peeling paint

About six weeks ago, I painted the interior walls of my house. The walls are plaster, and I painted over some very old semi-gloss paint with a coat of flat white wall scrub and then two coats of colored flat paint. The paint is starting to peel in some spots all the way back to the plaster. Can I stop this, or am I going to have to re-paint the whole house? Does anyone know why this would happen? Thanks.

 

Since you have not gotten a reply in 5 days, I am going to take a shot at it. Moisture is one of the primary reasons for paint peeling. But, you said you put a coat of flat over semi-gloss. This sounds like the problem. The semi-gloss has a shiny finish. Did you rough up the surface to help out the bonding of the new paint? If you didn't, the rest of the paint may continue to peel. If you repaint, use a good quality primer first. Primers have good bonding characteristics.

 

You said that the peeling goes all the way bach to the plaster. I had a similar problem and ended up removing all the old paint (If you do this be careful, the old paint may contain LEAD). The old plaster was as slick as glass. I don't know why, but in the wall prep section of this site it is noted that using oil-based paint over new plaster can cause peeling. I think that is what happened in my case since my house is 45 years old and oil-based paint was popular in the 50's, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. I tried a primer called Bulls Eye 123 from Zinsser, which is supposed to stick to slick surfaces, but it did not work for me. If anyone has any ideas other than sanding all walls and ceilings in three rooms, please let me know.

 

You might want to try washing down the walls with something like TSP (TriSodiumPhosphate). You have to be sure to rinse it off completely before you paint. Be careful not to get it on hardwood floors, because it can damage the finish. Make sure to read the directions carefully, as some versions of this product can damage glass.

 

I would suggest you strip all of the paint from the surface to start fresh. If it is an oil paint you can use PEEL AWAY I to do the job. If it is latex i suggest you use PEEL AWAY 7. Sherwin Williams has a good primer for plaster in their Loxon product. Also a Company called Seal Krete also makes a good water based proimer to be used over plaster