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How to get even paint coverage after repainting a wall?

ellhawthorn

Hey everyone, looking for a bit of advice.

I’ve got some experience painting, but I’ve run into an issue I haven’t seen before. The house is 30+ years old. In the hallway entry, along the skirting board, the paint was flaking around the no more gaps. I removed the old no more gaps, scraped off all flaking paint, and lightly sanded the area.

Across the wall there were minor dents and imperfections from over time, so I filled those. Along the skirting board, where the flaking paint and old no more gaps were removed, I reapplied no more gaps. Where the paint had been scraped back, there were sections of brown plasterboard paper exposed, so I applied filler and 4-in-1 along the bottom and to any patched areas.

I then sanded all patched areas smooth and washed the wall with sugar soap. After that, I spot-primed the repaired areas with a 4-in-1 primer.

After everything dried, I cut in and rolled the wall, allowing proper drying time between coats. I’ve now done a 3-4 coats, but the finish is coming up patchy and streaky.

I’m not sure where I’ve gone wrong. But its driving me crazy.

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Thankyou in advance

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JacobZ

Hi @ellhawthorn,

First up, can I ask what paint you are using? Particularly the finish? It looks like it may be a higher sheen paint, which can really highlight any variation in the surface and make this kind of issue more noticeable. If it is a higher sheen, then that is likely exacerbating the problem a bit, and you should consider using a flat or matte paint instead.

It sounds like your prep has been quite thorough, so you are on the right track there. I think there is likely a couple of things happening.

It seems like the patched and primed areas are absorbing and reflecting the paint differently to the original wall. This can lead to what is often called “flashing”, where those areas show through even after several coats. The vertical streaks you are seeing is likely from roller lap marks where the paint is starting to dry between passes.

At this point, the best way forward is to reset the surface a bit:

Give the whole wall a light sand, ideally with a https://www.bunnings.com.au/rocket-230mm-giant-sanding-tool_p1661619 or similar tool, focusing on the patched and problem areas to even things out
Apply a full coat of primer over the entire wall to even out porosity and sheen
When repainting, use a paint conditioner such as https://www.bunnings.com.au/flood-floetrol-4l-acrylic-paint-and-stain-conditioner_p1563340 and work in manageable sections, backrolling each area while it is still wet to remove those vertical leave lines at the edge of the roller.

If it is a higher sheen, switching to a lower sheen like a flat or matte for walls can help hide minor imperfections and give a more even finish.

You are very close and under low light I imagine it would not be too noticeable, but if you are striving for perfection, these steps should help you get there.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

ellhawthorn

Hey Jacob,

Ive taken a photo attached of the paint that im using. Its low sheen colour Raw Cotton Quarter. The patches that were done on that wall werent big in size they were shallow indents other than sections along the skirting board were filled in where the paper was exposed. I only applied 4 in 1 primer to the spots with filler. Could I possibly of sanded the whole wall to much prior to painting? I went over with fine grit, could it be that I did wipe the whole wall enough?

Another thing I wanted could I not be applying enough paint onto my roller?

JacobZ

Hi @ellhawthorn,

Ok, it isn't a higher gloss paint, it just seems that way because of the glancing light in that location.

Unless you are tearing through the paper, there isn't really a way to sand too much, but if you left plaster dust on the wall after sanding, this could have a bit of an impact. It wouldn't really cause streaking, but it can cause a bit of unevenness.

Considering what you've said, and now seeing the paint you've used, I'd say it is more about application technique than anything related to prep work. I wouldn't say anything relating to the volume of paint is the cause, I'd say you just needed to back roll the wall after it was applied.

Back rolling is a technique where after you’ve applied the paint, you go back over the area in one direction using long, even strokes and very little pressure. The key is to do this while the paint is still wet, as it helps remove any visible roller marks and evens out the paint film.

At this point, I would suggest you give the wall a light sand to even out the existing paint a bit, wipe the wall down thoroughly to remove dust, then reapply a light coat of paint, then back roll it to ensure it is even. Take the time to check the finish with that glancing light on it and if there is any obvious leave lines, go back over them lightly.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

ellhawthorn

Thankyou Jacob for getting back to me with that, I also wanted to ask with a big wall, when cutting in and rolling would you cut in the whole wall then roll or do it in sections just asking as where i cut in dries quickly by time i get to rolling it or if it doesnt matter ?

Thankyou again

JacobZ

Hi @ellhawthorn,

With big walls, it’s best to work in sections rather than cutting in the whole wall first. If the cut in dries before you roll, you can end up with visible lines or picture framing, which will be obvious under glancing light and will detract from the overall look.

A good approach is to cut in one manageable section, then roll that section straight away while the edges are still wet. This will help everything blend together nicely.

You can then quickly cut in the next section and continue down rolling down the wall. It is a bit of a balancing act where you need to move between sections quick enough that the edge of the previous section doesn't dry before you continue rolling.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

ellhawthorn

Hey there,

Unfortunately still having the same issues, I wanted to ask if I was to reset the wall can I use a flat white ceiling paint instead of primer to go over whole wall and then after paint with the low sheen ?

Screenshot_20260527_133431_Chrome.jpg

MitchellMc

Hi @ellhawthorn ,

It looks like you might be having some issues posting those pictures. Feel free to send them through to workshop@bunnings.com.au and we can upload them for you.

In regard to the wall itself, I think it’s important to note that what you’re seeing can be caused by both painting technique and the underlying condition of the wall surface itself.

The angle of your first photo, with the light glancing down the wall, is actually one of the harshest ways to inspect a painted surface. In fact, if you looked at many brand-new project homes from the same angle and lighting conditions, you’d often notice very similar waviness, shadowing and imperfections.

One thing that stands out to me in your image is the evenly spaced vertical shadowing running up the wall. That pattern would likely align with the wall studs behind the plasterboard. The rougher-looking areas may also not necessarily be the paint finish itself, but slight variations in the plaster surface underneath. Once paint is applied, especially with light reflecting across the surface, those underlying inconsistencies become much more noticeable.

Every time a wall is patched, filled or repaired, it slightly alters the flatness of the surface. Under normal viewing conditions, this is usually not noticeable, but when viewed under glancing light from sharp angles, even very minor highs and lows become highlighted. It’s actually very similar to how a car detailer uses angled lighting to reveal small dents and imperfections in body panels that otherwise go unnoticed.

From what you’ve described, I don’t think you’ve necessarily done anything wrong. It sounds like you’ve actually followed a fairly thorough preparation process.

Ultimately, if you were chasing a dramatically flatter and more uniform finish under those lighting conditions, the most effective solution would likely be having the wall professionally skim-coated to re-establish a consistently smooth surface before repainting.

Regarding your question, you could possibly apply ceiling paint and recoat, though I'm not sure whether that would address the issues you're seeing.

One thing you could possibly try is a longer nap roller like a https://www.bunnings.com.au/uni-pro-270mm-21mm-nap-masonry-roller-cover_p0411668 . This will help build the layer of paint up on the wall and even out the areas with a more stippled texture.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell