got me, I have never heard of anything like that. I would have to guess very cheap latex paint but I am just guessing

Try this.

Use a small amount of Motsenbocker Lift Off tape remover. It removes sticky, greasy, oily stains. Let it dwell for about 30 seconds and then wipe clean with a soft, damp cloth or sponge.

I know this post is 5 years old but I have the exact problem.The paint used was highest grade and had been fine for three years, but two days ago I used pine sol to clean fingerprints on door frame and only that section has remained sticky.The rest is hard.The paint is high gloss which I have always used on my trims and doors. HELP!

Yes, having same problem! Let me know if you found anything that works! considering repainting over it and then sealing it with polyurethane.

I've consulted several professionals and no one has an answer.Keep me posted.I really do not want to repaint, but I'm thinking about it also.

Okay, I tried to fix the sticky spot. I think it might be because of oil-based paint under the latex paint. Even though I thought I did a good job prepping it because I did liquid sandpaper, lightly sanded, primed and painted.

So I cleaned this sticky area again, sanded it, primed and painted again, and then did a top coat of polyurethane. So far it seems good! I'm hoping it helps and holds up in the long term!

Hey guys.. is anyone in this chat a smoker? Because if there is or has been cigarette smoked in ur homes- then that is your first and main reason for this stickyness.. our house often 'defrosts' and all gloss paint needs a good hard wipe- and just finished doing a few rooms right now- and the trick is to use warm / hot water with Vinegar- half half in a spray bottle- a drop of dish detergent- keep rinsing your cloth in soapy hot water- and amazement!! watch the grime/gunk wash off.. my understanding on all this is yes, if u smoke its obvious were at fault & its nasty to clean but if ur home is smoke free and also has fairly fresh paint- then its just the enviroment & normal living that causes build up, the humidity from the weather, from aircons, heaters- even fresh outdoor air- all has polutants and over time, builds up.. trust me- try the vinegar solution and abit of elbow grease- and they'll be shiny and new in no time..

Thank you.No smokers and did try vinegar ,also tried some Dawn,BUT did not try them together.Will give this a go.Thank you so much.

I posted last month, and just wanted to update that it's held up! Try sanding the again, priming, painting, and then a coat of poly top. You don't have to do the whole door just where is highly touched and gets dirty with finger prints.

I'm getting ready to paint some door trim and have the exact same problem. I know the cause of it, but wanted to see if there is any other solution other than sanding off the sticky areas. I don't think there is. The problem is sunscreen (possibly hand lotion too) and I've been working on breaking my husband's habit of touching the door trim. Sunscreen wreaks havoc on everything. It's even damaged the plastic in my Audi from our arms and legs touching the door trim. Don't get me started on our leather couches, too! We had the sticky wall issue in the bathroom, too, from leaning on the wall to pee. He's had to stop that. Toothpaste on paint causes it to become sticky/gummy too. Argh!!!

Thanks for sharing.I think my paint's stickiness is from a using a cleaning solution that affected it.Ugh.

If you find a remedy besides sanding,let us know!

I have all the issues too. staircases, doors, window ledges. 😢 ill keep following post. Thanks for all the posts.

I wound up scraping the paint off the sticky areas, lightly sanding, priming and then adding a couple coats of paint to the spots before adding one coat to the entire door frame. It came out nicely. I just didn't think sanding was going to cut it. I was worried the stickiness would seep back through. Plus, it was easier to scrape it off than to sand it (for me). Now I need to work on other door frames with sticky spots. Sigh!

Use Magic Eraser to get the stickiness off. It worked for me.

I know this is an old post. Here I thought I was the only one. We moved into our new home in 2020 (it was new construction) and within the first few months, I noticed an area of our pantry & bathroom door, near the door handle kept getting really dirty. I was wiping it off pretty frequently because the doors are white and looked really dingy. It’s not just that the paint is getting tacky, but it is also starting to thin and wipe away. It looks terrible. I’m afraid Magic Eraser will just give us a ”balder” spot on the door and I’m so bummed to be having to repaint these doors when our house isn’t even 2 years old :( Ugh!

