How to fix peeling paint

Blistered paint

Two reasons can cause paint to blister:

• the wall is damp and an oil-based, gloss or satin-finish paint has been applied.

• acrylic paint or water-based paint, has been applied over an oil-based paint.

Flaking paint

Matt paints are more likely to flake off. Being less waterproof than gloss or satin-finish paints, matt paints flake rather than blister. Note that ceiling paints are the most commonly affected.

Peeling paint

There are many reasons why paint peels off:

• the surface is damp

• the paint has been applied in unsuitable temperature conditions;

• acrylic paint (water-based paint) has been applied over an oil-based paint.

There are many reasons behind this problem and all paints are affected by this phenomenon. Water or oil-based paints, matt, gloss or satin-finish, all paints can peel if you haven't properly prepared the surface, but that's not all. What are the reasons behind this décor disaster?

1. Applying a water-based paint over an oil-based paint

If you apply an acrylic paint over an oil-based paint, at best the water-based paint will slide off the oil-based one just enough for you to notice it and stop. At worst, the water-based paint will lightly adhere and fool you into thinking it's stuck on nicely, only to inevitably peel off in shreds.

2. Applying your paint at too high a temperature

For any painting jobs, it's recommended to paint at between 15 and 25°C. Below 15°C, paint dries too slowly, and above 25°C, it dries too quickly and won't adhere correctly to the surface. In this case, the paint might blister as well as peel off.

3. The surface is damp

Here once again is paint's bugbear: damp! If your surface is damp, the paint will peel off. This cannot be repeated often enough: surfaces must be untainted before applying paint.

There is only one way to resolve the problem of peeling paint: get back to the bare surface again! While blistered paint or flaking paint might hold up perfectly in some parts, a peeling paint will shed all over the place!

We strongly recommend starting from scratch and following the 4 steps below:

1. Use a scraper, brush and sand with sandpaper or a sander to get back to the bare surface.

2. Fill the wall and use plaster to prepare the surface.

3. Apply an undercoat or primer suitable for the surface type to ensure better adherence.

4. Finally, you can start to paint.