# Flat not finishing flat, ideas?



## Thejim (Dec 28, 2015)

I take small interior jobs for friends, so you will have to humor my non-1000 gallon history.

I have probably painted 30 gallons of flat over the last year, never had a problem. Now i am having a problem.

And I am humble enough to think the problem is me, so I am taking advice

It is a touch up job where they do NOT want the whole thing repainted, just the wear spots from life / children have left their marks.

They have cans from the original job. Valspar (Lowes), flat, 3 colors.

Thinking to make it easy on myself, just went and bought 3 fresh cans in the 3 colors...

Started the touchup, and... great color match, but this flat paint is drying out to near semi gloss sheen. And due to lightinf, it is pretty obvious.

Product is Valspar latex interior non-VOC flat in a medium beige. I am rolling it out how I have done previous flat paint work with no problems.

Thinking it could be a mislabling issue, looking at the cans, they are 2 different bases... and calling valspar, that means they are from two different plants. So it isn't likely both would be mislabeled.

Valspar customer service had no ideas.

Worried, I bought quarts in the Valspar interior flat from a different Lowes and spot tested them... same result. (!?!)

So now I am now convinced it is a user issue.

I am rolling with 1/2" nap, wall is a heavy knock-down texture. Previous paint is adhered to the wall well, doesn't look like too many layers.

In some distress here. Hoping someone with more experience has an idea or two to try?

This is in Denver with low humidity if that matters.

I am thinking of trying spot priming, but worry about the edges looking funny.

Would adding floetrol help flatten it more? Or give it more time to properly dry?

I suspected humidity, so ran a humidifier for a while in one of the rooms... raising the humidity to 40% (from 20% natural) and while it did seem to help a little, it still is at least a satin, and pretty far from flat. Do I need to get the humidity higher?

Thanks in advance guys. Be as kind as you can to this rube.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

Even with the same color and finish there is no 100% way of a perfect match due to age of the paint on the walls. Did you brush the touch up on walls that had been sprayed with no backroll? That can cause it to flash. Biggest problem with any touch up is now you have a depth of material difference between new and old paint. How old is the existing paint? Paint formulas and v.o.c.'s have changed alot in just a few years and that can make a big difference as well. Best to go ceiling to floor and corner to corner on the bad walls and hope for the best.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Thejim said:


> I take small interior jobs for friends, so you will have to humor my non-1000 gallon history.
> 
> I have probably painted 30 gallons of flat over the last year, never had a problem. Now i am having a problem.
> 
> ...


surprise, surprise, surprise


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## ElTacoPaco (Dec 11, 2015)

Gotta love those t-ups 
Get your money back from Valsoar and try and use the old paint (always the best option) if not paint all of it with a better product


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Let it cure for a week or two. Sometimes it takes a while for the flattener pigments to migrate to the surface. Also, if you are using a "paint and primer in one" type of product there will be a bit of sheen no matter what you do.


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

Yup, I was gonna suggest waiting a while as well. Sheen cures downwards as it ages. This starts off fairly rapid and declines exponentially until you don't notice much after a couple of weeks.

If at two weeks it hasn't cured down, you need to repaint the wall. And, this is something that a competent paint store employee will tell you, touching up is pretty much a myth on anything that's aged. You're getting different batches of paint, if there's a time gap likely massively different products (even if the label is the same), different batches of colorant, different atmospheric conditions. Paint ages, and no matter what you do you'll never perfectly match an aged paint color. Even a new coat from the same batch mixed the same day will likely not match perfectly (and the sheen definitely won't be right).

The lesson to be learned is never to assume you can touch up. If you can, great, but always go into the job with the expectation that it won't work and you'll need to repaint the wall or to some other natural break.


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## pacific paint (Nov 21, 2015)

The problem you are having is that a couple of years ago Lowes Stopped selling Valspar VUP (Valspar ultra premium) it was a dead flat. Now if you bought Reserve flat or signature flat in the same color they both have a side sheen because they are washable. The solution is to buy the Pro 2000 flat this should solve your problem. This happens all the time even in real paint stores.

Premium flats are not flat just check the data sheets for sheen measures on a scale of 1-100 any thing more than 0-4 has a sheen


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## pacific paint (Nov 21, 2015)

Drake is correct consider your self lucky when the paint touches up.

I had a young contractor spend 2 days trying to touch up. back and forth to the store. Then he cut a 24x24 piece of wall and brought it in. I told him You could have painted the whole house by now and bid to repaint whole areas next time.

I think every one learns the lesson the hard way.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

The guys have given lots if good, accurate info. Touchups can be a bummer sometimes. Is there any product left from the original cans? If its a little thick, csn uou add a bit of water to it to reconstitute it a bit? Because thats the best bet.Your idea of flotrol to use as a flattener might be worth trying. You also might Try just thinning it with water. The risk is lightening the color more than you want so you'll likely have to play with it a little if purchasing the pro 2000 is out of range for some reason. No idea how big the touchups are, or how extensive...
Personally, I'd try thinning some of it with water and slapping a couple of coats on a spot or 2. Depending on how big your touchups are use the smallest brush you can reasonably use, feather it out gently, and hit it with a hair dryer or heat gun so you can see if you're anywhere close. It will be thin. You'll lose hide and if it's a med-dark color this method probably won't work as it will lighten those spots.
From there make your decisions....good luck! May the force be with you.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

DrakeB said:


> Yup, I was gonna suggest waiting a while as well. Sheen cures downwards as it ages. This starts off fairly rapid and declines exponentially until you don't notice much after a couple of weeks.
> 
> If at two weeks it hasn't cured down, you need to repaint the wall. And, this is something that a competent paint store employee will tell you, touching up is pretty much a myth on anything that's aged. You're getting different batches of paint, if there's a time gap likely massively different products (even if the label is the same), different batches of colorant, different atmospheric conditions. Paint ages, and no matter what you do you'll never perfectly match an aged paint color. Even a new coat from the same batch mixed the same day will likely not match perfectly (and the sheen definitely won't be right).
> 
> The lesson to be learned is never to assume you can touch up. If you can, great, but always go into the job with the expectation that it won't work and you'll need to repaint the wall or to some other natural break.


Are you making 5hit up again?


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