I am pretty certain I figured out, after more Googling, what is causing this for me...I used Clorox Wipes when Covid started and therein is the rub...pun intended. Lesson learned the hard way. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone had said, “hey, don’t use harsh chemical wipes or detergents to clean painted surfaces or on a certain kind of paint?” since I also have been using them to wipe down my cabinets, but weirdly those seem unaffected (thank goodness!). Since I didn’t see any photos of anyone’s issues, for reference, I took pics of mine :) The top is the Pantry...Bottom is the Guest Bathroom. Hope that helps anyone else searching like me for answers.

I am looking at my problem in YOUR photos.My pantry door is exactly the same.I have tried magic erasers, but they did not work for me. I think mine also started with too harsh a cleanser(undiluted pine sol) which is unusual for me.I'm a vinegar and water with a drop of Dawn convert. On that day,unfortunately, I reached for Pine Sol. At some point soon,I will probably have to sand and repaint as I have tried solutions offered here as well as online.

I wonder what paint and level paint within the brand we all used. I had Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams and was not supposed to have any contractor grade used. The doors this happened on were Sherwin WMs Latex High Gloss and Sherwin Wms Latex Flat..

I just tried gold bond powder spray and it took the stickiness away and can’t even tell it’s there. Of course it’s white trim but it’s an idea.

I’ll update if it becomes an epic fail.

.I'm not familiar with that product, but goggle brought up a deodorant spray. Is that what you tried? If so , what was the exact kind of that line of products that you used?

Not sure when the previous owners painted but I found out me leaning up against my bedroom wall has caused my paint to be sticky......my guess is cheaper paint, but it's pretty frustrating to find paint on my clothing and in my hair because I have leaned against my

Heather, My paint was highest Bejamin Moore level so I don't think it's always paint quality. In my house some areas had it and some not,but always where I used high gloss.Wierdly,I have ALWAYS used high gloss for trim with NO problem.I wonder if due to green standards something changed within the chemicals used to make the paint?

Shanblack, How did your experiment with Gold Bond powder spray go? Has it worked? If so,could you post a picture of the label? All I found online was a deodorant powder spray.Is that the same product?

Hope to hear!

I’m not thinking the quality of paint is really the biggest issue, at least in my case, it was the chemical in the wipes. I reached out to Clorox regarding their wipes and here is a portion of the response I received that indicates that the wipes are NOT to be used on painted surfaces.

”We again apologize for the miscommunication. According to our EPA Master label instructions, the wipes are not eligible for use on painted surfaces. EPA# 5813-79. Here is what is listed: For best cleaning results, avoid [soft -and/or- glossy -and/or- shiny -and/or- polished -and/or- plastics -and/or- metals -and/or- unfinished wood -and/or- copper -and/or- aluminum -and/or- painted surfaces -and/or- fabric]. [If in doubt,] [Test a small area first”

I, of course, sent photos of the labeling that show they don’t actually have the EPA master label verbiage on their product and even some contradictory suggested use ( the package label suggests usage to clean stainless steel which not only goes against the EPA master label but is also an issue I ran into with the fridge in our new home when the door began rusting). So...FYI…in the age of the Coronavirus, if you are like me and wipe down the areas of painted doors where dirty hands or paws touch or if you use it to clean your stainless appliances…using a Clorox wipe is absolutely NOT advised.

Thank you for sharing this info!

So here I am with the same issue.. and was so excited because I was able to get the dirt off, I was so sure I would have to repaint. Packed up my cleaning and painting supplies and off to bed I went. Then this morning I woke up to having turned my door into double sided tape, so off to Google I go. My question is did y’all just use a “sanding” primer or did you have to completely sand the whole door to get the paint even?

