Need help with paint in kitchen/dining (peeling paint; finish to use?)

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

We just purchased our first home together - a 1977 single-story ranch - and decided to take on some of the projects ourselves instead of hiring out. Our first order of business was to scrape the popcorn ceilings off. So far, this project has been going well, except that when we slightly dinged the wall in the kitchen/dining area, we discovered that the paint the previous tenant/owner used didn't adhere and is completely just peeling off like rubber...

I've been using a 4" putty knife to help scrape it away, but I can mostly just grab it with my fingers and peel off huge chunks at a time. I've done a little research and it seems aside from chemical strippers, this is the way to go.

While I am open to any advice to help make this go more efficiently, I'm mostly looking for advice on what type of paint to use on it once we get all the old paint off.

We already purchased several gallons (mostly untinted, so I can still return if I need to) of Sherwin Williams Cashmere in Flat Enamel and their Multipurpose Primer, which we planned to use in most of the whole house: living room (where the entrance is), kitchen/dining area, hallway, and bedrooms. We currently are holding off on ANY bathroom renovations, so we're going to keep the current paint/wallpaper.

Luckily the paint used in the bedrooms and hallway don't seem to be peeling; only in this kitchen/dining area. It's fairly open concept, and we plan to renovate the kitchen soon, which would include installing a backsplash. I've read we should be using more of a satin, pearl, or semi-gloss finish for kitchens, but I'm afraid it will look weird to transition from one finish to a flat enamel finish from kitchen to dining/hallway/living room since it's open concept.

Should I be using maybe the Cashmere Low Lustre in the kitchen/dining room and feather it once I reach the hallway/living room? Or should I switch to the same color in a different paint, like SW SuperPaint for durability?

Thanks in advance for your insight and advice!

Featured Answer

PRO

T.O.D.

11 years ago

Scrape it all off. Use a remover if needed. Clean wall with TSP when dry apply liquid sandpaper, prime and paint.

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Comments (7)

User
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the tip about TSP! We will definitely pick some of that up + already plan to sandpaper and prime before painting.

We hope to convert from galley to L-shape kitchen as well, so I think the backsplash will solve the issue, and it should be safe to have flat enamel finish running through this whole room?

Ignore our mess... :)
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PRO
Brian Gannon
11 years ago
Cashmere low luster is a satin finish. I have my whole house painted in it as we have kids and it scrubs clean no problem. Matte finishes look great in the right setting but the low luster is like eggshell with one more step up in sheen. It is not like a trim semi gloss. Sorry, hard to describe a sheen of paint. It actually brightens a room and with the cashmere has a nice soft look to it. The cashmere if applied correctly looks amazing especially down a long wall.

Looks like someone just textured that wall and that could be the source of your problem. Maybe they did not prime over the texture finish. A hair drier and a plastic scraper could speed up your removal.

Good luck
User thanked Brian Gannon
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you wannabath! I picked up a heat gun since I don't want to get my hair dryer dusty from all the popcorn/paint floating around the house right now. Going to try this over the weekend. Also great to hear that the cashmere low lustre can scrub clean!
PRO
Brian Gannon
11 years ago
Hope it works out for you. Be careful with a heat gun they generate a lot of heat quickly in a confined area. Always run your palm over the area after you heat it to make sure you are not getting it too hot. You want the latex paint to just get warm enough to be more rubbery. If you get to a point where it stops pealing then you will have to blend the edge with joint compound and re texture.

Good luck!!
PRO
Decora Painting
11 years ago
Another option to remove the failing paint is to use a random orbital sander with 60 grit sandpaper. This might require you to spray new texture on the walls, but no matter what technique you use remove the paint you'll likely damage the walls to some extent anyways.

Once you've finished removing all the failing paint, I'd recommend vacuuming the walls to remove as much dust from the surface as possible. Follow this with a quick wipe down using TSP.

Before you prime the entire wall I'd perform an adhesion test by spot priming a 1' by 1' section of wall. Allow the paint to dry overnight and see if you can scratch it off with your fingernail the following morning. If you can't scratch the primer off you know its adhered to the wall and you can go ahead and prime the entire wall. If you can scratch the primer off then some type of contaminant is still on the wall and needs to be removed.
User thanked Decora Painting
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
11 years ago
The fact that the paint is only peeling in the kitchen/dining room tells me the walls were dirty when they painted. You're moving in the right direction with your paint and project. Clean the walls really, really well and then light sanding will also help. Wipe down the walls with a water-damp cloth and let THOROUGHLY dry (over night is a very good idea). Do your test patch and then prime the walls (as suggested by Decora Painting).

The preparation is the biggest part of this job. Without it the paint will continue to peel.
User thanked Cancork Floor Inc.