My husband and I just spent a whole day applying a coat of Valspar eggshell white paint to our brand new home, only to find out that our large walls (floor to cathedral ceiling) look awful. Despite our best efforts, the roller marks show when the walls are viewed on an angle – which is virtually constantly since this is such a large (and tall) focal point in the home. I?m not sure if the problem is the finish (eggshell), the color (a definite white, NOT off white or cream, nor is it ultrawhite), the application or a combination of the three. All walls were adequately primed with an all seal primer.
After reviewing your Q&A section, I’m thinking that we probably should have used a flat paint on this tall wall, but I’d like your thoughts on the same. If flat paint it the proper route, are we okay to go ahead and paint that flat finish right over the eggshell?
4 Responses
My husband wanted to try Valspar and we did, and I am not happy with the marks it left. Will redo the bathroom with my trusted Benjamin Moore Regal Matte finish, awesome every time and it's washable. Using this for my bathroom. Also, buy the best roller available.
I use GRAND DISTINCTION paint with primer already in it from Menards. I use 1/2 inch nap roller cover. Don't be stingy with the paint & make sure you final strokes are up & down to blend the paint in. It will come out great. Good luck.
I found these answers from Jeff Widmer on another forum on this same issue.
Don't go back to previously painted areas until that area has completely dried. While the paint is drying it will look splotchy and uneven. Walk away, don't touch it, and come back in about 4-6 hours when it has dried. It will then look even.
Make sure you are putting enough paint on the wall and don't try and stretch a roller too far between loading it with paint. For example, load up your roller with paint and then put the paint on the wall in a wide "W" shape. Then roll it out in that general area but don't try and push the paint too far on the wall without going back to the paint tray.
Let the first coat dry thoroughly before putting a second coat on. If you start putting the second coat on too soon (or come back to an area that started drying but has not dried completely) then you will disturb the first coat and get blotches where the portions of the first coat that began to dry already become pulled up and absorbed by the second coat.
Roll out an area and then walk away. Don't keep rolling it out trying to get it perfect. Just put the paint on nice and even with about 4 to 6 passes with the roller (OK maybe I do more like 10 to 12) and then move onto the next area of the wall. Rolling the same area out over and over again just makes the coat of paint very thin and also you can end up pushing any dried areas of paint around the wall.
I have never had a problem with any of the eggshell paints from Benjamin Moore and others, but this Valspar is really hard to work with. I, too have some marks and I hate to see them, but I'm not about to redo the whole thing.
I wish I had bought a can of flat and a can of eggshell and mixed them. Maybe I'd have that little bit of luster I was looking for without all these messy lines.
I also asked the salesperson for that type of paint and they said they only had flat. I have a feeling that the MATTE finish in this product would be just what most of us want.
Maybe the Valspar rep could respond to that issue also.