I recently painted two coats of Satin Acrylic paint over plaster walls. The walls previously had a coat of old paint and several layers of wallpaper. I removed all of that and then sanded the walls to a smooth finish. I then put two coats of Kilz 2 Primer for Latex paints up. The paint job looks good, but I've noticed that the paint doesn't really "stcik" to the walls. Ie, if I scraped it with my fingernail hard enough, I could peel up the paint and remove it with my hands in layers. I also had this problem with the painting tape. In some areas I painted over the painters tape that was covering my window trim, and when I pulled up the painter's tape the paint that was attached to the wall peeled right off (which is why I did a second coat). Why doesn't the paint bond better to the primer? Should I be using Kilz original? Or could it be the type of paint I'm using (satin)? I've seen some houses with plaster walls and the paint job is much different, there's no way you can just peel it off. WIth mine I could get a putty knife and probably completely scrape off all the paint in the room in 30 minutes and have bare walls again.

I just got the most recent estimate from five painting contractors in the area and I have a wide variance on the costs and what they say they will do. I am not sure how to judge these guys. Any ideas on that or comments on the bids? Here is a link to see the house: [url]http://home.comcast.net/~devidasvarga/house.htm[/url] The house is a 1920 clapboard center hall colonial which I bought about a year and a half ago. The exterior looks like in some areas had been stripped to the wood in the past. Generally, the exterior is a real mix of conditions. From OK, to small flaking to big flaking, a few alligatoring, some cracked. Paint contractor #1 says to do the job right, it'll be $14,000 to strip the paint to the wood and paint one oil BM primer, one coat of BM latex. He says he will tint the primer to the color I want plus the coat of latex. One coat of latex is better than two he says. That will last for up to 15 years. Hes got good references. Or he could do a lessor job for $9,000 and do spot treatment, then prime, then paint one coat. He says in that case he would apply an outdoor spackle to the exterior in some troubled areas, and that spackle would hold. Scrape, powerwash, caulk.That would last for 5 years he says. Paint contractor #2 charges $15,600 to strip paint to the wood which would last 10-15 years, or $9,000 for spot treatment which could last for 5 years. If spot treatment, he will not put outdoor spackle as that would detach from the house after a number of years he says. Both would get one oil BM primer, then two coats of latex BM paint. Scrape, powerwash, caulk. Evidently good references. Paint contractor #3 charges $6,500, light sanding, one BM tinted oil primer, one latex BM. He says one coat of latex after oil is all that is needed. Scrape, powerwash, light spackle, caulk.