Calcification under paint bubbles in bathroom?

13 years ago

8 years ago, I tore out everything in the full bathroom upstairs. The ceiling is what I was told is a cove ceiling. Everything went except the plaster walls and the floor. I removed wallpaper from the walls. The electrical was updated where it could be in the whole house, the bathroom was one room that had a total redo. It didn't have an exhaust fan, I had one installed. There was a lot of wallpaper paste that wouldn't come off. It was suggested that I use Guards by Zinsser, then use their shellac primer, then I painted with a water based paint. A couple years ago, I noticed on the other side of the bathroom, about a foot from the wall, maybe a foot up from how the wall curves up into the ceiling, that the paint was bubbling. I showed my husband, he had less of a clue than I did, so we did nothing. I noticed the other day that these bubbles had really grown in size. Last night they looked funny, dry. I touched one and it "crackled" under my touch. I thought it was the plaster falling apart. Later that evening, I cut the biggest bubble open and I was able to peel the paint away from the wall. Everything was coming off....the paint and the primer. I could tell that the Guards was still there, I remember it dried shiny. That crunch that I felt? There's something that looks like calcification.

What would cause this? What do we do now? We have a huge area that the primer/paint peeled off. How does one repaint, once the calcification is fixed, so that you don't see that there's a huge chunk of paint missing? There's a lot more than will peel off....

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Comments (12)

PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
13 years ago
Sounds like the old paste that you did not remove. The Gardz and Bin can only do so much. They were not made to lock down gobs of paste, only residual amounts. You need to remove all that is loose and peeling, remove the paste, re prime with Gardz, skim it with joint compound, sand, clean, repeat until smooth, prime and paint.
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
I didn't leave "gobs" of paste, it was residual. I got as much paste off, using Dif, as I could, then I sanded, trying to get what had been (then was dried), slimy feel of the paste off the walls/ceiling. This calcification, if that's what it is, is on top of the Gardz, on top of the shine left by the Gardz. This calcification is in a few spots, and it's a few lines. Not round, not square, not oblong, not all over...just these few lines.
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PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
13 years ago
Then, you got me. Got any pics?
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
...there's this one...
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
...and this one...these are the only ones....
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
...and it looks like this....
maryinthefalls
13 years ago
My DH, who knows about such things, says it looks like outgassing. Something in or under the shellac was his guess. Sorry, but no help on how to fix it or why it waited so long to leave.
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you maryinthefalls....but I'm confused! What shellac? Does he mean the Gardz?
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you maryinthefalls....but I'm confused! What shellac? Does he mean the Gardz?
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
I dunno why it posted that twice...i see edit...FYI for me, how do I delete?
maryinthefalls
13 years ago
The shellac primer will act like a coat of straight shellac and form a coating which when the gases (alcohol or moisture) try to escape, it forms bubbles like you described. There are probably more bubbles that you can't see or feel; that caused the paint to fail in that area. He doesn't know where the gases came from and whether or not it will happen again. We are newbies at these old houses, but we would sand, reprime and paint again. And hold our breath that it doesn't happen again. Maybe someone else can chime in here.
terryr
Original Author
13 years ago
ohhh...eee gads! THAT shellac...lol...duh as my daughter would say!

I used the shellac primer everywhere in this house...does being in the bathroom have something to do with it I wonder??