Odd texture when rolling primer on walls


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Old 02-08-17, 08:45 PM
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Odd texture when rolling primer on walls

I've started rolling primer on my walls, but the roller seems to be leaving an odd texture. All examples I've seen of roller textures look little dots/bumps, but I seem to be getting a bunch of horizontal lines on the walls. I've attached a couple of pictures (hopefully they show what I'm taking about... it's not easy to capture on camera).
Does anyone know what is causing this? I'm using Purdy white dove 3/8 roller covers and BM UltraSpec 500 primer.

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  #2  
Old 02-09-17, 04:28 AM
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Not sure if I'm seeing what you are referring to but roller stipple is a combination or the roller cover nap and the coating being used. Rolling technique can also play a part.

Is this new slick finish drywall? If so, was the drywall sanding dust wiped/brushed off of the wall? What sheen [flat, satin/eggshell, etc] will you use for the finish coat?

I'm not fond of 3/8" nap covers for rolling walls, mostly because they don't hold as much paint as a 1/2" cover does. The roller stipple difference between the two is very minor.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 06:34 AM
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I was afraid it was not easy to see... in the picture below, I copied the same section of one of the pictures side by side and tried to trace some of those "horizontal lines" in red (I only traced some but they are all over). Maybe it helps demonstrate what I mean!

Basically I see a lot a little horizontal streaks... most of them are 1/4 to 3/4 long, where the primer coat is thicker (looks brighter in the pics). I was expecting to see a more dotted pattern.
The walls were pre-painted but there are a lots of patches and larger repaired areas (mud and spackle) so I decided to prime the whole wall before repainting. After all the patching, repairs and sanding, I vacuumed and wiped all the walls so they were pretty clean.

I'm also priming the ceilings which ARE fresh drywall using the same primer and roller and I don't get the same pattern on there (I suspect that's because most of the primer gets soaked into the paper/mud though).

The finish coat is going to be flat in this particular room, but eggshell in another room where I will be using the same primer (which also has pre-painted but patched up walls). My main concern is that I'll see those horizontal streaks after the finish coat so I'm trying to find out if (and how) I need to fix it before moving on to paint.

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Old 02-09-17, 07:50 AM
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Using one of those cheap blue rollers?
Look like not enough paint on the roller to me, I agree using a quality 1/2" nap roller should fix the issue.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 08:00 AM
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And don't try to use up every last drop of the paint or primer in the roller before you go back to the pan for more.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 08:23 AM
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The white dove rollers are nice, I doubt that is the problem, unless as mentioned, you arent putting enough paint on the wall.

The texture reminds me of when someone has painted over the top of wallpaper sizing that was not cleaned off the wall prior to painting.

Or if the walls were previously oil based paint, you should have primed with oil primer. Latex primers can run and sag... and may not bond well.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 08:46 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions guys!
The roller (purdy white dove) and the roller frame (9" wooster sherlock) are good quality as far as I know so I didn't think it was the tools. The previous paint was definitely latex and I was getting this pattern immediately after rolling (so I doubt it was a sagging issue).

I was loading the roller once it ran out of primer after covering a couple of feet so it's very possible that the coat I was putting on was too thin.

I'll load up the roller more often and put a thicker coat on the next room and see how it goes...

But how can I fix this room that is already textured like this? Can I just cover it with a thicker coat of primer or will I have to sand down the walls?
 
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Old 02-09-17, 08:50 AM
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Sand and reprime, then sand again.

Problem is that crappy primers don't sand well. A good primer will always turn to dust when you sand it. That's how you get a nice smooth finish on things like trim.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 09:30 AM
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Was the underlying paint a latex enamel? That can cause the primer to 'slide' across the wall a little.
I think most of what you are seeing is incomplete coverage and will for the most part be unseen once the wall is covered with paint.

I assume this discrepancy in roller stipple/texture is not something you can feel if you slide your fingers across it.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 09:59 AM
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The old paint was regular latex paint as far as I could tell with an eggshell or possibly lower sheen. I can feel the texture with my fingers... the streaks are raised a little but not severely.
 
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Old 02-09-17, 10:03 AM
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Latex enamels can cause primers to 'crawl' a little but it's only noticeable when the wall isn't completely covered. I'd lightly sand the wall and apply another coat - see how that does. Sanding will knock down the high spots and hopefully the next coat of paint will fill in the low ones.
 
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Old 02-15-17, 10:13 PM
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I just wanted to thank everyone again for the advice here.
I started putting on a much thicker coat on the walls (probably around 3-4 times as much as I was initially doing) and my weird texture problem is gone!
 
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Old 02-16-17, 04:10 AM
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Ya, you always want to put plenty of paint on the wall. Dry rolling is harder work as the paint isn't keeping the cover lubricated and the wall requires more coats. I suspect your texture issue was caused by you pulling some of the paint back off of the wall Glad you got it resolved!
 
 

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