Peeling paint, need advice

June 8, 2007 2:34 PM

Yesterday we painted a very large interior wall. Today we tried to spackle and sand down a blemish in the wall done by curtain hangers. When we started hand sanding it, the paint began peeling. On closer inspection, it is not just the paint we recently put down but also the layer of paint directly below it. The layer remaining after it has been peeled has a chalky texture to it. I've searched the 'net and have seen a suggestion for spackling/drywall mudding around the edges and then painting over it. Does anyone know if this will actually work? The wall is huge so I really want to avoid sanding the entire wall if at all possible. The peeled paint area is about a foot in radius. Photo here. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
posted by GlowWyrm to home & garden (8 comments total)

The below layer is oil-based and you painted latex over it. Google helps with more reading material.
posted by rhizome at 3:07 PM on June 8, 2007

That's what I was afraid of. Everything I read via google addresses exterior walls and mine is interior. But apparently the previous owner used an oil base on all the interior walls. This is going to get expensive I'm afraid.
posted by GlowWyrm at 3:18 PM on June 8, 2007

I had the same problem with some rooms inside my house - don't peel anymore - spackle the edges smooth, apply Kilz to the area, repaint with the latex. I haven't had any problems in the spots I ended up doing this on and it's been 2 years.
posted by blackkar at 3:23 PM on June 8, 2007

blackkar,
Thanks. I'll try that.
posted by GlowWyrm at 3:35 PM on June 8, 2007

Let the wall dry for a few days before you mess with it.
Part of your problem is that you sanded paint a day after you put it on the wall.
posted by Megafly at 4:56 PM on June 8, 2007

Kilz will do it. If the lower coat had a sheen (semi-gloss) then you could have applied a liquid sandpaper to it before you painted. Putting latex over oil base isn't your real problem. Kilz will do the job for sure.
posted by JayRwv at 4:59 PM on June 8, 2007

Thanks all. I really appreciate everyone's input.
posted by GlowWyrm at 6:33 PM on June 8, 2007

Few more suggestions and expounding upon the good information offered.

Kilz is a name brand of stain killing products.

These products are basically varnish and will seal the surface giving you a solid foundation to work on.

Kilz (as others) come in a variety of bases and formats.

You can get spray cans, or in pints or gallons. There are alcohol,oil and water based products.

The water based products aren't that good but the others have nasty smells ... unless you like the smell of vodka.

For this repair, I would suggest a spray version, alcohol based, white or clear it doesn't matter greatly.

Alcohol based because it dries almost instantly allowing you to apply multiple coats and finish the repair in the same day.

Stain kill is also VERY liquid and so apply 3 or 4 thin coats is better than trying to just apply one coat and watching half of it run down the wall.

Another thing, spaying stain kill, because it is so light, it will be carried a great distance by any draught of air and it sticks fairly permantently to any surface upon which it lands ... mask everything you wish not have stain killed!!!

A final note on finishing use with a spray can.

Always turn the can upside down and shoot the nozzle clean or the next time you go to use the product you will find the tip plugged with dry paint.

Another solution is oil paint.

Paint the surface with a flat (low sheen) oil paint.

This will do exactly the same job as the stain kill but is less expensive.

Any oil based paint can be used and to remove the sheen you dilute it down with about 15 percent mineral spirits.

If you go the stain kill route, I would treat the patch before applying any joint compound or spackle and after.

Oil only needs be applied before. Once dry (24 hours) the patch can then be fixed and touched up.

You MUST treat the patch with stain kill or oil paint prior to plastering because if you apply a water based product to the existing surface you will just cause more paint to come unstuck.

A note on sanding.

Latex paints can't be sanded too vigourously, especially when still relatively fresh, as the heat generated by the sanding causes the paint to turn rubbery and its bonding abilities, as you discovered, are destroyed.

A note on speeding the repair with a hair dryer ... due to the above mentionned note on heat and latex paint ... use hairdryer acceleration with caution ... a basic fan would be okay.

Okay there are a few more nuances, but this more or less is it.

Happy painting :)
posted by phoque at 11:13 AM on June 9, 2007 [1 favorite]