I'm re-painting the bathroom... help?

Question

I'm surprising my parents by painting one of their bathrooms while they are away. I'm pretty sure they used a matte paint before and it's peeling up like crazy. When I started sanding the little pieces that were already peeling came off but not the rest, so now it is all uneven. What do I do to get everything even/off again before I paint to make it look smooth? I'm using a semi-gloss this time around.. I asked the home depot guy. Should I be using a primer? What did I get myself into... haha

Answer 1

The reason their old paint is peeling up like crazy is because they used latex paint on top of oil-based paint, in a room that gets high humidity. Here's the best way to solve the problem:

1. Scrape all the paint off that you can.
2. Lightly sand the rest to make the paint as even as possible.
3. Using an oil-based primer (such as Bull's Eye 1-2-3 or Kilz) and prime everything. Let it dry completely.
4. Using a latex paint (which can be used over oil primer but NOT over oil paint!), paint the bathroom in the color you have chosen. You may want to use 2 coats, which is much better than 1 coat. Let each coat dry between coats.

Enjoy the new room! By using an oil-based primer, you will solve the problem of peeling paint for good!

Answer 2

I would think any new paint will cover the old .
Where it is peeling should have come off where you sanded and the rest should stick . I would start where it is peeling and paint some of the wall and see what happens.
Even if your parents come home in the middle of the job I*m sure they will be thrilled to find you have even begun to do the job. Good Luck
P.S. I started painting a wall at our clubhouse with latex paint and the old paint kept coming off on my brush until I thinned it with a little water (with oil based paint you would thin with paint thinner),

Answer 3

first of all I'm a professional and do this for a living what are the little pieces that are coming off the old paint i guess, well sand it down smooth if it were me i would texture it first but i doubt you can do that so just sand it smooth and then primer it with latex primer will be fine less messy then give it 2 coats of paint but let the first coat dry for at least 12 hours depending on humidity and temperature

Answer 4

You can try to keep sanding the other area with a different type of sand grade, it should come off and then try to make it smooth. Or, you can just paint in that area until it's at the same level as the other paint and then paint the entire bathroom. That's so nice that you're doing that for them!! Hope it turns out great! :)

Answer 5

Wow! What a nice surprise! But you did get yourself into a bit of trouble, lol! My bedroom is plaster walls, the only room left in this 80 year old house that wasn't drywalled, so I know where your coming from with the uneven-ness! When we painted our room, we first had to get a small tub of spackle and kinda putty the cracks and spots that were uneven. It really isn't difficult, but it takes up to 24 hours to dry before you can paint over it. You can speed up the process a bit with fans though. Ask a local hardware about it and they'll show you what you need and how to use it. Best of luck! :)

Answer 6

I would use a primer to give it a more smooth look. Or you can get the stuff to add texture to the wall that way noone will know.