Tikkurila AR2 over Zinsser cover stain - flashing/grining.

[DaveyH]

Hi,

The whole ceiling was bare plaster, but had a couple of old water stains on it.

I painted the whole bare plaster ceiling with Tikarilla Optiva Primer (instead of mist coating), but the stains bled through.

The biggest stain was about an inch wide and 2 feet long, I painted over it and the other small stains with Zinsser cover stain using a 1" brush.

The Zinsser cover stain has worked at blocking the stains, however when I've rolled my first top coat of Tikkurila Anti-Reflex 2 over the whole ceiling I can see the cover stain flashing through (or may be the correct term is grinning through).

I'm aware that Tikkurila AR2 needs 2 coats, but I have a feeling that after the second coat of AR2 the Zinsser cover stain will still be flashing though especially at low angles. (Looking directly up will probably be fine, because it almost is now).

What are my options?. I can think of a few.

1. Hope that I'm wrong and the second full top coat AR2 solves the problem.
2. Go belt & braces and paint the entire ceiling with a full coat of cover stain, then 2 full coats of AR2.
3. Paint 1 or 2 coats of AR2 just over the cover stain areas using a mini roller or brush, then roller another 1 or 2 full coats of AR2.
4. Keep rolling full coats of AR2 until the problem goes away.

What would you do? What have you done in similar circumstances?

PS. Apart from this flashing issue, the ceiling looks absolutely fantastic, flawless in every direction. I can see why people rave about Tikkurila AR2.

For any fellow DIY'ers reading. I rolled the Tikkurila AR2 with a 12" Hamiltion Perfection medium pile roller (the green one) in a Purdy adjustable arm working from a Wooster Sherlock 14" bucket/tray (way better im my opinion than those cheap steep sided paint skuttles). Exactly the same gear used by joe pro decor in this video, only he's got the bigger 15" Hamilton Perfection roller. https://youtu.be/qg7tJC9_I9A

Thanks in advance

[Tom d'Angler]

What have you done in similar circumstances?

I always mist-coat new plaster, usually with an 80-20 mix of Anti-Reflex 2 as it is cheap enough, covers well, and it leaves an excellent surface for painting the "proper" coats.

I stain block after the mist coat as the mist coat often shows stains that weren't visible before.

I have often found a stain will show through after stain blocking it and painting on the first coat of emulsion, and then I find that the second coat of emulsion covers it completely. It's worth noting that you can think you can see the stain block shining through the first and second coats of emulsion but this this is usually because the bit that has stain block on it takes longer to dry than the surrounding area.

What would you do? What have you done in similar circumstances?

Try the second coat of AR-2, but first roll a bit of it over the visible stains / stain block and allow it to dry (at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight) before rolling the whole ceiling.

[DaveyH]

Try the second coat of AR-2, but first roll a bit of it over the visible stains / stain block and allow it to dry (at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight) before rolling the whole ceiling.

Thanks.

I have rolled a bit of AR2 over where the cover stain is showing through a couple of hours ago. I will see what it looks like tommorrow when it's fully dried.

If the cover stain is still flashing through,would you give the those areas another roll of AR2 , or would you assume that it will work after you roll on the full second coat of AR2 ?

[Tom d'Angler]

or would you assume that it will work after you roll on the full second coat of AR2 ?

Yes.

[DaveyH]

or would you assume that it will work after you roll on the full second coat of AR2 ?

Yes.

The cover stain was still flashing through quite badly from low angles, but looking directly up was fine. Anyway, I bottled it and rolled another bit of AR2 over the cover stain

The next day the flashing was hardly visible so I rolled the 2nd full coat or AR2. It's now a few days later and the ceiling is now completly dry and the cover stain flashing has vanished. I am really really pleased with the ceiling, AR2 is excellent paint. Thanks for the help.

Just out of interest, what make and model of roller sleeve are you using with AR2?

[Tom d'Angler]

Great to know it’s worked out well. Sometimes, you just need to trust the products and the process, and have some patience to allow everything to dry and settle. AR2 is the best paint I have ever used on ceilings and I don’t use anything else now.

what make and model of roller sleeve are you using with AR2?

Hamilton Perfection. Medium pile on a flat ceiling, long pile on a textured ceiling.