I am by no means a pro, but this is my thought.Maybe it's because you used an oil base primer and then a latex paint.

The first time, we sealed it using a laytex sealer. The same thing happened. We then used an oil sealer/primer on the advise of the paint guy at lowes- he stressed it was the best thing to do.

Thanks
:(

I tested a small area and had some success....

I rolled on the oil based primer/sealer over the blotches and it now totally looks totally mat and does not reflect any light or show texture.

Is it okay to leave the primer on as my final ceiling finish?

I've used oil-based primer with latex top coat and it's never done that. They should be compatible.

Maybe one of the pros will see your photos. I've very curious to see what they think could have caused that.
Was the primer completely dry before top coated with paint?
What brand of primer did you use?
Brand of paint?
Type of roller?

I would be concerned about yellowing over time leaving your oil-based primer as your top coat.

I have always heard that you can use an oil over latex, but you cannot put latex over an oil - or it will peel and not adhere. My only experience with this being true was an old Georgia Rival home we owned and I repainted all the trim with a latex... and 3 months later it was peeling off!

I can only base my offering on my own experience. I have a bathroom that the wallpaper adhesive just refused to come off. I used every commercial and home-made concoction I could find, including taking a palm sander to it! (It was BAD!) My local paint dealer suggested I let it dry well (from all that scrubbing), apply oil-based primer, then top coat with latex. Did that 5 years ago next month, no issues of any kind.

We used lowes' "Olympic" PROBLEM SOLVING sealer and primer, and then applied the same brand in the laytex ceiling paint.

Anyone know of a "crappy" ceiling paint with a HIGH CHALK CONTENT that will hide the imperfections like the primer did? I can't think of anything else to do.
I agree moonshadow, I don't feel right about leaving the primer as a final coat.

Why did you not use a drywall primer to start? Why oil?
That said, did you sand the primer before applying the finish coat? New drywall needs sanding to remove the paper "fuzz" from the sanding of the mud. Really the steps are: wipe with damp sponge after sanding (to lay down the fuzzy paper fibers and remove drywall dust), apply drywall primer, sand lightly, apply finish.
Casey

This is what I did...
1. Sanded drywall compound/joints
2. Wiped down entire ceiling with sponge to remove dust
3. Sealed/primed with laytex sealer.
4. Lightly sand primer
5. Remove dust with damp sponge
6. Apply laytex paint.

After the first coat of finishing paint, the texture started to appear. I then sanded that coat lightly,sponged, applied second finish coat and the texture was even worse.

It was so bad, we skim coated the entire ceiling with compound and tried again with the sealer/primer Lowes recommended.
The result is the pic I posted.

I've just primed the ceiling again and the crappy reflections are gone. I just don't know whether to leave the primer as the final coat.

Hi,
I quote your original post:
"We took the energy and time to level the ceiling, put up new drywall etc...

We then sealed it with an oil based sealer/primer. Waited a few days, then proceeded to paint on a laytex ceiling paint. "

You directly state you used an oil based sealer primer.

Show us a picture of the labels on the cans. There must be some product incompatibility going on. Rough texture shouldn't appear out of nowhere. When there's a problem I always suspect that the first coats were not allowed to dry fully, esp. if the primer was oil. If it is uncured it will cause mischief with the finish coat, esp. flat latex. Putting more coats on top to affect a remedy actually makes it worse. I'd let it dry a good long time and see what happens.
Another thought: you absolutely never put oil primer over new plaster- the caustic components turn the oil in the paint to soap and it peels right off. If the drywall job involved a large quantity of setting-type joint compound, the house is unheated, and the work was finished immediately before painting, then that's a possibility; the moisture still inside the not-fully-cured Durabond is reacting with the oil primer.
Casey

Thanks Casey

I will let this coat of oil primer dry for longer.

My original post was reflecting what we did the second time around- after the original laytex primer and laytex paint didn't work.

We used an oil based sealer the second time around (after we had skim coated the entire ceiling with new compound)thinking we could start from scratch.

This is what we used. We let it dry for longer than the 4 hours it recommended.

Here is a link that might be useful: oil sealer/primer

Hi, oil base primers tend to leave a heavier texture than latex primers do. Part of the problem could be the roller nap used and/or a rolling technique issue. Rolling ceilings can be tough for the DIY.

I found that I had a texture difference - because - I failed to keep a wet edge. Otherwise stated, once I painted and moved on - it was fine - I went back to "touch up" ghost shadows as the paint dried. Rolling over the semi dry paint changed its texture,