Hi Mindstorm,
You can't go wrong with the Corona sleeves!
Purdy White-Doves are great too.
>>> Also...use a good 5/16" roller-frame. Good ones are about $10.
>>> I'm ASSUMING (;-)) you're priming...right?!?!

FOR THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM "roller-stippling", a MOHAIR roller usually does best. Wooster has a good 1/4" "candy-stripe" sleeve. About $5/sleeve.
* A 3'x3' area is about the max for a 1/4" Mohair.
* For an 8'x3' column on a wall, I'd re-load FULLY 4 times.
* Then do a LIGHT, ceiling-to-floor sweep of this column.
* Proceed around your room in this fashion for both paint-coats.

Now...by "freshly plastered walls...", do you mean
* Sheetrocked, taped, & all mudcoats done/sanded,
* A skim-coat of joint-compound, OR
* Actual PLASTER?

MOST plasters need a MONTH to cure out...some more than that!! Check with your finisher for the type they used.

Faron

I tried 2 of the Ultra Weave Corona sleeves a few months ago and they both shed like crazy so I won't be buying those again. I usually use Wooster ProDooz, but those started shedding on me too which is why I tried the Coronas. The White Doves do not shed though and Wooster seems back to normal now.

Faron,
Thanks for getting back to me on this.

Starting from the bottom up:

- Yes ACTUAL plaster. It went over the sheetrock, tape and mud job. Stuff that looks like venetian plaster no less. It was finished the Sunday of Thanksgiving so it has been over a month. The plasterer did say that we should give it at least 2 weeks to fully cure. But it has been twice that. We had had to insulate this room so had them take most of the surfaces down that were necessary to get behind walls and into the crawl spaces in the attic. After the insulation, on most walls, sheet rock was freshly installed and t&m'd and plastered, a few low, knee walls were left up where we didn't need to knock 'em out.

Priming - yes absolutely. Twice, in fact, since the primer didn't cover the paint well over the two knee walls left in the room and so I'm going over the whole room a second time. Plaster seems to be thirsty stuff so if the primer didn't cover the paint over the knee walls, I suspect it probably isn't adequate over the plaster either. At any rate, that is a "Yes" on priming - second coat will go on today.

Follow up on the sleeves question. You said:
- I can't go wrong with the Corona sleeves.
- For the minimum roller stippling a mohair roller does the best.

First point: Corona seems to make lambswool as well as this UltraWeave/acrylic roller. Do you mean that both are good quality stuff or are you specifically thinking of the Corona-Lambswool (which is not what I have at the moment - only the acrylic dralon sleeves)?

Overall:
Does that mean you're recommending I ditch the Corona and go with the Wooster-Mohair one? That the second is better than the first or that they are similar/equivalent. Or did I misunderstand and that these two points pertain to different items/approaches/steps in the nirvana of the painting cycle?

Paintguy, Just saw your post. Ok good to know about the Ultraweave shedding like crazy. I won't be using these either then. Do the lambswool ones shed too? Which brand do you recommend?

Oh yes - is mohair = lambswool? I forget these fancy dancy wools and where they originate so is a mohair a fancy lamb? And are any animals hurt in the making of these products? I'd rather have fuzzy walls than dead animals on my conscience! :-) (Although I'd prefer smooth walls and safe animals best).

I'll defer to Paintguy on the Corona sleeves. I have not used them myself, but his comment on them shedding surprised me! First time I'd heard that!
>>> Their BRUSHES are "1st class" though!

Overall...
* A Mohair sleeve will leave the smoothest application.
* It's kinda "splitting hairs" here (OK...bad pun!), but in good hands/technique/good paints, it'll be a whisker smoother.

I'm gonna go check my Corona catalogue (a NEW one!) for some more info. too....

Faron

I don't know about Corona lambswool....honestly my paint store just started carrying Corona, so I tried the sleeves twice, found that they shed so I'm staying away from the whole line. I figure sleeves are all made they same and if one sheds they all shed? I don't know but that is how my brain works. The sleeves I use now are Wooster ProDooz or Purdy White Doves. I'm not a big fan of lambswool because of the stipple they leave on the wall, but a lot of people like them so it all depends on what you prefer.

OK, here we go...from the Corona Catalogue!

1) The High-Density Woven-"Wave" sleeve:

* This a blue/white candy-stripe Mohair.
* Per their descriptions..."For extra-fine application of (all paints) on smooth surfaces"; and "Super soft Mohair blend"; and "Where finest finish is required".
* 1/4" Nap-height only...3", 4", 7", & 9" lengths.
* This is their 2nd highest cost sleeve. Avg. Retail would be ~ $5+ ea.

