How to Paint over Enamel Paint on Your Walls

Using enamel paint on a wall isn’t always a good idea. After a while, it can look worn and old and you will want to paint over it. However, that’s not so easy to do. You can’t just put other paint over the top of enamel paint. The process of actually preparing a coated wall of enamel paint for reworking isn't difficult, but you need to know what to do. You’ll be able to put fresh paint over your enamel paint and have it stick quite easily.

Step 1 - Prepare the Wall

Start by putting drop cloths at the base of the wall. Carry on by cleaning the wall that has enamel paint. Use soap and water and wash it lightly, then wash again with clean water. Allow the wall to dry completely before continuing.

Step 2 - Deglossing

The problem with enamel paint is that latex paint won’t stick to it as it is. The surface needs to be rough. There are two ways to achieve this. You can use a deglosser on the paint, which removes the gloss from the enamel paint. The deglosser is also known as liquid sandpaper. You brush it onto the wall and it has the same effect as sandpaper, which is to take the gloss off the paint.

It’s specifically made for this and works quickly and efficiently. However, you need to make sure you cover the entire wall so that all the paint is deglossed. If there’s any that isn’t touched, you’ll have problems later on.

Step 3 - Sanding

As an alternative to using deglosser, you can use sandpaper on the wall. This will take longer and be messier. All you need to do is roughen up the surface of the enamel paint a little. Again, you need to make sure you roughen all the paint. This will take time and hard work, and you’ll need to be on a stepladder to reach the corners by the ceiling.

When you’ve finished, you’ll need to clean the wall with a damp cloth and leave it to dry. Because of the time and labor involved, the quickest way to work is with the deglosser.

Step 4 - Primer

Once the wall has dried, you’re ready to apply latex primer to the wall. To do this, start at the edges with a brush. Begin at one top corner and work along the edge with the ceiling in long strokes. For the walls, cut in from the edge with horizontal strokes, as you should when edging around window frames and door frames over the enamel paint.

For the remainder of the wall, put latex primer on the roller and roll it onto the wall. The roller shouldn’t be too wet; you won’t want it dripping. Work it along the edges so it’s seamless with the color you’ve already applied. You should roll along the wall, going in a single direction and not randomly. Allow the primer to dry then check it for coverage. If you’re satisfied, you’re ready to paint over the primer and the enamel paint.