common painting problems & solutions

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The paint may remain tacky and you might find it pealing off easily or soft.

This issue is sometimes called gassing and can be caused by multiple causes.

All paints require a drying time to harden and attach itself to the wall correctly.

If the room has a high level of humidity it can take longer for the paint to dry. The outer coat may feel touch dry but the paint may still be soft and curing underneath. When overcoated with a second coat, the base coat will be sealed and not be able to cure as there will be no way for the VOC's to evaporate. This may also result in the smell of the paint remaining in the room as the paint tries to evaporate its trapped contents under the above coats. Hence the first coat will not cure and adhere correctly to the surface.

This may also occur if the temperature of the room is too high or too low, causing the paint to dry too quickly on the surface and leaving it wet underneath.

Another common cause is applying the coat of paint too thickly and then overcoating with a second coat too quickly. Once again the underlying coats are not allowed to cure correctly and remain soft.

YES!

All surfaces require some form of preperation prior to painting. Preperation is key.

Always try to clean your walls with soapy water. Dirty walls can affect the adhesion of your paint and creat peeling issues later. Painting over shinnier surfaces may require some sanding so as to dull down the sheen level. Remember, the shinnier the surface, the harder it is to adhere to. Some painted surfaces may even require a primer to act as both an adhesive primer and isolater.

Paint is not a structural solution to damp issues.

There are damp proof primers that will keep the damp at bay for a while but the issue will return untill the walls are completely dry. Even then, you may need to allow the wall more time to breath as salt and mineral sedements may still be present on the surface.

Painting ceilings are a hard task due to the awkward angle and the lack of visibility when painting. One of the most common issues is showing roller marks.

This is mostly a technique issue and is caused by certain painting methods.

Firstly, thinning down  the paint with 10% water will help with the flow. This will avoid applying the paint too thickly. 

Also try to use a short or medium pile roller. The longer the pile the more chance there is of applying the paint thickly. 

Roll from out to in. In other words, do not overlap directly from where you left off. Smooth your paint into the last section you painted. You want to avoid overlapping with a newly dunked roller as this will create thick overlapping lines that will show up later.

Lastly, avoid pressing down onto the surface to hard. Let the roller glide. Excessive pressing will apply the paint uneavenly and these marks will show through later.

Any plaster should be allowed to dry out completely prior to painting. A contract or Trade quality paint should be applied to whiten the surface prior to overcoating with any coloured emulsion. Plaster been an absorbant material, the first coat of paint should be diluted with up to a 10% of water to allow the paint to absorb and grab onto the surface. After the diluted first coat apply a 2 coat of full bodied emulsion. Depending on the porosity of the plaster, a third coat might be required to seal the surface with a seamless and patch free coat.

Due to the level of sheen, a bit of preperation is recommended to ensure that the new coats of paint adhere well to the surface. Idealy, a quick rub down with sandpaper and then a good clean with soapy water should do the job. If the paint surface still remains difficult for the new paint to adhere to, a primer should be applied to create a bond.

Firstly, applying masking tape over newly painted paint will create a problem due to the fact that the paint has not fully cured. All paints require at least a week to reach its maximum hardness. 

When using masking tape to create a straight line or edge, remove the tape a few minutes after painting. Do not leave the tape on untill the paint dries. allowing the paint to dry will create an overlap of paint that will be peeled off when dry as you remove the tape.

For fine surfaces use a 'Delicate Surfaces' tape that contains less adhesive than most tapes.

Solvent based finishes such as Gloss and Eggshell contain pigments that turn yellow if not exposed to enough UV light. The UV light stabilizes the paint finish and keeps it white. To avoid this we reccomend that you use an Acrylic based finish as opposed to a slovent based one.

There is no quick or simple answer to this question. Many proffessional painters still debate this issue, each with their own personal preference. However, there are some benefits from both finishes that may sway you depending on the nature of the job.

Whilst solvent based paints are harder wearing and easier to get a smoother finish with, Acrylics are quicker drying, of low odour, and remain white for the rest of its life.

Solvent paints require White Spirits to clean off your brush and any spills whilst Acrylics just require water.

In short YES! However, it does require some preperation. Firstly sand down the surface lightly to kill off the glossy finish and clean down the surface with soapy water. Next apply an acrylic primer such as Johnstone's Ultra Sealer Primer or Johnstone's Joncryl. Once the primer is dried, overcoat with the acrylic finish of your choice.

Known as 'Blooming' this effect is caused by exposure of the paint to low temperatures or high levels of damp and humidity before drying and curing. These levels do not allow the coating to cure correctly and result in the paint remaining tacky and soft in appearance.