Is your paint not sticking to old paint? Oftentimes, paint coverage will fail prematurely when there is an adhesion problem. It actually has less to do with the paint that it’s trying to cover and more with the process that you take before you ever pick up the roller.
Why isn’t paint sticking?
Paint or primer that is applied over poorly prepped surfaces that are flaky or peeling, will only paint over the flakes and peels and not fix them. Additionally, most paints won’t adhere to surfaces that are oily, greasy or overly glossy.
The good news is that this is an easy fix. Simply start by cleaning or sanding the surface you wish to paint. Unless you’ve purchased a peel-stopping primer, it’s also important to peel or scrape the flaking paint completely off.
To get started, simply use a towel or vacuum cleaner to remove any excess dust or cobwebs from the surface. The best thing to wash walls with before painting is with a solution of approximately three teaspoons of laundry detergent to one gallon of water. Then, let the wall dry before moving on to priming and painting.
Lastly, if your wall has been treated with a chemical paint stripper, that chemical should be thoroughly removed from the surface before painting and priming.
Check your paint base
If you’re painting a much older home, it’s possible that the original paint is oil-based. Most modern, latex paints won’t easily stick to oil paints.
To remedy this, you have the option of cleaning the walls with a chemical paint stripper (as mentioned above), or simply applying a quality primer before painting (which is the much easier option).
