a thin layer of plaster is coming off when painting.

[Halloween Jack]

hi there,

i've stripped the bathroom of its old wallpaper, fixed a few holes etc.

the walls are a bit uneven and messy but i can live with a few cracks and bumps. i went over the worse bits with a sander.

i started painting with a roller just now and when i reached one section a thin layer of plaster started coming away on the roller. this broke into small pieces and then spread out a bit.

so i guess the previous owners applied a thin layer of plaster to cover cracks and now it's kind of flaking off.

i've stopped and cleaned the roller, but what do i do now?

i guess i have to wait till the paints dry then try and get the broken plaster bits off.

has anyone got any tips for getting the wall suitable for painting?

cheers

 

[joe-90]

It's a pain when that happens but very common. Best bet is to water the paint down a great deal to reduce the suction. When it is stable you can apply a finish coat.

 

[Halloween Jack]

ah, good idea. i think it is the suction.

cheers

 

[co55ie]

Paint the walls with some watered down PVA adhesive prior to trying to paint them ,this should do the trick. ,

 

[joe-90]

Paint the walls with some watered down PVA adhesive prior to trying to paint them ,this should do the trick. ,

Don't do this. The paint won't stick to PVA and will peel off.

 

[co55ie]

Never had a problem with paint not sticking when the walls have had PVA on them in fact the total opposite. The emulsion becomes extremely durable and easy to overpaint.

I have found watereddown emulsion leads to repaint problems in the future. The emulsion peels, crazes and also wipes off with a damp cloth just what you want in a bathroom. I am sure most people with new build houses will find this to be a problem next time they come to decorate mainly due to the method you suggested being used by the contactors .

 

[joe-90]

You are wrong. That's all there is to it.

 

[co55ie]

Many ways to skin a cat.

Never ever had a single issue with emulsion not adhereing after coating with a light coat of watered down PVA.

I used Evo Stick wood glue in my bathroom due to peeling and flakyplaster like the original poster described , 2 years later and it still looks as good as the day I painted it.

 

[joe-90]

You were just lucky. PVA and paint don't get along.