# What causes flashing and how do i fix it



## Traditions

WHat causes walls to do this. it is frustrating the crap out of me. Any advice. I know this question has been run into the dirt but please help me out!


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## Paul Burns

Traditions said:


> WHat causes walls to do this. it is frustrating the crap out of me. Any advice. I know this question has been run into the dirt but please help me out!


Every time wet paint is applied over dry paint, it makes those areas have an EXTRA coat on them and the gloss level rises in those spots. This is know as "lapping" to me.

Flashing may occur over drywall or plaster patches where the wrong or zero primer was applied. We like a low-mid grade "dead flat" ceiling paint for priming patches. 

Lots of other causes and remedies though. Maybe others will help.

Good Luck,
Paul
p.s. One of the BEST ways to prevent this is to use a pimer such as 123 tinted to your finish color and do an ENTIRE room priming before you apply the finish coat(s).


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## Traditions

I think I might know the prob. The walls are textured.(orange peel) I sprayed the primer on and back rolled with a 1/2 inch nap. I soon realized when i started rolling the finish coats that i needed a heavier nap to get into the texture. Maybe that is my prob. Will a cheap primer also cuase this. Or not applying enough primer?


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## Paul Burns

Traditions said:


> I think I might know the prob. The walls are textured.(orange peel) I sprayed the primer on and back rolled with a 1/2 inch nap. I soon realized when i started rolling the finish coats that i needed a heavier nap to get into the texture. Maybe that is my prob. Will a cheap primer also cuase this. Or not applying enough primer?


Yes. It sounds like you have a good grasp and remedy to your problem already.

Make it a GREAT day!

Paul
p.s. "Make" it a great day was taught/told to me by Rick Grosso (you can google him). It is better IMO than "have" a great day since we have some control over the type of day we have, EACH day.


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## Traditions

is it too late to fix the prob. Would a third coat help any?! It is only on a long wall with a window behind it and in a stairway. It doesn't look terrible. Those long walls are a [email protected]$$!


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## Paul Burns

Traditions said:


> is it too late to fix the prob. Would a third coat help any?! It is only on a long wall with a window behind it and in a stairway. It doesn't look terrible. Those long walls are a [email protected]$$!


Umm, MOST of my experience is that textured walls are the EASIEST to NOT have the problem you are having. Smooth drywall with ANY sheen to the paint is MUCH worse/harder to obtain a 'flash free' look.

IMHO, a heavy coat with a thicker nap roller should do it, but don't blame me if it doesn't. Like I said earlier, the only way to be 99% sure is to prime the entire wall with the proper primer first.

Your call, not mine. But good luck with whatever you decide. I'm pulling for ya!

Paul


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## Traditions

i'm honestly having more trouble with this textured wall than i have ever had on any smooth wall. It honestly looks like when the texture was sprayed certain areas are more "gritty than others and are causing marks that look like a different sheen. Maybe i am just making excuses. :furious:


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## Brushslingers

Traditions said:


> i'm honestly having more trouble with this textured wall than i have ever had on any smooth wall. It honestly looks like when the texture was sprayed certain areas are more "gritty than others and are causing marks that look like a different sheen. Maybe i am just making excuses. :furious:


What is your definition of orange peel? Are you talking about knock down texture? It's fairly common to get rough areas that make it LOOK like paint from a bad knock down texture guy...


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## Paul Burns

Traditions said:


> i'm honestly having more trouble with this textured wall than i have ever had on any smooth wall. It honestly looks like when the texture was sprayed certain areas are more "gritty than others and are causing marks that look like a different sheen. Maybe i am just making excuses. :furious:


Well, if that is the case, then it is NOT YOUR fault unless you contracted to fix the texturing.

We are painters, not miracle workers!

Paul


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## AAPaint

Ahh...if this is knockdown, what you're seeing might just be what Brush said. I had a ceiling we did recently with a single coat knockdown on it. I primed it thoroughly and did one finish coat. When it was done, you could see what looked like sprayer tracks/lap marks. Upon further investigation it became clear that what was showing were flat spots in the texture where it was knocked down. You could literally see every stroke that was made when knocking down the ceiling, and no amount of paint would fix it. 

Now, for flashing. This is usually when the sheen is flat, dull, or too glossy in some spots. This is hardly EVER a problem on textured walls because the light and shadow along the texture hides the flashing. 

If it is indeed flashing, I would prime the walls with Gardz. That stuff is absolutely awesome and will solve that problem first time out. It will seal the more porous areas of the texture and even it out so you get a nice even sheen. 

Hope that helps!


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## Traditions

ok, after much analyzing I think i figured out the problem. I don't think what i am seeing is flashing or lap marks. I'm no drywaller so I'm not positive. However, when i look at the wall it is the drywall joints and lines from the mus covering the screw holes. It almost looks like the sprayed texture is different only in the spots that had mud from covering seams and screws. Almost like the texture on the spots with mud is sandy looking compared to more smooth on everything else. I have primed and put two coats on the walls. I just don't think its anything i did. Could it be when the texture hits the parts with compund it reacts different?


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## AAPaint

That's very possible. The porosity of the mud is more so than what the sheetrock is without the mud. This is another good reason to prime before texturing, so the texture goes on and dries evenly.


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