I recently purchased a condo, it was built in 2011, and still has the contractors primer on the walls. Two smokers lived in it, and smoked solely in the bathroom (yellowed walls and ceilings, and smell to prove it)

I started painting recently, and purchased the Behr upper end paint that has a primer included. After 2 good coats, the wall is still (for lack of a better word) sprinkled. There are little white pin dots basically everywhere. Is it normal that it takes 3 coats of paint to cover the walls, that are basically just primed white with a pastel color ? I used a non-Behr paint, just a basic crappy one, and had the same problem in another room.

Furthermore, I painted the Inside of a newly built closet white. 2 walls were new gypse and 2 walls were pre-existing. The 2 new walls were near perfect with just 1 coat (gave an extra for good measure) and the pre-exisiting walls needed 3 coats.

What gives ?

Thanks for your help !

 

Painting pro's will weigh in I'm sure, but what did you clean the walls with before painting?

The paints with built in primer work OK under ideal conditions, but when faced with something like old, unpainted primer it's best to apply a good primer first, after cleaning the walls properly, and perhaps, lightly scuff sanding to improve adhesion.

 

Whenever nicotine stains can't be washed off they need to be sealed with a stain hiding primer [oil base does a better job than latex]

Are you saying the builder just primed and never top coated the walls? some builders will skip the primer altogether

 

I am by no means a Professional, so I dont know if it is primer, or top coat. I just presumed that is what it was.

The odd thing is, there was no nicotine stains anywhere but in the bathroom. Thats why im so stumped. How can a fully white wall take so many darn coats ?!

 

Sounds like you were painting over the top of white Kilz 2. Worst primer ever.

Actually, you are probably also rolling with a 3/8" nap roller and spreading paint too thin. I would recommend a good 1/2" nap and keep the roller loaded... one dip for every floor to ceiling roll... (you are using a paint pole, right?) And backroll once you have gone a ways. Pretty sure this is a painting technique/ application problem.

 

We've learned to go straight to the oil based sealing primer when smoke is an issue (candles and oil lamps can do the same thing).

I just don't even know where to start with this; I only buy paint from paint stores, not paint departments and I believe paint and primer have different jobs so if this paint really had primer in it it would be neither good paint nor good primer because both would be diluted.

 

Nicotine on the wall isn't always readily noticeable. If the discoloration is coming thru the paint it is doubtful more coats of latex paint will seal it completely eliminating the stains bleeding thru.

I also prefer to use a 1/2" nap as it holds more paint and makes the job quicker. As X stated don't try to use up all the paint in the roller. Keeping the roller cover loaded with paint does a better job with less effort. I normally apply 1 wet stripe [floor to ceiling], reload my roller and apply another stripe and then take the no longer full of paint roller and back roll the first stripe.

The odds are the existing paint on the walls is just a cheap grade of paint. If the walls were painted by the builder [not subbed out] there is a good chance they skipped the primer.

 

Where I am (South shore of Montreal, Quebec) you cannot buy oïl based paints anymore ! they've discontinued them, even from paint stores, replacing them with some product you can use to paint on top of old oïl paint to be able to re-paint with the water bases !

Ive learned the lesson to not buy them combined, im just so suprised that a white wall seems to be just sucking it all up ! where as a freshly built wall (with nothing on it) could have been considered ''good enough'' with just one coat.

I guess Im just stumped.

 

Can you better describe it? or maybe post pics showing the issue? http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html
primed white with a pastel color is confusing to me.

 

Ill have to double check the nap once I get back home. Not sure what I am using, but I am putting it on pretty thick, and using a paint pole. Could it be too thick causing the problem ? I've painted many times in the past and just never experienced this issue. Unless like Marksr suggested, it is the nicotine bleeding through.

 

Unless it's being applied real heavy I doubt the paint being thick is the problem. I suspect the cheap paint you used in another room wasn't very thick [most cheap paints tend to be thinner] and you said you had the same issue there. Also you said the new drywall painted ok.

 

Im not at home right now, so cant get a picture, ill try to better explain.

After the first coat, it is clearly blotchy or uneven and needs a second coat.

Once the second coat is painted on, the paint looks uniform, but when you look at it closely, there are little white speckles that come through the paint. You can't notice them unless you are examining the wall closely, but they are there, all over the room. (this is with the colored paint on the wall)

in the closet, after 2 coats of paint (white paint on top of the white-whatever-they-used) it is less blotchy than with just one coat, but still clearly needs a 3rd coat

 

When nicotine bleeds thru paint it kind of gives an uneven dirty appearance to the new paint [some areas will look nicer/worse than others] Without seeing it, it's hard to say about the white specs, especially if your new paint is a color. Did you do any prep to the walls first? Cleaning and beauty products tend to get on bath rm walls and can cause the new paint not to adhere well or crawl around some.

forgot to mention it earlier welcome to the forums Jenn!

 

Thanks

based on your description, I dont think it is the nicotine. cause after the second coat, it becomes uniform... Im not even sure the ''speckles'' would show up on a camera cause of how tiny they are. I will do my best to get an accurate pic once I get home !