# Rolling poly on a ceiling



## bluegrassdan (May 8, 2015)

Some folks are building a house with a pine ceiling. They put 3 coats of oil poly on the boards and then installed them on the ceiling. They have told me the finish is uneven from board to board and asked me if I could fix it. I could brush it all but it is a cathedral high ceiling so i was thinking of rolling. Scared it would bubble after drying. What do you folks think?


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

I think I would use a wool or microfiber floor pad


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

can you spray it?


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

For stuff like that, I go old school. Get on a ladder and brush it out. I suppose I'd think about pads, but also up on a ladder laying it down nice and even with eyes right on the work.

Spray it? Sounds like a giant nightmare to me, especially since it's already installed on the ceiling.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

They did this themselves? What exactly are they saying is uneven from board to board? Sheen, colour, etc. After 3 coats. That's a lot of variables. I don't do a huge amount of clear coating stuff like that though.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Did they drywall after the ceiling was put in? we prefinished an entire ceiling one time with Woca then as we were finishing things up the GC says the ceiling needs another coat to even out the sheen. Turns out it was just a ton of drywall dust that needed to be wiped off.


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

Wildbill7145 said:


> They did this themselves? What exactly are they saying is uneven from board to board? Sheen, colour, etc. _After 3 coats. That's a lot of variables._ I don't do a huge amount of clear coating stuff like that though.


I was thinking "_after 3 coats. That's a lot of coats_." Ok - not a lot. But 3 is plenty for almost any situation. So whatever they think is "uneven" is either: a) not because of the poly, so another coat won't help, of b) they made such a mess not knowing how to apply it that fixing it will be a much bigger nightmare than having to brush out the whole ceiling on a ladder.


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## Masterwork (Sep 13, 2020)

Another coat probably won't fix the problem. Need pictures to see what they're complaining about. 3 coats should have been enough to make it all look good.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Although I’d probably opt for brushing a ceiling and have never rolled one, we’ve rolled both oil and waterborne polyurethanes on wood flooring which is pretty much an industry standard, so I don’t see why you couldn’t roll out a ceiling, given a product which won’t result in bubbles, streaking, and/or stop marks (see attached bulletin @ link below). 

For rolled oil poly I prefer PoloPlaz Primero. One of my flooring vendors did however experience an isolated bubbling issue “once” when rolling out a batch. IMO, applicator pads don’t work well when working over-head. 

I can’t vouch for the product on a ceiling in terms of releasing induced air from rolling, but it works beautifully for floors.

https://poloplaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PoloPlaz_Roller-Application_Sales-Sheet_12.20.19.pdf


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Joe67 said:


> For stuff like that, I go old school. Get on a ladder and brush it out. I suppose I'd think about pads, but also up on a ladder laying it down nice and even with eyes right on the work.
> 
> Spray it? Sounds like a giant nightmare to me, especially since it's already installed on the ceiling.


 Spraying out a vaulted ceiling imo would be a heck of a lot easier then an applicator pad, especially on tongue and groove pine. Plus it's a new build. Guess I'd have to see it though.


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## bluegrassdan (May 8, 2015)

When rolling use microfiber or fabric?


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

bluegrassdan said:


> When rolling use microfiber or fabric?


We used the Wooster Pro Doo-Z series which is also suggested in the link to the bulletin I posted...3/16” or 3/8”nap depending on which type of poly..


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## bluegrassdan (May 8, 2015)

So i went to this job and it looked like some boards were in semi which is what they wanted and some were in satin. They say all the cans were labeled semi. Any chance a can from the factory was mislabeled? Any ways i brushed out a coat of semi.


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## Paintech268 (Apr 1, 2021)

bluegrassdan said:


> Some folks are building a house with a pine ceiling. They put 3 coats of oil poly on the boards and then installed them on the ceiling. They have told me the finish is uneven from board to board and asked me if I could fix it. I could brush it all but it is a cathedral high ceiling so i was thinking of rolling. Scared it would bubble after drying. What do you folks think?


I would roll it with a foam roller or a 1/4 " nap microfibre roller....oil varnishes dry slow so i wont wory to much about bubbles


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

bluegrassdan said:


> So i went to this job and it looked like some boards were in semi which is what they wanted and some were in satin. They say all the cans were labeled semi. Any chance a can from the factory was mislabeled? Any ways i brushed out a coat of semi.


I think there's a better chance that the HO's neglected to sufficiently mix & stir the poly, (before using and/or during use), which resulted in sheen differences. Working out of a new bucket that wasn't sufficiently mixed/stirred after pouring some off could result in a higher sheen, since the majority of the flattening agents would still be on the bottom of the bucket. Working out of that same bucket long enough and they'd get to all the stuff that actually dulls the sheen, thereby applying a duller finish..


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