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by Tom Rafferty Rafferty Painting & General Contracting
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Paint Peeling on Plaster Walls?
How to Solve This Problem Permanently Many people aren’t aware of the underlying problems that can and often do exist on plaster walls. Homeowners who see peeling paint often think that the fix is simply to repaint those areas. But almost without fail, the peeling paint returns. In most cases, the plaster itself is beautifully finished underneath the paint, so that isn’t causing the paint-peeling problem. The culprit is most likely calcimine, which is predominantly chalk. A strong indicator of calcimine’s presence is when you see the paint peeling in sheets, down to bare plaster. The unfortunate part of this is that to fix this problem permanently, the entire coating needs to be removed down to the plaster. Simply scraping off the peeled paint, spackling and repainting will NOT make this problem go away!! New paint will peel right off again. Some painting contractors are not aware of what causes paint to peel on plaster walls, so when they do a repaint job, peeling often starts again not long after the job is done. Another thing that can cause paint to peel on plaster walls is moisture in the walls. A simple moisture test can indicate if there is moisture present.
Identify the Cause of the Peeling Paint The first step is to identify if you are definitely dealing with a calcimine problem. You can easily detect calcimine by rubbing a damp finger on the surface, to check for a chalky residue. If your plaster walls do have calcimine, it will feel like you wet your finger and rubbed it on a dirty chalkboard. If the damp finger test proves calcimine IS present, the next step is to scrape off as much paint as you can. Then, scrub and wash the wall surfaces with a detergent or hard surface cleaner such as Spic ‘n Span, dishwashing liquid or TSP — something that will create a lot of suds as you use it with a scrubbing pad and you scrub hard on the walls. Your goal is to create a frothy foam that suspends the water and keeps the surface wet longer, to help the calcimine loosen its hold on the plaster walls. After you’ve scraped off all the loose paint and thoroughly scrubbed and washed the plaster walls, you’re ready to prime and add the finish coats to the walls. A shellac-based primer is highly recommended, after which any latex paint coating will adhere well. Yes, identifying and permanently solving this plaster walls problem is a labor-intensive process. But if done correctly, you will not have any more peeling or popping paint! NS
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Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors
February 2021
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