How to fix paint that came off plaster?

js4738193847382

I'm in a house that was built 5 years ago. We have a plaster wall with water based paint that we had a child safety latch attached to. The latch was attached to the wall using the sticky backing that came with it.

Unfortunately the latch was pulled off the plaster wall, taking the paint with it. 

How can I repaint this patch of the wall in a way that looks similar to when it was new? I still have a can of the original paint.

I've attached photos

   

JacobZ

Hi @js4738193847382,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Luckily, this is a relatively easy repair.

Somewhat counterintuitively, you'll want to start by making the patch a bit bigger. You want to peel the paper back so there are no raised edges like you can see where I've marked below. 

Use the corner of a 100mm Sharp Edge Paint Scraper to make a relief cut just behind the edge, and then peel off the raised paint. You are aiming to get a nice, clean edge.

After this, use a sanding sponge to dull the sharp edges of the patch.

You'll then use your paint scraper to apply a thin skim coat of Topping Compound over the patch, slightly overlapping the edges. Give the topping compound a good mix before applying it to make it smooth and workable. Hold your scraper at a slight angle and run it over the patch to remove excess plaster. You are aiming for it to be perfectly flush with the level of the paint.

Once applied and smoothed, use your sanding sponge to make the patch perfectly smooth. If there are any small holes after sanding, which sometimes happens because of air in the mix, allow the first coat to dry, then apply another thin skim coat to fill these holes, allow it to dry, then sand.

After allowing the plaster to dry, apply a coat of Dulux 1Step Prep Primer, Sealer & Undercoat to the patch, allow it to dry, then paint with 2 coats of the originally used paint.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob