NANDIX Repairs · Painter (after any damp is fixed)
Paint peeling, flaking or bubbling
Paint lifts when there is moisture behind it, when it was put on a dusty or chalky surface, or when the primer was skipped.
What usually causes it
- Damp in the wall pushing the paint off (often with white salt marks).
- Paint over old distemper or loose putty without scraping.
- No primer, or the wrong primer, on new plaster.
- Painting new plaster before it had cured and dried.
What you can check yourself
- Scrape a small area: does it come off down to the plaster, or only the top coat?
- Is there white powder or salt under the paint? That is damp.
- Press a strip of tape on the wall and pull it: if paint comes off on it, the surface is weak.
Parts to ask the shop for
- Scraper and sandpaper
- Wall primer (alkali-resistant for new plaster)
- Wall putty if the surface needs levelling
- Emulsion paint for the area: use the paint calculator for litres
Take the old part or a photo of it: sizes and threads must match.
What to ask the worker
- Will you scrape down to a sound surface first?
- Which primer and how many coats of putty and paint? Write the product names in the quote.
- Has the damp been fixed? If not, the new paint will peel too.