A common household problem, flaky and peeling paint is a disaster for the way it looks and feels for your home. It can also lead to further damage if not seen to right away. In this article, we’ll go through how to fix chipped and peeling paint for your home to ensure the surface is looking smooth and back to normal.
Flaking paint is a relatively easy task to fix, but must be treated with care for your plaster and walls. Trying to lay freshly new paint directly over flaky, peeled paint wont give you a good looking result if you don’t prepare the area first. The flaky areas of paint must be stripped back entirely to the plaster before you start.
Read on to discover the steps involved and how you can get a great looking final product.
What we’re looking at:
- What tools do I need?
- Causes for paint flaking
- How to paint over flaking paint
- Seal flaking paint
- How to identify flaking paint
- FAQs on flaking paint & cracks
So without further ado, let’s begin:
Tools and Equipment Needed
Carrying out the task to complete a smooth final surface for your wall will require the following:
- Paint scraper
- Putty knife
- Wire brush
- Wall sealer
- Primer
- Wall filler
- Sandpaper
- Your matched wall paint (fresh)
What Causes Flaking Paint On Walls
Paint flaking can occur with a number of different factors:
- When the wall becomes cracked, this is caused by the splitting of a dry paint film from either one coat of paint or more.
- Improper application of paint to the wall and too much hard grain is used.
- Water and humidity can cause the paint to peel easily when it’s applied to a damp surface, or exposed to high humidity.
- Plywood is said to be very easy to expand due to humidity levels, making it open to flaking and cracking within the structure.
- Another factor is the quality of paint used on the wall. Low quality or expired paint can peel much easier and a lot faster than fresh, high-quality paint.
- The walls surface of preparation can lead to cracks and flaky paint. This is when the surface is either dirty or not primed efficiently.
For ways to avoid everything mentioned above, ensure a high-quality paint is used and that the surface of the wall is primed and carefully smoothed out and dry before painting.
The best way to tackle flaking paint in your home is to identify the problem sooner rather than later. As the process will be much smoother, easier and quicker to get the job finished early. Also the longer the problem left, the more chance it could spread if the surface isn’t ticking all the boxes.
How To Paint Over Flaking Paint
Remove Existing Paint
Begin by removing all the loose paint you find on the walls by using your wall scraper. It’s recommended to have a good sharp edge high-quality scraper to get the best results.
Once you’ve scraped those areas needing attention, use your wire brush and vigorously sweep up the areas you’ve scraped. This will attend any remaining debris from the area.
If the paint begins to peel from using your wire brush, go back and use your scraper to ensure it’s running smoothly on the wall.
Prepare The Wall Surface
Next is to prime the affected surface using a performance wall sealer. Once coated, leave the wall to dry.
Then, after successfully carrying out the wall sealer, skim coat the area with a wall filler. Again, lookout for a good quality filler for the job. Allow the filler to dry efficiently for at least 2-3 hours.
Now you want to sand down the area using your sandpaper and your aim is to smooth out the edges until the original paint is coming through to the top. To speed up the process you can use a sanding machine for the job.
Give your work a check by running your hand over the areas. Your objective is to ensure it’s smooth throughout.
Begin Priming and Painting
Now prime the filler and surrounding edges with a good quality prime sealer. Priming the surface will give your wall a chance to blend in perfectly when you apply fresh paint.
Now that you’ve stripped the peeling paint and prepared the wall surface, it’s time to apply your fresh paint. Be sure to give it two coats of paint for best results.
Don’t Rush Between Stages
In-between these stages you’ll need to give each step a chance to dry out for your wall. One of the most common reasons for paint peeling is a wet surface for where the paint lies. So be sure to let the wall thoroughly dry between each stage.
Painting over flaking paint can be easily done. As long as you take the right steps. Some stages of flaking paint can be quite severe with big cracks in the walls. In this case, the steps mentioned will still be appropriate.