I have had the same issue on our panty door for 17 years now. we have re-painted with high quality paint and this is the only door that it happens to. Our painter is not sure what to do besides sand down and re-paint but eventually the problem returns. It must have to do with natural oils on hands touching the doorknob area of the painted door. I have tried the powder spray and baking powder which is a temporary fix to absorb the oil. I have used all kinds of cleaners to the point where this part of the door

is looking "distressed". I am going t to look into doorknob plates. I hope to find a metal plate to cover that area so this wont continue to happen. i am not sure what else to do. If anyone finds any other solution please share!

Same problem on acrylic semi-gloss painted doors where hands have left prints. Has anyone tried Zinsser BIN pigmented shellac to prime before painting without sanding? Perhaps the solvents in this stain blocking product might penetrate the soft paint and seal it into the hardened shellac. I might give that a try if I don't hear any negative reports in the meantime.

Let us know if you do it and it works!

Exact same thing here at my house. i had to clean smudges and dirty fingerprints from our main door and trim used dawn and damp cloth and now sticky so next i tackled pantry door where all the snacks are so you can imagine ! i gently wiped with just damp cloth but again dries sticky! i just dont know.

Wish we had an answer on how to cure this problem

i have a vintage Twinings Of London Delivery Tea Truck had it up on cabinets for "dressing" took it down and the dust was unbelievable washed it with water, damp cloth and rushed it with the spray and then let it dry upside down opened lid, and the top of cab took texture of drying mat, and lid though not on mat, turned sticky, after reviewing this set of articles, this, btw sat on kitchen table for a week, after clean attempt, i wondered used vinegar and result was kinda optimistic, then i spied goo gone in my cabinet, thinking it gets goo from stickers off, so, i tried it on damp papertowel the one i used with vinegar, then wiped just one direction, folding the towel as i went getting a new damp surface, until once coated with goo gone was gone... guess what? sticky gone now, this vintage surface it scared me to try, but, being relatively, naive i did anyway. if you are not sure, dont do it, but my result was fine, and no paint lifted on paper towel nor when sticky dis i get my finger pads any lifting of paint... for the brave, i hope this works...

Johnnyb1

update. the product glue away seems to lift the paint, different than goo gone, be careful

I can't wait to try this.I have both products mentioned,so I'm glad you clarified to use Glue GONE.

I would never have tried this.Hurray Houzz and participants.We have been looking for an answer for almost 7 years!

exact problem! My doors were custom made 10 yrs ago. Painted by profession with primer and SW ProClassic semi gloss. Now yuck around all door handles. sticky gummy.

********** Old thread by now I know, but still useful and thought I'd share my own findings: Similar issue with sticky paint on doors. In my case I determined it is from the oil in skin which gets absorbed into the paint over a long period of repeated handling. Typically around door knobs and edge of doors when closing with your hand. I found that the paint in less handled areas of the door is not sticky. Also found that no amount of cleaning will remove the stickiness, as the oil permeates the whole layer of paint. It feels extra sticky right after cleaning because the fine layer of particles (dirt, dust etc) is removed, exposing just the fresh oiled sticky paint along with the moisture temporarily left behind. Just painting over is not a good idea. Remove old paint first and clean wood as best you can. In really bad cases, even the wood in spots can be affected by the oil.

Long term solution is prevention - frequent cleaning with a very mild soap solution. Nothing that will break down paint.

So this might not be the same cause with others' situation but just my conclusion. For example if you cook a lot with oil it can leave a fine oily coat on nearby walls etc and get absorbed that way. From AI: "Cooking with oil makes painted walls sticky because tiny, greasy aerosols and smoke from cooking adhere to the porous paint surface, then polymerize into a sticky residue that traps dirt and dust. This buildup, often occurring with high-humidity cooking, can also be compounded by surfactant leaching from new latex paint, where moisture causes the paint's own binding agents to rise and create a sticky film."

PS: Surprised how difficult it is to find this possible cause on the web, including our local paint stores that don't seem to know about this.