2) High-Density Woven-Ultraweave:

* "Exclusive woven Dralon/Acrylic blend...for super-smooth finishing."
* Available in more Nap-heights from 3/16" to 3/4" & all lengths.
* Cost is slightly less than #1 here.

3) The High-density Woven Angora Mohair:

* All-White mohair sleeve.
* Angora/Mohair blend.
* 3/16" nap only, in all lengths, even 18" here!!
* HIGHEST-COST roller...This would push ~ $6/sleeve retail!

Overall..."Price-no-object" basis...grab #1 here...BUT, you will be re-loading a lot!!

Price vs. Performance on lightly textured walls...grab the 3/8" Ultraweave. Definately!!! The Dralon/Acrylic blend is largely what the Excellent Purdy White-Doves are.

Hope this "overkill" helps?!!??

Faron

Faron,

Thanks very much for digging this information up. I really really appreciate it. I didn't see #s 1 and 3 in the store but I had gotten the #2. I also did buy paintguy's Wooster Pro-dooz. So, at this point, I have two of each! I figure that when I get to painting (was hoping for today but ran out of painters tape - don't start! - so had to put it off) tomorrow that I'll try both and see if I have a preference at all. I have the 3/8" nap heights in both. My walls are smoother than a babies bottom - there is not the hint of a texture there so I have been wondering if I should have gotten the 1/4". But I don't think I want to have to dip a lot - it is already a difficult room.

On that note, I'd like to piggy back another question onto this one if you all don't mind and I hope the right folks will see. This room I'm painting is an attic loft - so think low cathedral ceilings. Basically that means that there are are loads of walls meeting at incidental angles. There is a low knee wall about 4' (or so) high, then the ceiling takes off at an about 150deg angle to it, meets the sloping ceiling from the opposite side at an about 80 degree angle (40 degrees to the vertical axis) etc. The peak of the room is not any more than about 7.5' in height - so very visible. When I primed yesterday and the day before, I noticed that it was impossible NOT to (a) mark the apex of any wall with a bump where the roller made contact - this is true at the apex of the "cathedral" as well as where the pitched roof meets the knee wall and (b) that it is very difficult not to bump the opposite wall at the peak when rolling. This opposite wall will 50% of the time be a wall you've already painted.

So, what are the rules on the ground for getting a good finish up on the walls for a cathedral ceiling especially a low cathedral where these transitions are all very visible? Should I roller first and THEN cut in at the apex and the knee wall junction? Should I be doing the final full length sweep with the paint brush in stead of the roller? This brush sweep is what F&B recommends but I'm wondering how many years and broken backs I'd be adding to my project.
Any help, advice or recommendation is much appreciated.

Note: I once measured the angles but I don't recall 'em so never mind if the angles don't actually make sense just know that but for the knee walls, most of the higher surfaces are pitched with respect to every thing else.

Not only will you have to dip a lot with the 1/4" nap sleeve, but it is hard to get enough paint on the wall with a nap that small. You want to apply enough paint so that you don't have dry areas as you go that will flash. I would say 3/8" minimum for mass wall rolling. 1/4" is good for rolling doors and cabinets.

F&B recommends what? That you do a final sweep on your walls that you rolled with a brush? You should cut in the apex of the cathedral ceiling first and then roll up to it. It's okay to bump the other side of the sloping ceiling as long as you don't go full speed and leave a big splotch with the roller. You really should cut in everything first and then roll as tight as you can to all your corners. You want that light stipple texture over the top of the cut-ins, not the other way around.

Hey Guys,
Vicky...Do ya mean that your "summit" is like an upside-down "V"??
* If so, there are "Corner-rollers".
* These come to a "V" around the circumference...like two dinner-plates facing each other; or, like a discus in track & field!
* This roller will roll into corners, and tight-angle areas.

Wow...F&B has some "over-the-top" recommendations there! You'd never be able to keep an even "long-stroke" with a brush...just for the sake of a MINISCULE improvement in smoothness on a wall!!
(Cabinets & doors...yes, but on a WALL?!?!?!)

>>> One good technique is to fill in, say, an 8'x3' column on a wall with...FOUR full roller reloads in each column!!
>>> Next...use a LIGHT ceiling-to-floor sweep of this column. This evens out a coat very nicely.
>>> Then...just repeat this around your space!

Faron