White Ceiling

That's why most folks end up putting on more than one coat of paint.

A "pro" will often step back from his work to check to ensure that he hasn't "missed" anything.

That said, if you have sufficient paint to "cover" then extra paint just doesn't make any difference. It's quite likely you are using cheap paint that doesn't cover well.

Again, "pros" have techniques they used routinely to ensure they "cover" each section before they move on. They "know" how a roller or brush "feels" and looks when it needs more paint. That's one of the reasons pros are from 2 to 3 times as productive as DIYers.

Ah, but interior painting is one trade that I could pick up that knowing and feeling, and get results that wallpaper professionals and contractors have assumed were professional. It does take a patience and an enjoyment of the 'zen' of it that a lot of people don't have. And, as you say, a willingness to spend a coupla extra bucks on decent paint (which is, in turn, more pleasant to paint with, making it more enjoyable for the DIYer, etc.)

Banty

Hold up alight and shine the beam across the ceiling surface to show irregularities.

Set up a light ahead of where you are painting so you can see the sheen of the wet paint. No sheen = no paint. __________________

One manufacturer (don't recall which) now makes a ceiling paint that is light blue when wet but dries white. That would be handy!

-- dadiOH _____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

I put two coats on the ceiling of my last home and thought all was good. I had scraped off the pop corn and had an contractor spray the ceiling with texture. Never looked right. The contractor had floated all of the joints on the ceiling and with a light they looked flat. Just before I sold the home I hired an painter. He used an large nap roller and it still took him 3 coats to cover. I'll estimate that he used 15 gallons of paint on 1000 square feet. When the light was just right I could still see the seams. Of course I had lived there so long that I knew where they were anyway.

good luck

As it turns out, I now believe (after the second coat of paint) that most, maybe all, of the shading variations are due to minor differences in the ceiling's texture. The variations are visible in direct side light, not in diffuse light. Even though the ceiling has a smooth finish, there are sections that are smoother than others, probably due to nail pop repairs, plumbing rennovations, etc. that have been made in the 35 years since the house was built...

Thanks for everyone's input. As someone suggested, I used side light to help see the line between fresh (wet) paint and adjoining dry areas. That was a very helpful.

KB