So, here I am with my eggshell Guacamole Olympic indoor paint.
I cut in two coats around the baseboard and below the ceiling. I do my two coats with my roller over the rest of the wall…
…and now I have a very visible band around the top and the bottom. This happens, I know, but this band isn’t just a different texture (brush vs. roller), it’s also a different shade!
The stuff from the roller is darker than the stuff from the brush.
Any brilliant ideas why?
-Joe
Tripler (my SO) worked at Sherwin-Williams for three years and suggest that if you used a different can for one than the other, you may have a tinting problem as they may not have been exactly identical. There can be slight variations between the gallons that are imperceptible until the color’s on the wall. When using multipe gallons of the same color, the best thing to do is pour all of them into a five gallon bucket and mix for uniformity of color. Then you can pour the unused back into the cans when done for storage or returning.
He’d have told you this himself but he’s having his Russian lesson right now.
What was the original color of the room? Was it considerably darker? All I can think of is that you’re spreading it too thin with the roller, and the original color’s showing through, even with two coats; or maybe you’re using the wrong kind of roller.
Look at the places where the roller coats overlap the trim coats. Is that showing the correct color?
I’ve gotten the band look when i’ve cut in and allowed it to dry before painting the wall surface. If you keep a wet surface, you can blend the two colors before they dry.
It’s almost like having 4 coats on the cut in area and two coats on the wall?
Well, people are half right.
I did, in fact, use two different gallons of paint. However, I used the same gallon for Wall 1 and Wall 2. I used the other gallon for Wall 3 and Wall 4.
I painted the two sets of walls (1/2, 3/4) about two weeks apart.
So…not a matter of different tinting. The paint job is over an off-white, so it’s not a matter of a darker color showing through and making the brush-job look darker.
Any other ideas?
-Joe
Different textures can certainly cause the appearance of different shades since they will reflect light differently.
That could be it, and it was the idea I was leaning toward. However, since I can only get a roller so close to the ceiling (radius of the roller and all that - assuming I do so PERFECTLY), anyone have any advice on avoiding this?
-Joe
I had a similar problem with painting a deep brick red over an off white. The problem appeared to be that although the red was brightly colored, it really didn’t have good hiding, resulting in the two coats vs. 4 coats look.
The eventual answer was about 8 coats, making the cut-in around the trim as small as possible and cutting in & rolling at the same time so the brushed paint never had time to dry before the rolled paint was applied over it.
With each sucessive application, the difference in apparent color between the two areas got smaller. When it was “close enough” I stopped.
As between 2 coats & 4, the color difference is huge. As between 8 & 9 it’s small enough you don’t notice it.
And yes, I was mightily pissed at needing 3x the materials & 5x the time I’d budgeted for the job. Last time I ever buy paint at a big box store, even supposed name brand paint.
Two coats of paint applied by roller are going to be much thicker–and therefore hide much better–than two coats applied by brush. The more paint, the better the coverage. The solution is to re-paint the cut-in areas again. And maybe again after that.
Try using a roller with less nap, i.e. smoother.
You can also “box” the paint by pouring all into a larger bucket, and mixing thoroughly. A paint conditioner, like Floetrol, when added per manufacturer’s directions, will leave a wet edge longer. It also helps the paint glide on more smoothly, and is recommended if you use a sprayer for application.
Cheez_Whia, Department Manager for Paint and Hardware for 4 years at a Small Company’s Home Center.
Well, I have painted every room in my house (except this one at the kitchen) with Home Depot Behr paint and I never had this problem. This is my first, and probably last, Lowe’s Olympic paint…
-Joe
Obvious question but it is it a new roller? If it’s been used for another colour in the past there could possibly be some contamination. I think it’s more likely a texture thing though.