Bathroom walls?
Question:My bathroom walls which have been painted but have noticed that the paint is splitting so to speak as you can see fine cracks and the old colour is seen behind it what can be the problem and how can I stop it happenning if I re colour it?
Answers:
this is happening because of the moisture buildup when you use your shower, if you put in a fan this will help improve ventilation, and the paint wont be bothered by it.
So, Step One, install a fan/ventalation system
Step Two, scrape off the peeling paint,
Step Three, talk to someone at a hardwear store about whoich paint would be the best for your bathroom
Step Four, Paint it
Step Five, Enjoy!
Get rid of the flaking paint and use Polycell smooth over.
It is most likely due to condensation so as well as removing the flaking paint and repainting you may need to improve the ventilation, especially if you have a shower.
It is condensation,Fill cracks, leave to dry, rub down ,then repaint with good quality eggshell paint.
Sand down, and apply good quality oil bound eggshell paint, It sound like an incompatibility problem with the two paint types.
If you can see fine cracks then it implies that the different paints have different expansion and contraction rates.
Scrape off the loose paint,fine surface fill any rough areas with a good quality filler.You should rub the walls down slightly to provide a key to the new paint and to remove surface imperfections.You don't need to go too crazy with the rubbing down.
Apply a quality branded moisture resistant or bathroom paint.
Allow to dry ,then recoat.Always use at least 2 coats of paint to give depth to the colour.
Look at installing an extractor fan,or other methods of ventilation eg leaving the window open when you shower.
This happens due to expansion and contraction which occurs in all of our bathrooms, if you have any mold occurring due to these cracks then you need to rub down any loose paint and cracks. Then apply Ajax scouring powder if you can get hold of any or vim, this will take care of any future mold occurring. Now apply a 25% of sealer solution ( unibond or like) cheapest at wilkinsons. Now apply a good kitchen or bathroom paint or vinyl from crown or dulux. I have heard from a good source that wilkinson paint is supplied by ici who manafacture dulux paint.
There could be a number of reasons why the paint is cracking. If you used latex or acrylic paint over oil you will have bonding issues. A lack of primer could also be the problem as well as using latex paint in a bathroom that is heavily used. Latex is water based so if you use the bathroom shower or tub a lot you will be putting the water back into the paint creating bonding issues. To fix this you have to remove or sand off the paint that cracks. Repaint the walls using a good primer sealer before the paint. You can use latex as long as it's a bathroom and kitchen paint. I would highly suggest an oil based paint if you have a bathroom that is heavily used or has little or no ventilation. To test the base of paint use a cloth with nail polish remover or gasline antifreeze and rub on a spot on the wall, if the paint comes off you have latex if not it's oil base. You can use oil over latex but not latex over oil. Never use flat paint or eggshell finishes as they are not durable. Flat you cannot wash and eggshell you can but very lightly. Use a satin or pearl finish, both are highly durable and washable.
All the above . And this enclosed space has soap ,hair spray,what ever floating around in air . Regardless of how good the vent is. The walls should have been scrubbed down and primered before painted . You can remove as muck loose stuff as possible sand reseal and hope for best. The layer that is now cracking is still going to have adhesion problems and may show its ugly head again . But with god primer & paint be sealed well and running fan 15 minute after shower /bathuse should be OK .
I'd suggest not just going for the quick fix of the particular area that's cracking. Strip it down and start over with proper paint. Unless your bathroom is absolutely huge, it won't be too much expense, but the results will be worth it. Do it now or do it later, the whole room will need to be done eventually.
Happy walls make happy people! ;-)
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