How to repaint a wall with many hairline cracks?

I just got a 14 year old house and am looking to repaint the walls with a different colour. I noticed many of the walls are covered in very thin very fine hairline cracks. The old paint isnt peeling or flaking or and still seems properly adhered. The cracking is a bit more visible in the bathrooms. I sanded back a patch and it looks like the plaster underneath might have the cracks.

The old paint is Solver Maxi Wash Ultra Premium Flat. The walls are brick and plaster.

I have widened and filled some of the wider hairline cracks with Polyfilla which I intend to sand down and coat with Dulux 1-Step before painting. But the really fine cracks cover entire walls so not sure if I can just cover them with the 1-step and paint over or if I need to do something more extensive.

How should I deal with this?

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @mygoodchum. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about painting over damaged plaster.

It sounds like you're going about this the right way. Fill any cracks that have opened, and the prep coat and paint will likely disguise any fractured hairline cracks. It would be best to apply two coats of the Dulux 1-Step primer to ensure a decent chance of covering the cracks. Also, I'd advise to use a higher sheen paint like Dulux Wash&Wear Low Sheen for the interior walls and Dulux Wash&Wear Kitchen&Bathroom for the bathrooms. I'd suggest doing a test section to see how you go before committing to the whole wall.

Painting over the cracks is not going to do much for the structural integrity of the plaster apart from binding it to an extent. Is this plaster sheeting over brick or plaster cement applied onto the bricks? I wouldn't have thought you'd have plaster applied to the bricks in a 14-year-old house, but the cracking is quite unusual if this is plaster sheeting.

I'd recommend at this stage that you try to paint to see if you can disguise the cracking; otherwise, the only alternative I can think of would be plaster skim coating the whole wall or replacing the sheeting.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell

mygoodchum

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/22035#Comment_22035

Hey thanks for the advice! The paints you've recommended are the ones I have bought. I will try the two coats of primer and see how it goes with the cracks. Do i need to sand the cracked walls back or is just washing it with sugar soap enough before I start priming?

I assumed the wall had plaster cement over bricks but am not sure. Heres a picture of some wall damage which shows the underlying. I've patched this one up already.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/73754#Comment_73754

@mygoodchum,

A good scrub down with Sugar soap should be sufficient. Only sand if you can feel the cracks with your fingertips.

That does look like plaster on bricks. Typically newer houses like yours would have plaster sheeting.

Mitchell

mygoodchum

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/100349#Comment_100349

Just wanted to follow up, it seems like the primer + paint is covering the small cracks well. Some do still show through that I missed filling but most of the hairline superficial cracks in the old paint are covered. Hopefully it looks the same after a few years.

I have a different problem now though, I am getting a picture framing effect on some of the walls where I've cut in corners with a brush and rolled the surface. Is there a way to fix this?

KatieC

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/117084#Comment_117084

Hi @mygoodchum,

Excellent job with the cracks! Your walls look much smoother now.

I believe the reason why the "picture framing" effect has happened on your walls is due to the different textures of applying paint with a brush vs a roller. Rather than repainting the whole wall, you can try using a sponge brush to recreate the roller texture by feathering the paint from the corner out towards the wall. Our DIY expert @EricL will be online later this afternoon to give his suggestions as well.

Katie

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/126678#Comment_126678

KatieC

😲 I saw the edges and thought "What the!" lol Makes sense and I really didnt know what or how mygoodchum walls end up like that. I have never tried to feather in parts of a wall before. Would be nice to know if it works.

Dave

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/117084#Comment_117084

Hello @mygoodchum

It's great to see that you've received good advice from my colleague. Can you please tell us how far along you are with your painting project? Have you already applied the second coat on the wall? Did you by any chance dilute the paint mixture? It is a bit unusual for this particular phenomenon to occur, the only thing that comes to mind is that the original paint on your wall has deteriorated to the point that it has absorbed the new coat of paint. This happens when extreme aridity or high temperatures combine to dry off the surface of the paint.

I suggest testing one corner of your wall where the cut is very visible and painting that area with another coat. In theory, the wall should match up with the corner that you've cut and it should no longer be visible. Please let us know the results and once you've posted the outcome we'll be able to give you further advice.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Eric

mygoodchum

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/126679#Comment_126679

Hi Eric,

Thanks to you and everyone else for the advice so far. So on this wall I've put on a coat of Dulux 1-Step Prep to cover up some very fine hairline cracks in the existing paint job, and I've also put on 2 coats of Dulux Wash and Wear low sheen.

I thought maybe I put it on too thick around the edges while cutting in, and also maybe I didn't put enough paint on the roller for the walls. I definitely did not dilute the paint, I poured it right out of the can after stirring it for a couple of minutes with a stirrer.

I'll try rolling over it with another coat to see if that improves things. Do I need to cut in again around the edges or will that just make it worse?

The original paint is about a decade old. It had some very fine hairline cracks but otherwise it wasn't peeling or anything like that. I've washed it, patched some holes, and lightly sanded out bumps with 240 grit paper.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133074#Comment_133074

Hello @mygoodchum

Thank you for the update, there is no need to cut in the corners again. Your first application for the corners is enough, I suggest applying another coat of paint to see if that will blend the cut corners in with the walls.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your walls perfectly painted.

Eric

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