A little over a year ago my husband and I purchased our first home. Overall it's in good condition, just in need of a little painting.

First off, let me just say, the sellers were in a definite hurry to repaint the house, and they did a terrible job doing so. Secondly, besides applying JUST one coat, they didn't use any primer, and the "gorgeous" original sea foam green is becoming more and more exposed in the bathroom.

If you wet your finger and wipe the wall the paint literally comes right off. It's become very frustrating, as I cannot clean any wall in my home (they painted every wall, too). I'm concerned they may have used outdoor paint, as it is the EXACT same color as the siding, which they repainted before putting the house on the market.

I don't know what to do about it. I'm worried to put primer over it, because I'm concerned the paint below will cause it to come off. How could I go about removing it, or what should I do? Thank you!

 

Welcome to the forums Ericka!

Normally a primer isn't needed on recoats. Exterior paints don't dry to as hard a film because they are formulated more for fighting the elements than for wear. Exterior paints also have looser regs on how much/type of off gassing that is allowed during the application and curing stages. I doubt the use of exterior paint is the problem - more than likely it is just cheap paint applied over an unclean substrate. This is assuming the paint is wearing off and not peeling.

I'd scrub/sand what I could of the existing paint off [within reason] and apply a primer like Zinnser's Gardz or maybe their PeelStop primer. Or an oil base primer. That should seal and lock down what's left of the failing paint. Then apply a coat or 2 of latex enamel or better yet a bath rm paint.