How Do You Know If Paint Is Peeling
There are different stages you’ll see on the walls to determine flaking paint. Early-stage cracks are named hairline cracks, which is a sign of developing issues.
Although obvious, flaky pieces of paint on the floor in your home is a sign. This is caused by paint failure and when the paint curls up and shatters, collapsing onto the floor.
The later stages on the surface will show the paint to start separating and crack apart, which leads to a more serious problem and overall harder to fix.
Tackle the flaking problem as early on as possible, it will save you money in the long run. The damage will persist throughout the walls, begin to spread and will get worse if left alone.
As mentioned, the hairline cracks damage in the wall can be fixed more easily. Especially for a DIY project.
FAQs on Flaking Paint & Cracks
We’ve collated some of the commonly asked questions around flaking paint and cracks for you and answered them below:
Do You Have To Remove All The Paint Before Repainting?
The short answer is no, you don’t need to do this. You only need to scrape off the area that need repainting. Just know that colour matching your new paint to the existing paint can be difficult giving the wall a patchy look. So while not all the paint needs to be scraped off, consider painting the whole wall to keep it looking consistent.
What’s The Best Way To Scrape Paint Off? Is There a Certain Technique?
Ensure you scrape the paint up until you reach the surface. Hold the scraper securely in your hand and carry out the same slow arm movement throughout. The motion is to stroke upwards and to repeat the same motion for best results. If any wood comes up with the paint, stop.
I Have A Lot of Flaky Paint on My Walls. Is There a Faster Approach Other Than Using a Scraper?
There’s plenty of power tools you can use for your walls. Especially if you have lots of flaky patches of paint scattered on your walls.
- Oscillating paint scraper (Multi-tool) – Produces rapid circles from a tight and controlled motion. Overall, is a faster and an easier on the arms approach to dealing with peeling paint.
- Heat gun – Compact and sturdy power tool. The objective from the heat gun will cause the temperatures of the paint to wilt away. This won’t have an impact on your household walls.
- 8-in-1 tool – A popular tool and works great for this type of work. The sharp edges give you the opportunity to tear away paint within a flash. Great for removing old paint and digging into cracks.
Will Streaks Go Away When The Paint Dries?
Adding a second coat of paint to get rid of streaks left by rollers. You can make the job more seamless by taking a brush and going over the streaky areas to smooth out.
Another alternative, the areas showing raised roller marks is to start again by sanding down after the paint is completely dry. Then once dry, wipe down the areas where you sanded and add another layer of fresh paint.
Do Cracks In Walls Indicate a Structural Problem?
Seeing cracks in your walls can be a scary sight. There are two cases we’ll look at, small cracks and larger cracks.
- Most small cracks in drywall or plaster walls are considered not so serious and it all comes down to seasonal expansion and contraction of the wood framing in the house over time.
- Larger cracks in your walls, this indicates a structural or foundation problem.
The last thing we’ll talk about is how you can tell the sizing apart with cracks in the wall.
How Do You Know If You Have a Small or Large Wall Crack?
Small cracks in walls:
- Hairline cracks are less than 1mm in width. Easily fixed from the steps mentioned above.
- Cracks between 1 and 5mm in width. Again, easily fixable and nothing serious.
- Cracks between 5 and 15mm. Get professional help for assistance on this matter.
Large cracks in walls:
- The crack has a 3/16” or wider gap.
- The door is no longer functional within the frame.
- One side of your wall is higher than the other.
Cracks up to 25mm wide is a potential sign of structural damage. Anything above this is a very severe sign and professional help is compulsory in this case.
Final say
As you can see, it’s easy to carry out this work yourself as a DIY project. However, if the damage is spread throughout the walls, it’s need to call in an expert to help. Especially if the wall(s) has cracks that are quite wide.
Some scenarios of having flaking paint or cracking in the walls can cause a commercial building to lose its aesthetics and calculated value. So it’s very important to repair any signs of issues immediately.
