Blistering paint (Ed.)

[JohnD]

The house is about 100 years old, maybe slightly under.

Then there is likely to be distemper on the ceilings and probably the walls. It can be washed off with very hot water but the glue will not dissolve in cold. It has a distinctive unpleasant smell that you will recognise if you use hot water.

 

[rhysjc]

Good to know. Have read a few options such as sanding, using vinegar, magic erasers, hot water. I’ll try a few and see what works, luckily the majority is just coming off as I’m scraping

 

[JohnD]

I have actually done quite a lot. You need a kettle to keep your bucket hot. It will scrub loose and you wipe the slurry off with a coarse cloth.

Sanding is unsuccessful.

 

[opps]

I have actually done quite a lot. You need a kettle to keep your bucket hot. It will scrub loose and you wipe the slurry off with a coarse cloth.

Sanding is unsuccessful.

With a decent sander, you can sand all of the existing paint away. You are correct about about hot water and distemper though.

Most of the properties that I decorate are Victorian. Over the last 30 years, I have only had problems will paint over distemper twice. I used a shellac based paint to seal the ceiling.

 

[rhysjc]

Thanks for your posts everyone. I’ve got the scraper wayners recommended and I’ve got my work cut out for me scraping today. I’ll have earned my trip to the local this evening

 

[opps]

For what it is worth... the best scraper that I have ever owned is an Olfa. Expensive but you can buy different types of blades. Japanese quality.

(Olfa XSR-300) £28.86 - Olfa Scraper XSR-300 X-Grip Heavy Duty Scraper 300mm Long

Olfa Scraper XSR-300 Top professional quality Olfa XSR 200 scraper works just as great as it looks! OLFA X-Grip Heavy Duty Scraper, Olfa Scraper XSR-300 X-Grip,

olfacutters.co.uk

They have both rigid and flexible blades.

 

[rhysjc]

If I’ve got to do this in every room definitely worth investing. On that note, any smart ideas on how I can figure out if I’ve got distemper ceilings without painting them and waiting for it to fall off?

 

[JohnD]

Scrub with cold water, then with hot.

Hot will dissolve the glue, and you will smell it

It resists cold water and so was used in kitchens and bathrooms.

It will leave a sediment of ground chalk in your bucket.

Apart from white, it is usually in pastel colours (can be tinted dark but needs more colour to the mix).

 

[rhysjc]

Issue is I’ve got multiple players of paint previous owners have put on. I’ve only discovered it in this room after painting myself and having it peel

 

[opps]

Issue is I’ve got multiple players of paint previous owners have put on. I’ve only discovered it in this room after painting myself and having it peel

The previous owners didn't seem to have that problem. You mentioned that you used a cheap primer, do you mean a contract paint? They are specifically designed to cover plaster that is still damp. I don't quite understand why the use of such paints would activate previous layers of paint though. My advice, as a professional decorator, would be to steer clear of those paints unless you are painting over new/damp plaster. Over the years, I have seen them cause numerous problems.

 

[rhysjc]

I used a B&q good home one for walls and ceilings. Supposedly fine for previously painted surfaces. I’ve given up trying to figure out how they managed it now. On the next room I’ll definitely fork out for a decent primer like bullseye 123

 

[opps]

I used a B&q good home one for walls and ceilings. Supposedly fine for previously painted surfaces. I’ve given up trying to figure out how they managed it now. On the next room I’ll definitely fork out for a decent primer like bullseye 123

Fair play. That isn't a cheapo contract paint. Did the paint bubble with each coat, or just the final coat? When re-rolling paint paint over distemper, I have found that applying a second coat too quickly, can rip the existing paint off- the previous coat has wet the surface, on the second coat, the suction in the roller will pull off the recently activated distemper. My advice would be to apply the first coat and wait until the next day before applying the next. How long did you wait?

 

[rhysjc]

First coat of primer went on no bother. Second coat the next day I had a few issues but that was on the walls which have been skimmed, so nothing to do with distemper. Went on the ceiling okay. Next day I did the ceiling top coat where I did get bubbles, but they then disappeared as it dried. Second coat seemed to go on okay but upon closer inspection there were huge patches where it hadn’t stuck down. I’d never have noticed if a bit of masking tape hadn’t pulled it off.

So in answer to your question, never less than probably 12 hours between coats! But it is a cold room

 

[opps]

Ahhh, so it was the tape that pulled the paint off. Yeah it seems very likely that you had distemper or a base coat of paint that had not been sufficiently thinned.

 

[rhysjc]

The tape was what got me going right back to the plaster but we’ve had a nightmare with peeling back to old layers of paint which I suppose probably was the same cause.

Long hard day scraping and still not done, putting up a bit of a fight in some areas. A couple of questions from me if anyone doesn’t mind…

How off is off with this stuff? Gardz supposedly will seal it so any future paint shouldn’t soften it up again. Is there any need then to wash off all the residue like you can see in the picture?

Also anyone got any ideas how I can make good where the ceiling meets the wall? Old layers of paint have covered up a not very neat line there. Thinking just some toupret powdered filler?