You should also post over on the Paint forum. There are some pros over there that should be able to help.

Here is a link that might be useful: paint forum

Sanding it will give you the best results of course. The bad thing is that even though the paint is dry 'to the touch' it will not be sandable for quite some time. You will go through a lot of sandpaper because it will gum up.

Is it really, really bad though? Another coat of paint may even things out. It depends on how perfect you want your walls.

Sorry to hear about the mishap.

How about a faux finish over the top using a glaze mixed with,yep more paint? to hopefully make the highs and lows look like they were meant to be?

Also, use matte (flat) paint. It hides many sins.

That is so irresponsible on his part, why should you be left holding the bag. I say make HIM pay to hire a real PROFESSIONAL to fix his mess and if he refuses, pursue him in small claims. He should be held accountable for his lies and mess!

DITTO! It's HIS fault.

I think I had the same painter once. Only mine was on the outside.

He needs to sand it back down himself.

Sure, this is fixable! ...It is not as bad as it seems.

If you are wanting your walls back smooth, there is no other option, but to sand them. I always prep my walls before I paint them. I fill all nail holes and sand.

Sanding the walls does not have to be a big chore. I use a palm sander. (Matter of fact...I use my palm sander for everything!) It is very fast, and you should have all walls ready for paint in minutes, not days or hours.

It would be less expensive to sand and paint with the same color. If you did this, you probably would not have to paint around the ceiling or baseboard, and you would end up with a beautifully painted wall.

Also, I would venture to say that you should be able to get a painter to sand and paint for the same price because it will be less work to paint it?

Even an inexperienced teen could sand out the walls using a palm sander. Just make sure that he/she actually feels the wall. If you close your eyes while running your hand over the wall, you can tell where you missed sanding. I use 100 grit paper...sometimes finer. I would use 100 grit for your walls. You can buy a sander for around $25-$40. ...and if your wall has dried at least two days, you will find by using a palm sander that you will NOT use a lot of sand paper.

I also vote for the idea of using a glaze and faux-finishing them. I use this technique for "less than perfect" walls. It hides a multitude of sins.

By mixing the original color with white, you can still have the same color, only with slight a variation.

Good luck,
ShebeeB

If you do choose to go with sanding the walls, keep in mind that older homes will almost definately have lead paint on the walls. When you sand you could be releasing lead dust into the air. Take proper precautions. If this home is new construction, you probably have nothing to worry about in this regard.

Thanks for the help, everyone. I tried sanding, but it didn't work out. The ridges were still noticeable, even using an electric sander. The "painter" who made the mess, who does have some drywall experience (mostly taping & mudding seams), agreed to come back and skim coat the walls. He finished the sanding last night. I don't know if this is what skim coating is supposed to look like or not (the paint still shows thru in some places and other places it doesn't show at all) but he swears what he did will correct the problem. I hope he's right. He'll be re-painting with the correct roller, with the same color paint, in a flat finish.

You're letting him paint the walls again?! You're braver than I'd ever be.
I would thank him for repairing his mistakes and then hire a pro.

How do you know that he knows what the correct roller is? Or any of the other knowledge that one needs to paint a room correctly? You said he had never painted a room before he did yours and now suddenly he now knows what to do with his second attempt in trying his hand at painting. Are you sure it is skim coated correctly? You say it does not look right to you. Maybe you should have a couple of neighbors look at it before this guy slops more paint on it.

I'll say a rosary for you and your walls.

E gads good luck. I can't imagine letting him come back. Does he know about cutting in and painting correctly to avoid shadow lines? Priming over the new finish? Using the correct primer? Sheesh...good luck!! Personally I'd only let him up on a ladder in my living room again if I was planning on knocking it out from under him...

Make sure he uses a primer over the skim coat.

After skimming and sanding, the paint will show on the high spots but the low spots will be filled in by the mud. Make sure he vacuums all the sanding dust off the walls, ceiling, and floors before he primes and paints, or the new paint job will look even worse. Most smooth (but not perfect) walls will use a 3/8" nap roller. He may have used a 1/2" nap to begin with if you thought it was too lumpy. You won't be able to use anything less than 3/8" now since even after skimming and sanding the walls aren't perfect. Good luck - maybe you want some other painter to check it out and sand some more if necessary, finish the job instead of letting this guy do it again?

Oh brother...what a mess! New sheetrock comes to mind.

This is new sheetrock. It was quite expensive having the new sheetrock put in, and I can't afford that expense again, so I have to make this work somehow.

It does not look like this guy is going to be finishing the job. He was supposed to be here last night and tonight, but didn't show up and didn't bother calling to let me know he wasn't coming. If he ever does show up again, he is so fired.

I'm going to call around and see if I can find someone else who won't charge an arm and a leg to fix what needs fixing and re-paint it.

I am so sorry that you are in this mess. :( I hope you haven't paid this guy anything???

Check around with friends and get references on some good painters this time.

Did you buy your paint from a local paint store? (not a big box store)

If so, call them and ask for references. I found a fabulous painter by reference from BM..........and he likes small jobs!

Select an experienced artist is very important

Here is a link that might be useful: home decor paintings

I am so glad you decided to fire this guy. Whenever I've had a NS/NC (no show/no call) the guy always ended up doing a crappy job when they actually did find the time to sober up or whatever, and work. I'll never give someone a second chance again.

If you lived in my area I could recommend a really good painter. Maybe if you post your area someone here could recommend someone?

If it is still fairly fresh you might be able to use paint thinner to clean off some of the paint in the thick spots. Just be careful so you don't go too far and remove more than you wanted.

It is also not something you want to do unless it is well ventilated as the fumes are not good for you.