Why don't the textures of drywall patches match the room?

Question

I recently remodeled a bedroom and installed new drywall. We painted the walls and ceiling with flat paint (since this is in the master bedroom and it is supposed to "hide" imprefections better than glossy finishes). But then we had a few "screw pops" in the ceiling where the drywall screws starting coming out (either due to the wood supporting the drywall drying or poor installation on my part to begin with). I decided to fix the screws by adding new screws to hold the drywall up against the joists and either removed the old screws or screwed them deeper into the drywall. Then I patched the holes and repainted.

I figured since I was using the same paint and we had put the initial coat on a month earlier the pathes would be invisible. The color is a perfect match (it is the same paint after all) but the "finish" is all wrong. In artificial light or when looking at it on an angle you can still clearly see the patches. Is there anything I can do to get this finish to match? Is this all happening because my paint is the try "flat enamel" and not an eggshell or semi-gloss?

The initial coat on the walls (before the repair) was done with a roller while the paint over the patches was done with a brush. However I don't think that made a difference because there are not brush strokes visible and the difference is not where the new paint is (a larger area than the patches) but it just the patched/sanded area.

Answer 1

Painting with a roller leaves an "orange peel" type texture that you can't match exactly with a brush. When you brushed your new paint on, the orange peel texture in the unsanded areas just telegraphed through your new brushed paint, but the smoothly sanded parts had no such base texture so they look visibly smoother.

To fix this I'd go over your patches again with a small roller and you should get the same sheen and texture as in the original paint.

Answer 2

The difference in the texture is because a roller was used originally and then you are painting the patch with a brush. Use a roller on the second coat and you will notice the texture will match exactly. That is one of the reasons why you are told to cut in on the edges with a brush first and then roll out the rest of the wall... because if you do it the other way around, then you will end up with a brush width area along all edges with a different texture.

Answer 3

Did you paint just one coat over the patches, or two? I've noticed texture differences when I patch something between the first and second coats. Something else you could try is to prime over the patch first, and then paint.