Asked on Aug 01, 2013

How can I get the paint to stick to my plaster wall ??

Judy
by Judy
I had patched and sanded old, peeling spots, let it all dry. Yesterday I started to paint, What a disaster ! As soon as it dried I saw more bubbles and chose to scrape them and my new paint right off the wall ! It appears as if The Creeping Bubble Nightmare is taking over the whole wall ! Sort of like Cudzu , southern friends will know all about that weed ! I may not have spelled it correctly but we all know what it is !! My house is over a 100 years old and I have lived here 38, I always had wall paper, maybe I should go back to it ! Help !!
  4 answers
  • Dee Dee on Aug 01, 2013
    u need a stain blocking leveling primer.k I know cause it happened to m e too.l go to SW they have the best primers or you can get zinder 123 oil bases and pAint over it with latex
  • Judy Judy on Aug 01, 2013
    Thank you Dee, I'm about ready to put sheetrock up ! My son said that that may just be simpler to do !!
  • Judy, sometimes moisture causes this problem too and certain type houses sometimes have this problem. Latex paint is not always an option on old plaster walls since any type of moisture will cause it to bubble and peel. You may want to scrape and skim coat again the areas, sand and use an oil based primer over the whole room. I do not like using oil bases primers but sometimes you have to in situations like this. Like Dee recommended Zinsser primer is very good and I have used it for many years. Good luck
  • Walden Enterprises Walden Enterprises on Aug 03, 2013
    Fuller is exactly correct above! I have been a Painting Contractor for 22 years and the issue here seems to be a water-water reaction between the plaster and/or patching medium you used and the latex paint. The key is to seal that surface and also reduce the porosity - that is what's causing all the kudzu bubbles! Zinsser 1-2-3 Primer is great and less expensive than the KILZ products, has a dry time of about 30 minutes and is easily sanded if necessary. Something to watch for is a slight texture difference between where you've patched and the untouched part of the wall. Your patched area will likely be quite smooth and without the orange-peel build up that the rest of the wall has. You can fix that by using a roller at the priming stage and maybe even doing it twice. Then top-coat with a quality latex paint and you should be good! Good Luck!