Ok Ok I admit it, we used to use a product on ceilings that was a primer/finish. The key words being "used to" It's a product sold By Sherwin that actually had a sheen to it and laid down really nice, we don't do textured ceilings up this way so there is no hiding from a bad finish. The reason we stopped using it was you could not touch it up. We do still use it for "White boxes", and inside garages. And unlike most New Construction primers it paints over really well , just a normal pole sand and off you go.
Thanks for the replies everyone!
Wow. Your post brought back my memory of how much of a pain it was using actual ceiling paint. When I first started painting we used Pratt & Lambert paints and I remember doing a bunch of condos and painting the ceilings with the P & L ceiling paint. The ceilings looked horrible when we finished. I tried my best to paint them evenly but they all ended up with roller marks; the way the light came in through the patio doors didn't help. I remember having to go back and touch up some drywall repairs and they ended up making the ceilings look even worse. Since that job I've been using primer to paint ceilings when I do new construction and they always turn out looking great.
Also, the problem I've found with ceiling paints is that they tend to be a cooler white than primer (kind of blueish white). The ceiling paint is slightly brighter but the blueish quality tends to accentuate the texture difference between areas that have been brushed and areas that have been rolled.
Frankly, I don't think even the best painters can tell the difference between a ceiling that's just been primed and a ceiling that's been painted with ceiling paint. I use Benjamin Moore Moore Spec primer and it seems to remain about as white as any ceiling paint over time.
O yea, thankfully, popcorn ceilings are far and few around here; they're so ugly I think they should be banned internationally. lol