Dear Houzzers,

Please help me on paint issues.

We have 2 problems:

(1) A contractor painted the areas where he was asked not to paint. This happened in September 2020.

(2) The paint was applied without prepping, and without drying between coats, and now the surface looks bad

A paint contractor painted our entryway that was outside the scope of project. Not only that it was done without preparing the surface, and probably without drying between coats. Chemical odor lingered for months, I see lumps under the paint (probably dead bugs), and the surface is starting to crack probably from poor adhesion. I also read that this could lead to damaging the wood underneath. Damage to the house structure is my biggest concern.

Is there a way to fix this other than paint removal by chemical?

I like the idea of paint removal, however it's labor intensive and I am not sure if the contractor would agree on this remedy. Last time the entryway was painted was 5 years ago… It was in good shape when the problem happened but was not brand new either.

I would like to know what's the best remedy for the house. If chemical paint removal is indeed the best way to protect the house, I will try to negotiate that with the contractor. Our house is from 1935 and we cherish her.

Many articles say never paint over wet paint but doesn't talk about how to fix the problem once the damage is done.

Your help is much appreciated.