How to fix a paint job?

Sherry
by Sherry

I am so beyond myself with a crappy paint job in large area. The painter didn't sand the walls before priming. I figured he would after priming since he didn't before starting priming. He did nothing but paint over a dusty wall with knots of all over. It was painted on Friday and they are coming back on Monday to apply second coat of paint. What do I do!! I told hubby I left after he put primer on walls expecting him to sand after it dried. I got home he was painting first coat of my color, so I assumed he sanded primer. He didn't!!! This is a large area and I am so upset on how to fix this. It's been a day and I went to a low corner with 220 grit sand paper to see how it would knock down the dust and fuzz crap and paint is tacky. I am sick to my gut about this and have googled all day trying to find a way to fix these walls. The area gets a lot of sunlight and the walls are being painted a dark brown called coconut husk.

  8 answers
  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on Oct 27, 2018

    You'll have to basically start over after they dry . Sand maybe with a power sander, reprime. So sorry, fire them and turn into BBB. Don't pay anymore and don't let back in.


  • Why would he need to "sand" the walls in the first place?


    Process for painting is to:


    1. Wash walls with TSP and let dry thoroughly before first coat of primer. Portable fans and a dehumidifier can be used if necessary.


    2. Prime using a quality primer. If covering a dark color, two coats may be necessary. Let dry thoroughly between coats.


    3. Color of choice. I prefer two coats for optimal coverage.


    What have you Googled???


    If the painter didn't wash the walls, find out why he or she skipped this step. If it were me, I would fire them and hire a qualified professional. No questions asked, pack up your stuff and get out.


    Here is how to hire a contractor:


    https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0242-hiring-contractor


    If you are in California, let me know, we have our own site for this purpose.

  • William William on Oct 27, 2018

    What are the walls made of. Usually regular walls are just washed, primed, and painted. No sanding needed. Primer does not need to be sanded either. Only time to sand is if the walls are wood or paneling. They should be dusted, lightly sanded to remove any gloss, primed , and painted. For knotty pine walls I recommend a shellac based primer to seal the knots so they don't bleed through.

  • I've painted a ton of walls and the only sanding i've done is if there was repair work done for any nail holes I was covering up etc. In that case, then yes the repairs should be sanded before priming and painting. If you're not happy with the results, talk to the painter and let them know your concerns first. If they're not willing to fix the issue, then find new painters.

  • I too have been painting walls since forever and the only time I've ever sanded is if there's something that bumps out, a repair, or something that needs to be sanded smooth. Otherwise there's no need to sand. As others have mentioned, just a cleaning, primer then paint and you should be good. If you needed the walls repaired, a discussion ahead of time saves a load of heartache by outlining expectations. If you're not happy, discuss it with the painter and go from there.

  • Oliva Oliva on Nov 03, 2018

    I have never assumed a painter would sand a wall to get rid of dust. Washing walls is done by the homeowner unless this was written as part of the contract, to be done by painters ( which is a gamble, if you're expecting perfection...).

    Painters paint, unless you've recently had plaster work done, and the plasterer took care of the sanding of high points and cleaning of same.

    If you needed walls sanded because you wanted latex over previous coats of oil based, this should have been agreed to, in advance, and made a part of written contract.

  • Sherry Sherry on Nov 06, 2018

    The walls needed to be sanded. They previously had alot of bumps in walls that you could feel running your hand across. Lint and dust stuck to these rises. Modular home and they throw them together so crappy. I sanded them and after 5 hrs they were so smooth and repainted.

  • Oliva Oliva on Nov 06, 2018

    I'm really happy that your walls are now the way you want them! It's interesting to know these facts about walls in modular homes. Thank you.