How to paint a wall with flaking paint?

Hi All.

I am looking any advice for scrapping and repainting a wall in interior area ( bed and living )

1. Scrapping.

Current situation

It looks like the existing painting has been deteriorated. I put a painting tape in the wall and peel it off. The existing paint also out too. Please refer to the provided image below.

I believe I would need to fully scrap entire existing painting in the area. I have tried using paint this Paint scrapper tool however it looks not really an effective considering total area that need to be scrapped.

Some of the area are also cannot be scrapped easily and when I apply a bit force on it. leaves me a scuff/dent mark in the wall.

What is the best and effective way or tool to have the wall fully scrapped ?

2. Repainting.

Considering there are many product offered, I am still a bit unclear between 'primer' and 'undercoat' function. With the above circumstance, what is the step to prepare the wall before coating ? do I need primer before applying undercoat. Apologize for this basic question.

Thank you for any advice.

Daniel

Below is the image of the current wall situation

current_01.jfif

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MitchellMc

Hi @daniel4,

You have a couple of options here. The first is to continue digging away at the edges of this damage to determine whether this is just a small area that is affected. I suspect it will be the whole wall, but this area has spread from a chip. If the whole wall is affected, then you'll need to sand off all the paint, prime the plaster appropriately and re-coat. That would be the way to fix the issue.

I understand this would be a considerable effort. You might like to remove any of the loose material, skim coat this damaged area, sand to blend it in and prime the whole wall with Dulux PRECISION Sealer Binder White. You can then apply your topcoat paint. This doesn't solve the issue, but it does cover it up with a few layers of fresh paint/primer. This could delay fixing the issue appropriately by several years.

A primer and an undercoat are both coatings applied to a surface before painting, but they serve different purposes. However, the words tend to be used interchangeably. A primer is a preparatory coating that is applied to a surface before painting. Its primary function is to allow the paint to adhere better to the substrate and last longer. On the other hand, an undercoat is a layer applied to even out the surface and provide a uniform colour, especially when the surface is uneven or has a different colour than the topcoat. Typically you'd apply either a primer or undercoat and then your topcoat. No need to apply an undercoat over the primer. To confuse things further, I've suggested a sealer binder which predominately assists with compromised surfaces like bare plaster. I wouldn't get too caught up with the terminology, as there are even combination products that are primers and undercoats in one.

Remember your PPE when sanding, including safety glasses and a dust mask.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

daniel4

Thank you @MitchellMc for that great advice and information about primer and coating

I will explore both options and keep update with this forum.

Regards

Daniel

MitchellMc

No problems, @daniel4. Please reach out again if you have further questions or get stuck.

Mitchell

daniel4

Hey @MitchellMc

Hope you are doing well.

So I decided to scrap this flaky paint for entire wall as my plan is to repainting with lighter color later.

When scrapping this paint, I found 2-3 mm thick of white layer ( is this skim coat ? ) before I hit the mortar / brick.

Please refer to picture below.

This white layer is quite powdery & chalky. I can see powder in my finger after gently pressing and rub this layer.

Question :

Do I need to remove this white layer ( and left with brick ) before applying undercoat / primer ?

Thank you @MitchellMc and all for the advices.

Regards,

Daniel

EricL

Hello @daniel4

By your description it sounds like it is a skim coat because it is soft and easy to remove. I suggest not removing it as the mortar underneath has a very rough finish. It's likely that the skim coat was placed above it to give the wall a flat surface to paint on. I suggest repairing the hole with UNi-PRO 500g Multi Purpose Interior Filler in combination with 100mm Sharp Edge Paint Scraper.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to patch plaster.

I recommend using Dulux PRECISION Sealer Binder White as suggested by @MitchellMc.

Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask while working on your wall.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

daniel4

Hi @EricL

Thank you for your response.

This Dulux PRECISION Sealer Binder White is an OIL-based product. I cannot find any similar brand with water-based (perhaps I just missed it).

In the case only oil-based is available, can a water-based top coat paint be used on top of this sealer ?

A side note about my paint scrapping process...

I found sanding and heat gun were not effective ways to remove paint from my wall.

I have not attempted using chemical due to health concern.

While using manual paint-scrapping tool is tiresome. Paint was just peeled out for approximately 1-2 cm and then cracked.

Then I use Paint Partner Cloth Tape by mounting it over the wall, give a gentle pressure until all tape surface is consistently attached into wall.

Leave it for about 4-5 mins and then peel it out. It takes all the paint coat off the wall where tape was attached.

Turn out this method is faster to remove paint from the wall rather than sanding (dusty and leaving a mark in the skim coat) or gun heat.

pic-1.jfif

Picture-1: using scrapping tool knife: tedious process and Paint was just peeled out for approximately 1-2 cm and then cracked.

pic-2.jfif

Picture-2: Use a cloth-tape attached to the wall, give a gentle rub, leave for few minutes and peel it out.

pic-3.jfif

Picture-3: After peeling off cloth-tape out of the wall. It attracts the flaky paint attached into adhesive cloth-tape surface.

Note : Some tough area may still have 'islands' of flaky paint which needs to be removed using scrapper knife.

regards,

Daniel

EricL

Hello @daniel4

If you wish to have the binding feature of the primer, I'm afraid you'll need to use the Dulux PRECISION Sealer Binder White. The good news is that you can use a water-based topcoat on an oil-based primer. However, please note that the primer must be fully cured before painting over it.

Thank you for sharing that paint peeling technique, this is a much preferrable method rather than being exposed to harsh paint stripping chemicals. I also recommend having a look at this Craftright 5-in-1 Scraper as an alternative to a soft steel scraper.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your walls ready for painting.

Eric

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