Knockdown Ceiling

Phil Johnson asked 10 years ago

I need some expert help. I just had my basement finished. They put knockdown texture on the ceiling. I put a coat of drywall primer on the ceiling and then painted it with three coats of Sherwin-Williams Brilliance ceiling paint. That left streaks everywhere. I thought maybe the problem was thin ceiling paint so I followed with two coats of extra white flat SW Superpaint. The streaks are still there. I’ve tried different rollers (1/2 and 3/4) and different techniques (push hard, roll lightly, go only in one direction, go in both directions, longways, sideways, paint the “M”) but can’t get rid of the streaks. The only things I can think of at this point are maybe that I need to prime the ceiling again, or just have it sprayed. I would love to know what an expert thinks. Thank you!

2 Answers
Crowder Painting answered.

Sherwin Williams Brilliance is a spray only paint and most likely the cause of most of your problems. The 2 coats of Super Paint should have taken care of if it if the paint didn't dry too fast during application.

You could try 1 more coat of Super Paint but this time add some water to slow down its drying time and roll in only one direction (sideways or shortest distance only). If that doesn't do it then spraying is your only alternative.

JT Creations, LLC answered.

Karl's answers are right on the money and I will add one thought. As we paint ceilings with a knockdown texture, we will roll the ceiling in one direction for the first coat and across the original direction for the second coat. Sometimes you have to be careful to not use too long a stroke so as to not encounter lap marks.Karl's suggestion of a small amount of water will help this.