Paint coming off when wiping down walls with water

[dijc]

Hi,

I haven't done any decorating before, so thought I'd start with a small utility room.

I was wiping down this wall with water and a sponge, and noticed the paint coming off.

It wasn't peeling off, just being absorbed by the sponge so when I rinsed it the water in the washing up bowl turned white.

Any thoughts on the best way to proceed with it?

 

[JohnD]

Is the plasterwork fairly new? There are special porous paints, mostly used by builders, that allow moisture to pass through them so that new plaster can dry out. They are not very durable but you can paint over them with emulsion.

It's a matt paint, usually white or magnolia.

 

[dijc]

Thanks for your reply.

I've lived here two years and haven't done anything with it, so it's definitely older than that. And given the condition of the rest of the house, I can't imagine the previous owner had any new plasterwork done. Unlike the other rooms in the house, it's never looked as if it's properly been decorated, just a thin coat of the same white paint on the ceiling, walls and woodwork

So try simply painting over it with a normal coat of emulsion? Fortunately it's a very small room, and most of it occupied with worktops, shelving, etc, so hopefully any mistakes should be easily rectified

 

[darkan9el]

Sounds like contract emulsion, normally painted onto new plaster to give it a binding coat before people start putting Vinyl paints on.

You can put a vinyl paint over it but I generally put a mist coat on first so first/mist coat thinned by about 5-10% if its a trade paint, if its from wilko's or any DIY brand leave as is. Don't buy B&Q Valspar paints they are stupid expensive and crap. Crown or Dulux are defacto paints and will cover better than cheaper brands.