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I am painting a room where the previous paint job was not very good. You can see brush marks from a great distance, it got all over the trim, and the paint looked watered down (thanks builders). It was an earthy portabello color and it was flat paint. I am going to paint over it with Sherwin Williams Duration (Satin) in another earthy color (earthy green instead of brown). I probably have enough for 2 coats.

First I tried to sand the walls but could not get them smooth, after about 5-6 hours of sanding I gave up and applied a coat of tinted Sherwin Williams multi-purpose latex primer. I can see both the brush strokes left by the builders and new brush strokes and roller marks left by me. Sanding it with low grain sponge isn't really helping the situation. Also the single coat of primer can still show a hint of the previous paint in a few spaces.

My question is that if I apply my 2 coats of Duration over this primer job using proper painting techniques (I have been doing my research so I don't make the same mistakes I made with the primer again with the actual paint), will it likely cover up the mistakes? What should I do here?

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When you say you can see the brush marks, do you mean that they're actually irregularly surfaced? I mean - are we talking just a visual effect or an actual difference in the depth of the paint?

If the latter, do a skim coat with lightweight joint compound and when it dries, either lightly sand OR smooth with a large, slightly damp sponge, then apply primer.

As for your own brush strokes - orient the roller so the roller bar leads your motion. If you're moving right, put the bar on the right. If you're moving left, put the bar on the left. The most pressure will be on the roller bar side, so keeping that side on the "front" of your motion will mean the lighter touch side (the back) will smooth out the uneven strokes as you pass over it again.

Now if its not a real issue with texture, just that your seams are obvious - then just prime it again with a good HEAVY primer, using the proper brush techniques, and you'll be fine. :)

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  • Ah, yes.. it feels smooth to me.. I assumed that since I could see it clearly that it was not going to cover up, thanks. So your saying I will regret it if I don't re-prime with better primer (keeping in mind the layer beneath is flat paint of a similar darkness)?
    – insipid
    Commented Mar 24, 2012 at 19:53
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    I'm saying better safe than sorry - I can't say with certainty that you WILL regret it, but if you don't like the look of the surface now after priming once, the final coat if applied now will very likely mimic that look.
    – The Evil Greebo
    Commented Mar 25, 2012 at 9:17

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