Had the same issue with the house we're painting right now. Honestly, we gave up and switched to satin finish. One coat - the ceilings look great!

Hi Super,
>>> By "lines", do you mean RIDGES...as in poorly sanded mudcoats at the 8' edges, OR
>>> thinly applied primer that you can see through to the mudded seams, OR
>>> badly done butt-end seams, where a 4' end meets a 4' end?? These kinda joints have to be feathered-out a FOOT beyond the actual 4' butt-joint on each side.

I'm wondering they were just lazier on the ceiling...since the walls are what you look at all the time.
Separately,
> How did they apply the primer?
> What brand/series is the paint & primer?

NO MORE paint & primer for now.
Actually, Satin-sheen paints would only MAGNIFY flaws in walls/ceilings. Flats minimize this.

Let us know the above details!
Thanks,
Faron

Follow Faron's advice here.

Michael

Thank you Faron and Brushworks! The problem is as you described -the butt-end seams were poorly done. The contractor was here early this morning and flipped. The drywall guy will be here tomorrow for repairs. The primer the painter used was Sherwin Williams 200 Interior Latex Primer (Hides) White. Is there a way to be sure the drywall job is corrected before the painter starts again? What do you suggest the painter uses once the drywall is repaired since we already have primer and paint on the ceiling-will it matter if he starts all over again with primer? Thanks again for your help-much appreciated.

Hey Super...,

That's great that they're doing the repairs! (I just wish more trades-people would just do the job right the first time. But I guess that applies to any line of work...!)

>>> Sorry to say, but once all the RE-Mudding/sanding is done, it'll ALL have to primed again!!!
>>> If they only try to prime repaired joints, you MAY notice ridging where the "fan-spray" edges are.
>>> IDEALLY...TWO more sprayed coats of primer, then TWO coats of FLAT (or maybe Eggshell).

MICHAEL...I'm not that familiar w/ the SW primer quality levels. Is the SW 200 High-hide white the "entry-level" quality level??

Thanks guys,
Faron

Thanks Faron, the drywall guys showed up early this morning-very embarrassed and actually apologized-it's a big job and they want referrals. I am at work now so hopefully things go well by the time I return home. I will definitely start over with the primer. Thanks for all the advice-I'll keep you posted.

SW 200 Primer is just fine for drywall. Not entry level.

After taping repairs are made, reprime the patches and repaint the entire ceiling with a coat of low to medium quality flat. Top line flats do not work good on ceilings as most have a slight sheen which makes them washable. This slight sheen will allow imperfections to be seen on the ceilings.

Yeah...ceilings can be a "joy", can't they!?

Sheen on a ceiling is so subjective...some brands are flatter that others, & some people like a subtle sheen up there, even an eggshell!

At our store (and other C2 retailers), we'll be carrying C2's new DEAD-flat paint, available in all 4 tinting-bases.
I'm curious to see this stuff! It'll retail in the upper $30's to low $40's/gal.

Later,
Faron

Thanks everyone-the drywall continues to be repaired-they are repairing the seams on the walls too-I didn't really see a problem with the walls but I'm glad they are taking care of all of this. We spoke spoke about flat paint only on the ceiling after the primer-"Dead flat" sounds interesting.