Did you wipe the dust off after sanding?

Dust and or trapped moisture. Sand away the bubbles and air dry the area for at least 24 hours. Set up a fan to move air. After drying, make repairs with compound and let that dry for 24 hours or more. Sand, wipe clean, prime, wait 24 hours, repaint.

What's above that ceiling?

Yes, I wiped away the dust with a wet rag. And I kept washing the rag as I cleaned the ceiling with it. I wiped the whole ceiling.

I've remembered something else. I first used Zinsser as a primer
(on the trouble spots) then later used Glidden Gripper as an alternative
primer after I sanded a second time. Maybe the bubbles are coming from
the areas where there may have been Zinsser, then a first coat of Behr, then Glidden Gripper (after I caught an imperfection), then a coat of
finish.

In all honesty, this ceiling has been through quite a bit with my experimenting around, trying to get the "perfect look." :)

A stupid question.

When using a roller on a ceiling, do you dip the roller into the bucket of paint?

Or do you first pour the paint onto a paint tray liner then dip the roller into the tray?

Just curious.

Brush, you and I are a dying breed for sure

Most pros do use buckets actually. I was working with a few union painters last year that started laughing at me when I got out the roller pan. If it's a small room where I only am using 1 gallon of paint, I'll use a pan, but if it's 2 gallons or more I will use a bucket. The trick with using the bucket and screen is not whacking the roller all over the edges of the bucket when you dip to get paint....this takes practice. Noobs should use pans.

As long as the paint gets on the wall and has a professional appearance, whether it's a bucket or a pan, it won't matter. I make more money (less time) using a 20" pan than a bucket and screen. The clearance between a bucket and a 9" roller frame is about 1/2" on each side. If you're not bumping it, you're wasting a ton of time avoiding it. :)

I asked my bucket vs tray question because I've seen a number of YouTube videos where the roller is dipped into the bucket like the one below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNT3cpBa5HY

I've been using a tray.

That video is ok, except for I don't understand why a 3.5" brush is needed or why you would need to run the ceiling paint down 1" onto the wall. You can use a bucket, but there is a learning curve to it for some....depends on your coordination level.

Paint roller covers, I've discovered, leave a texture on the surface that one is painting.

I have been working on my kitchen ceiling for a while and it's been a major learning experience.


I am now at the point where I've corrected many imperfections on the
ceiling's plaster. This has involved patching various spots with either
joint compound or Bondo (which has turned out to be a Godsend for
tricky, shallow areas that needed patching).

I originally used a 3/4" nap roller cover before I caught the latest
imperfections. The idea was that 3/4" would be better at hiding the
areas that I patched and sanded because of the more pronounced texture
that is left on the surface.

Now that I've patched and sanded all the trouble areas, I need to re-paint the whole kitchen ceiling.


Should I stick with the 3/4" nap? Or should I go with a 1/2" nap or even something like 3/8", 5/16", or 1/2" nap?


Basically, what would happen if I painted a ceiling that had paint that
was put on with a 3/4" nap and re-painted with a lower nap? This is the
big question.


Any feedback will be highly appreciated.


Thanks.

Most pros will use a 3/4" nap for flats. If you have used the 3/4" nap sleeve and the results were good, I would stick with that. You definitely do not want to use 3/8". 3/4" is what you want to use, but if that's too big, then you can step it down to 1/2" and it still should come out fine.

Thanks for the feedback.

One last question:

Someone told me that if you do the first coat
of finish on a ceiling in one direction, the second coat should be done
in the perpendicular direction from the first coat. They said this will
make the paint job come out better.

Is this true?

I have been painting all the coats in the same direction. But I'm willing to try another method if it works better.

yes it is true, although in normal small rooms with true flat paint it is not necessary

I have never found it to matter which way you roll. The only thing I can think of is that if you are going to have lap marks I guess it would be better to have them not all going in the same direction if you are doing two coats?

Knock the bubbles off and hit em with compressed air to blow out loose debris. Patch the holes with more compound and sand again. I have found this happens often with only one coat of compound. That second coat is almost vital to a good mud job otherwise you get these bumps.

Finally painted the whole kitchen ceiling today. It now has one, uniform look, thank God.

This was a major learning lesson.

I think I now know how to paint a ceiling, thanks to the very useful
feedback I got on this forum. Instead of doing long lines, like when I
started, I instead did rectangles and really soaked the roller cover.

Now my next major job is removing the blue tape from the top of the
walls without peeling paint since I've had this tape up for quite a long
time. I'm thinking of using a hair dryer. In other words, heating a
section of the tape before peeling it off. We'll see.

Dont get too close with the heat gun, it will bubble the paint. Perhaps use a long putty knife, put the knife in the corner then pull the tape.

That's why they make Delicate Surfaces painter's tape. :)

or this http://snottape.com/

1) I'm really grateful for the advice I got from a Good Samaritan elsewhere regarding cleaning used roller covers so that you can use them for priming in future painting projects.

As you may know, I've bought a number of Purdy White Dove 3/4" nap roller covers for my kitchen ceiling paint job.

2) At first I was throwing away the covers after using them. But after I
got the recycling tip, I pulled them out of the sealed plastic bags
that I was using to store them in. Then, beginning two days ago, I
started washing them. Here's my tip: I find a walk-in shower (if you
have one) the best place to clean a used roller cover. And you can do
this when you yourself are taking a shower. I have now washed 3 roller
covers.

3) With my Purdy White Dove 3/4" roller cover, I feel that I washed it
so well that maybe I was able to restore its nap to maybe 90%. I'm
attaching a photo of the cover below. Tell me what you truly think. Is
its nap restored to around 90% of close? If I was to repaint my kitchen ceiling
with this cover, would I get close to leaving the same texture that I
left when I used it for the very first time? I'd really appreciate any
feedback you can give for I love recycling.

Thanks.

For cleaning roller covers its easiest to get a spinner and a 5 gallon bucket.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Project-Select-Brush-and-Roller-Cleaner-HD-6006/202564315

Get a 5 gallon bucket next to a sink, wet the roller cover well and spin while inserted into the 5 gallon bucket, repeat till clean. Takes only about 4-5 wetting and spinning.

Thanks for that tip!