How to fix poor adhering paint?

[deslea]

Hi, I have a second home in another country (not a western one). The paint that is readily available there is thin and doesn’t adhere well - it rips off with things that are just fine at home like 3M removable adhesives, even blu tack can take it off. This seems to be the case regardless of surface prep.

is it possible to improve a paint’s adhesive performance with additives? There is an all purpose “acrylic sealant” available locally that appears to be a Bondcrete clone - might mixing in some of that work? What ratio would you suggest?

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @deslea,

Bondcrete isn’t generally recommended for this purpose, although it would likely improve adhesion slightly. Instead, there are dedicated paint additives — such as Flood 1L Emulsa Bond Paint Additive - that are specifically formulated to enhance paint adhesion when used alongside proper surface preparation and priming.

If a similar acrylic bonding product is the only option available locally, you could try adding a small amount (around 5–10%) to the first coat of paint. However, a purpose-made additive like Emulsa Bond will usually give a more consistent and reliable result.

Hope this helps, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or want to share how it goes.

Jacob

[deslea]

Thank you, that’s very helpful! Through this I found out that the magic words to look for were “bonding primer” and I have now identified an equivalent product locally. I am going back in a few weeks so I will comment again with how it goes. Thank you!