Tacky areas in dried paint


  #1  
Old 06-08-07, 11:09 AM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 66
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Tacky areas in dried paint

A while back I repainted the bathroom (dark red, eggshell finish). It mostly turned out very well, except for a couple small areas where the paint has a glossy finish and is tacky to the touch. The areas are fairly small, a couple square feet each. Any thoughts on how this happened and the best way to correct it?

I was thinking of lightly sanding the tacky areas to remove the unwanted finish and then repaint, blending in with the rest of the wall. Or are there better ways to do this?

Thanks in advance.
 
  #2  
Old 06-08-07, 12:43 PM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
Sounds like there was some sort of contamination at those spots. It will either need to be removed [sanding might work] or sealed with a solvent based primer.
 
  #3  
Old 06-08-07, 06:57 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 4,127
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
Could be a few thing in a bath
The spots behind where the "Lysol" or hair spray is usually sprayed
Behind (anti) stinky candles or glade plug-ins...soap/shampoo splash
Leftover bathroom cleaner

Baths are notorious for contamination and must be properly prepped
Some things just won't clean, and need to be sealed

In this case, I'd say the best fix is to primer (oil-based sealer) and repaint the wall/area
 
  #4  
Old 06-11-07, 12:59 PM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 66
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I don't think improper prep/ hairspray etc are the problem here. When the room was repainted it was a light color. Due to the light original color of the room it was primed (latex) with a gray primer to reduce the number of finish coats required since it was going to be a dark red.

I don't think it was contamination as there was no evidence of this before and the prime coat was applied over the whole room. Just wondering if anyone had any other thoughts on what this might be. I really don't want to re-prime and paint the entire room as it will be a significant effort and the effected areas are relatively small.

What is the downside to me just sanding the affected areas and repainting it? Seems like it might work and be a lot less effort.
 
  #5  
Old 06-11-07, 02:06 PM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
It is possible that sanding may remove it but if it doesn't it may bleed back thru the next coat of paint. As long as the paint color touches up ok it isn't a problem to prime and paint just the affected area.
 
  #6  
Old 06-11-07, 02:19 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 4,127
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
Sorry it's not what you wanted to hear but...

Sanding tacky paint is almost never a good idea
It tends to goob up and make a mess

Unless it was an intense sealing primer the contaminants mentioned would leach through pretty easily
...and they would not be readily visible before priming either

What I'm saying is, just because you didn't see contamination, and just because you used a primer, doesn't mean it's not the problem

If you would list the exact steps you took to prep, and the exact products you used, we may be able to fine tune the diagnoses

If it isn't a contaminant/prep problem, then it's a paint problem
Again, if it's actually tacky, then sanding is a bad idea

If it is merely a sheen change (glossier than the rest), but hard, it could be the paint wasn't shaken/stirred properly
It still needs to be stirred during the project also...especially the glossy stuff
That's the only case in which you could sand and add another coat to attempt to fix the problem

Without further information as to prep and product, I can't suggest merely adding another coat as a solution...it could make it worse

Some paints take longer to cure...if it's one of those maybe leaving it alone for 72 hours might work

Post up what you did and what you used and we can give you a more specific solution
 
  #7  
Old 06-11-07, 02:50 PM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 66
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
OK. Here is what I did the last time as far as surface preparation.

-bathroom was previously painted off-white, no probelms were observed with paint.

-washed any dirty areas with damp rag

- primed entire room with Behr latex primer (gray tint) over existing paint (1 coat)

- painted the entire room with Behr latex paint, eggshell finish. Paint color is a dark burgandy red. 2 coats.

Most areas have the proper surface finish and dried properly. There are a couple small areas that did not. These areas are NOT near the shower or sink, so water damage is not likely. Hairspray... maybe. The affected areas are sticky to the touch, but it does not come off on your hands. They are also high gloss as opposed the the eggshell finish it is supposed to be.

I will admit that I am not always good about stirring the paint as I work. I do it at the beginning and after that I tend to forget.

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.
 
  #8  
Old 06-11-07, 03:12 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 4,127
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
Hmmm...yes then it could be the paint then rather then contamination
That stuff can stay tacky for a week or two
But I should also point out that the cleaning with the damp rag was not nearly enough, so contamination is still a possibility

I'm not trying to bust on you, it's just for anyone else reading this, or if you do this again, even cleaning with bleach just won't cut it for prep in the bathroom
With the moisture and chemicals flying around daily, they need real good cleaning
A TSP mixture is probably the best, but look to your primer or paint recommendations for specialty paints

Back to your solution, either way you still can't sand and re-coat, or simply re-coat at this point
Is it possible to leave it for a few days or a week?

It will either dry out (paint) or not (contamination)

If it's not a possibility to leave it for a while, then priming with a quality sealing primer and re-painting is (arguably) the "best" fix at this time
But it wouldn't be my favorite way of dealing with it...if it's the paint (rather than contamination) this could be a potential problem later
 
  #9  
Old 06-13-07, 04:57 AM
car_man_76's Avatar
Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Bangor
Posts: 20
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Just curious. did you by any chance take the paint back to have them darken it? reds are notorious for looking very light in the can but dry to a darker color a lot of people will bring their paint back and have the salesman add more color. too much colorant in a gallon of paint can be very bad. and reds have alot to begin with...If the paint was not stired enough and you got a roller full of pigment it will never fully dry and would look very glossy. if this is the problem the only thing that will fix this is the use of a good quality oil primer and another coat (or 2 ) of paint
 
  #10  
Old 06-14-07, 06:55 AM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 66
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
No, I did not have the paint darkened after purchasing it initially.

FYI, it has been MONTHS since I finished painting this room. The problem surfaced immediately but I was hoping over time it would "dry out" and it did not. Then I got lazy and forgot about it since this is a secondary bathroom for us and I am not in there that much.

I will plan on buying a good primer (gray tinted) and re-painting the affected areas. Hopefully this will take care of it.

Thanks also for the tips on cleaning the walls prior to painting. I guess I have never had a problem before as long as I primed the wall first, but a bathroom is a different animal I guess.
 
  #11  
Old 06-14-07, 08:57 AM
S
Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 4,127
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
...wow...that's a long time
Behr has been know to take a week or two...but that has to be something nasty back there

Yeah, you'll need a good solvent-based primer (latex won't cut it)
In fact, that's scary enough where you might want to use a pigmented shellac over the spots, just to be sure

Bathrooms are a different animal
(I'm dealing with a Amityville Horror type leaching on one from this past winter myself..scary)
Sometimes I have used solvents to clean, and still stuff bleeds through even specialty primers/sealers

There's nothing stronger than the BIN (or similar) pigmented shellac though
I'm going to have to use that on my Amityville Bathroom
I would use it on yours, just to be sure
 
  #12  
Old 06-14-07, 09:07 AM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 66
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks to all for the comments and ideas. I will be sure to get a top of the line oil-based primer and repaint the affected areas. Luckily the areas affected aren't that big.
 
  #13  
Old 06-14-07, 10:23 AM
S
Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cape Cod
Posts: 4,127
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
You should be able to get the oil-based primer tinted gray
That should help with the re-paint

Good Luck
Let us know how it turns out!
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description: