- but I do have a shorter (2 ft) one. When I paint the walls should I paint from ceiling to floor, or 1/2 wall patches?

Paint Guy, I really appreciate the heads up on the hatbanding effect. I was going by DIY videos on the web that said to do one wall at a time- guess that must be outdated info.

Yes, the info is outdated. Also, clerks in paint stores will still recommend painting one wall at a time by cutting it in and then rolling it out while the cut-ins are still wet. They are outdated too. I'm a fast painter. If I cut in a 12 foot wall, some of those cuts are too dry to roll over by the time I get about halfway done with rolling the wall. Honestly, I think you have about 3 minutes before they are too dry. If you can cut-in a whole wall and roll it out in 3 minutes, you are good and fast! Of course this depends on humidity, temperature, etc., and adding Floetrol will always give you more open time, but that's just the general idea.

Most paints used to be a vinyl and acrylic mix. Those didn't dry as fast as the paints we are seeing all over now that are 100 percent acrylic.

The hatbanding effect can also come from rolling over a dry cut-in line, but I have not seen that happen for some time. It probably only happens with certain products and I guess I stay away from them and use what I know works.

Usually if I cut-in a whole room, the cut-ins are ready to be painted over within an hour or so after. Just make sure they are not tacky at all. You can do both coats in one day easily. The best thing to do is read the can to find out what the manufacturer recommends for recoat time and again make sure the walls are not tacky at all before recoating...usually most brands can be recoated in 4-6 hours. My normal pole for rolling normal walls is the 2' to 4'. You want to spread the paint on and then on your final pass roll from ceiling to floor. Don't stop in the center of the wall and change directions.

Hi Raehelen & Paintguy, & all us paint-fans,
>>> Qualifying point here...I'm a taper normally...so with that in mind:

I absolutely LOVE the Wooster "Flip-frame"!!! When holding the handle, you just push a button to rotate the roller-sleeve to 4 different positions.
* Roller sleeves are 4", and available in many depths, etc.
* One sleeve "end" is covered of course, so you can roll an inside corner, and "cut-in" the adjacent wall at the same time. Or, when rolling around a TAPED door, just flip the frame to the right or left!!
* PERHAPS THE COOLEST PART...when the roller-end points straight UP, you can do a pretty-good "cut-in" (SECOND-COAT MAINLY...) by just moving your arm horizontally.
* Think of an airplane propellor...that's the 4 positions of the flip-frame roller.

>>> Because of the closed sleeve-end, you can do a QUICK, ROLLED cut-in for your 2nd-coat...
* The stipple from the roller goes all the way into the tape...
* AND...you have a nice, wide 4" ROLLED cut-in, so you don't have to be as precise with the 9" roller. It may only take 30 seconds to "edge" a couple doors, so it's still wet for the 9" roller.
* It's a fantastic little roller for a smaller bath, or kitchen-cabinet wall spaces!!!

It works so nice for ME anyway!!!
Faron

Thank you so much Paint Guy!

My kitchen walls look so 'Beautiful'! I didn't cheat, I cut in twice- and am SO glad I did! I definitely needed the masking, more for preventing the roller touching the ceiling than the cutting in, but I have one or two tiny touch ups to do, and that's it- the time it took to mask was worth every second!

Now, for the rest of the house... haven't quite decided what to do about the popcorn ceiling_ arghh_ I had painted it with oil paint when we first moved in 11 years ago, so I don't know if it will be possible to remove using the wet with water and scrape method. We have a 16 foot high ceiling in the entranceway- so AM not looking forward to that one regardless of what we decide.

Is there a section where your handy tips could be posted for all to see? You shared much better information than was available from the DIY sites on the web. Thanks again!