Sanded wall rough after brushing / rolling Kilz Original -- should I sand or is this normal?

Question

I'm remodeling a pantry space in my home that had glossy dark purple paint on two walls and more matte gray paint on the other two. After removing shelving and wall anchors and completing wall repairs with spackle, I completely sanded the surface with an orbital sander using 120 grit to prepare for primer. I then swept, vacuumed, and rinsed the walls with a wet rag to remove dust; the walls were smooth to the touch. Last night, I rolled Kilz Original primer onto the walls. Today, the surface looks like this:

I'm not sure if this is what it's supposed to look like, but I painted some finish coat (Ben Moore Regal, Eggshell) over it and it still seems to have the same rough surface qualities:

Is this what Kilz Original primer is supposed to look like when applied? Should I sand the walls again before applying top coat? Could this be because I used the cheaper "Best" roller from Walmart (I think not, because the brush marks are also pronounced)? I tried sanding a small area today, but it clogged the paper. Am I overthinking this? I've never used Kilz Original primer before, but I have used BIN, and it didn't really look like this (but it was over a light color).

Answer 1

I used Kilz Oil-based Odorless too, and the paint seems to be VERY thick. I used no nap rollers and still got the orange peel look/feel when I was done. Had to sand it down to get rid of the texture. I tried using a brush, but the brush strokes also stick out and leave a bad texture. I'm not happy with this product for that reason. If you were going over regular walls to cover a stain with a regular 3/8" nap roller, you should be good, but for a fine finish, NOPE. I think using the regular oil based Kilz was MUCH thinner and wouldn't have this issue, except for the smell.

Answer 2

Could it be that your roller is a TEXTURED roller and not a smooth roller.

Many rollers that are available for purchase can have a texture by design and others by fault that they will leave on a smooth surface even 3/8 knap rollers, and some paints because of how they are made might be more susceptible to roller defects especially primers as the intent for a primer is coverage.

Search for a roller that has a very small knap or if the area is small enough prime it with a spray paint or a smooth flat style brush - typically a flat style brush is used for knockout work. I have used it on a small wall before with nice results.

Answer 3

Same thing happened to me on a piece of furniture. Three things happened here.

1. Primer was too thick when applied
2. Moisture, humidity, temperature played a roll, and or
3. it was not fully cured when you sanded for paint.

This primer takes for ever to set up, that’s why I won’t use. I use either zinnser bullseye 123 for walls with latex paint or Zinnsers Shallac base primer both work great, always better than kilz any formula that you can buy from a big box department store.