New Remodeler wrote:
Thanks so much for your replies. We are trying to cut as many edges
without tape as we can. This was a very unusual situation where the
wall curved right into the ceiling. We are using the blue painters'
tape and taking it off right after the second coat has been applied.
We will use the removal trick mentioned.

Another factor that I realized--while it does not look like the plaster
walls have been painted before, the ceiling has. Might it be that the
ceiling was painted originally with an oil based paint, so the latex
would not stick? How could we tell that it is oil based? We would
prefer not to use oil-based paint while we're living here with our dog!

I'd worry about you more than the dog, or equally as much if it was a
really good dog. Those curved corners are problematic to paint. Tape
is really the only way to go. Sorry for the assumption.

Latex will cover oil paint just fine, although the reverse is not
recommended. You might have a different type of paint that they used
to use on ceilings. It's called calcimine and needs special
preparation before you can paint it. Benjamin Moore makes a paint for
covering calcimine - Moorcraft Super Spec® Alkyd Calcimine Recoater
306.

Do a Google search for calcimine and click on the Groups tab - lots of
information on calcimine in various newsgroups over the years.

R