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Ceilings: Spraying vs Rolling

17 years ago

What would you recommend? The painter has quoted me on painting a ceiling. It is quite a large area, the rooms flow together on the main floor. The ceiling is 8 ft hight and flat (no stipple or popcorn on it), part of it is new drywall that has been primed, the other is an existing ceiling that has been previously painted. He is proposing to tape off the rooms and spray on one coat of SW ceiling paint tinted ivory and have his helper back roll behind him to prevent flash marks. I don't understand all these terms, I am just quoting him. He claims this method does a better job than cutting in and rolling on two coats. I have not given him a go ahead as I have never seen anyone do this before, except on a vaulted stipple ceiling. Does anyone have any opinion on this. Thanks in advance.

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Comments (2)

Faron79
17 years ago
Hello ycmomm
>>> Correct...2 coats sprayed on a popcorn ceiling would be appropriate, BUT...since yours is a smooth surface, ANY little variance in surface will be noticed.
>>> What concerns me is---some of your surface is primed, and some is existing paint. OFTEN, paints will dry slightly different on a primed surface vs. existing paint.

How old is the existing paint??

>>> If this were MY ceiling, I would have the WHOLE thing primed (spray or rolled), THEN 2 coats sprayed. Some do it this way, & some don't.
REASON: Priming everything means the actual "paint coats" will have the same appearance everywhere.
Some will spray 1st coat going "north/south", and the 2nd coat sprayed/rolled "east/west".
>>> I can pretty much guarantee if he just sprays one coat of color, and not prime all, you'll be able to see where your two different areas are!!
Faron
ycmom
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks Faron, The answers to your questions are: The existing paint is 5 years old. We didn't talk about priming the existing painted ceiling, but he probably would if I asked him. My main concern was that he said he would only spray on one coat and then back roll. If he primes would one coat be OK ? Does a rolled ceiling with 2 coats look better?
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