Painting over a multi color multi layered mural?

Question

several years ago my wife painted a jungle mural on my son's bedroom wall he.s older now and wants it gone I ve tried sanding and a heavy primer but the thicker layers just keep getting thicker

Answer 1

you'll need to sand it all down..... evenly. Which means don't use sand paper and your hand. Use a flat sanding instrument, otherwise, it won't work.

Once you've done that, use an oil-based primer and don't put it on too thick. Then paint two coats of paint.

Your only other option is to resurface the wall with drywall... sorry.....

Answer 2

It would be helpful to know what type of paints were used for the mural. i.e. water based or oil based, or what. It makes a difference when you are trying to cover up an oil based paint. The primer itself if totally different from the one used for water based paints. If the colors are dark then you have a two fold problem as of course the dark colors are difficult to cover up anyway. Either way, I would go with a tinted primer which is similar to the actual color of the final coat you plan to use in the room. Your hardware store can actually tint the primer so you are not trying to cover up many colors with white primer. I hope this helps

Answer 3

Paint is just like plaster. The more you apply the thicker it gets. I don't know how much texture you got there, if it is alot, to make it smooth, sanding was the way to go. But perhaps there is too much, so the next best thing you could do (and the easiest) is a texture finish in one color(kinda like a stipple ceiling) on the wall. Talk to the paint store for the solution. They can show you sample finishes.

Answer 4

We had a similar problem. We painted a feature wall in dark purple suede paint and when realising that it looked hideous we had to sand it back to the original colour. It took a long time and a lot of purple dust, but eventually it was ready to be painted white like the rest of the walls. Turned out fine. Persevere.

Answer 5

You will just have to keep sanding. I suggest using 80 grit sandpaper or lower. If you have tools you can use an orbital sander. With that it should only take a few minutes to have it completely stripped down.

On vehicles, body shops usually use 220 grit to get the paint down. Unlike a car, you don't have to worry about the surface being 110% smooth so you can get away with 80 grit. With patience you should be able to get it all off.

Answer 6

I think you didn't sand it enough so that the ridges or outlines were completely flat. You could go over the wall with joint compound if it doesn't already have a texture to it. I have covered an uneven wall in wallpaper liner (it's cheap) and then painted the liner. It looked pretty darn good.