I just finished painting over some 20 year old paint in our home. I primed the walls after all the wall repairs were made, and began to put on the first coat of paint. The first coat of paint went on good, except I found that it really didnt cover all that well. I put on the second coat the next day, and as I was half way through the job, I noticed, that the walls that I had finished second coating were "blistering". These small air bubbles, (thats what they look like); were popping up everywhere.
What is this, and how can I fix this problem?

Thanks
Kevin

 

How big are these 'bubbles'? Are they pin hole size, or dime and quarter size, or heaven forbid, even larger?

 

The bubbles on the wall are about the size of a pin head or a bit larger. Some are smaller, but the largest "bubbles are no bigger than that.

 

This could be caused by certain roller cover (foam especially), or types of paint. Lower quality paints contain detergents which tend to foam up when rolled aggressively. Try backrolling it after a couple minutes.

 

We had the same problem, just about exactly the way you described it, in fact. How is the best way to repair the problem? Some of the blisters were small and after the paint dried sufficiently they collapsed and are hardly visible but others were closer to the size of a dime and are unsightly. Please help.

 

hi,

i have the same problem. i complete some wall repairs with joint compound, wait 3-4 days, seal with PVA primer, wait 2 days, paint, wait one day, and the second coat blisters!

it has to be the most annoying thing ever. Some people tell me its dust on the wall, some tell me the paint dried too fast and the air couldn't escape. regardless, it only seems to happen over the patched areas, so i'm leaning towards the dust.

i have no idea how to stop it. but i leave the little bubbles alone, they disappear, and i pop the larger ones and squish them. they are hard to find when dry. DONT keep poking at them, becuase they only get worse....

 

What type of joint compound was used, hot mud, or regular mud?

Hot mud is the type you mix the powder w/water, the regular is pre-mixed in a plastic bucket.

And do the bubbles go down through the primer, or just the finish coats. IE is the primer bubbling too?

 

Hey prowallguy,
I have another "paint peeling" problem for you to diagnose. I have a 60 year old house and have decided to paint the hallway. I decided to use some 3yr. old ceiling paint as a primer coat and initially had no problems. When I put the second coat on (an off-white latex-Pratt&Lambert), I noticed after an hour or so that the wall was beginning to blister! These "blisters" were about the size of a nickel. When I took a putty knife to them I found myself removing entire sheets of what appeared to be wallpaper with my new paint on it. What do you suggest? I am thinking of using something called "Zinsser 1-2-3"

 

1st problem, ceiling paint isn't primer. It doesn't have the built in adhesives that primer has to acheive the adhesion you need. When you applied it initailly, it layed down but didn't truly adhere or bond to the wall. Then when the second layer of paint was applied, the the linear tension or pull of the paint drying yanked off the 'primer' coat where the bond was weakest.
Second problem, it sounds as if the original layer of paint was an oil. As to how to rectify the situation, depends on how much of the new layer of paint can be removed. It probably needs to be sealed over with a good coat of long oil. Hopefully it will lock down the surface, but the chance of failure of the 'ceiling primer' that is on it will always be there if it can't be completely removed. Good luck.

 

Yep. Latex put right on top of an old oil finish will do it every time. You need to get the latex off, and then go with a oil based sealer like Kilz.