Painting is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to give your room a new look. But not every surface is prepared for a simple brush swipe and painting. The process can be more difficult on surfaces that present challenges, such as glossy finishes, old paint, and others.
But fear not—with the appropriate methods and resources, these difficulties are surmountable. There are ways to get a smooth and durable finish, regardless of the issues you’re having with peeling paint, tough stains, or slippery surfaces.
To help you approach your project with confidence, we’ll go over the best techniques for painting over old paint and other difficult surfaces in this guide.
- Young fighter"s course
- Painted surfaces
- Solutions
- Technology
- Wallpaper
- Solution
- Technology
- Rust
- Solution
- Technology
- Tiles
- Solutions
- Technology
- Wood
- Solutions
- Technology
- Video on the topic
- Step-by-step instructions | Removing rust and painting a used fender | rust converter for cars
- Is it worth tearing down the old paintwork to the metal?
- Repair is certainly a difficult stage in life. We will help make it easier.
- Primer for old paint VGT
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We’re going to focus on unconventional painting techniques. Still, it is worthwhile to begin with the fundamentals.
How can different surfaces be painted correctly?
It is challenging to determine which deviations from the established procedure are appropriate to accept and which ones are better left unaccepted without a clear understanding of this.
- All old paint and varnish coatings are cleaned to a solid base.
Note that the base needs to be more robust than the coating. Paint that peels is most frequently the result of breaking this easy rule.
- The surface is cleaned of all kinds of dirt, dust, rust and degreased.
- Then the surface to be painted is primed. Primers have greater adhesion to the bases and provide more reliable adhesion between them and the paint.
- Finally, the dye itself is applied – usually in several extremely thin layers. If necessary, the thickened paint is diluted with an appropriate solvent: two or three thin layers dry faster and are more durable than one thick one.
Furthermore, there are a few subtleties to consider.
- Coatings adhere better to a rough base. If the surface is glossy – it is pre-coated with rough sanding. Smooth metals are often etched before painting.
The metal surface is altered by phosphor primer VL-02 to enhance its adhesive qualities.
- Excessive absorption capacity of the surface to be painted leads to an unjustified overspending of paint. In such cases, the use of penetrating primers is justified before painting. They fill the largest pores, at the same time binding the top layer of the base and increasing its strength.
Let’s move on to challenging circumstances and rule exceptions.
Painted surfaces
Old paint is typically removed before a fresh coat is applied, as was previously mentioned. Mechanical treatment (sandblasting machines, brushes, grinding) or chemical removal (universal removers) are used for this operation.
Practical: old enamels of types MA, PF, and NC can be heated with a building hair dryer before being scraped off with a spatula.
Using a spatula to remove heated paint is a simple task.
But sometimes removing the old coating is difficult or not what you want to do.
Here are a few typical instances:
- Latex and silicone water-based emulsions for gypsum can only be cleaned mechanically, which is likely to damage the base and require re-puttying.
- Loose plaster painted with oil paint after its removal will also be decorated with deep scratches and potholes.
- Finally, with a large volume of painting at home, removing the old coating will simply take an unacceptably long time. Imagine one person stripping paint from a wooden floor with an area of a couple of hundred square meters using a construction hair dryer: we are clearly not talking about one week of work ..
Solutions
- Paint of the same type as the old one can be applied without preliminary stripping. PF enamel will perfectly lie on old alkyd enamel, NC can be painted over nitro paint, and so on.
Nuance: The previous coating needs to be strong and show no signs of wear and tear or peeling.
- For other cases, there are universal primers that have equally high adhesion to different types of paints and varnishes. In the main, they are aqueous dispersions of acrylic resins. After priming, the surface can be repainted.
Technology
Let’s examine a more complicated scenario: putting a fresh coat on top of a general primer.
- All flaking areas of old paint are removed mechanically – with a spatula, sander or wire brush. Irregularities are carefully sanded. In the case of a glossy surface, it is better, as already mentioned, to sand it completely.
Cleaning is a must in areas that peel.
- Visible depressions and irregularities are puttied – again, followed by sanding.
- The primer is applied in one or two layers with intermediate drying.
Be aware that you shouldn’t dilute primers for old paint before using them. The reason for the instructions is that too much liquid primer will either drain off or collect droplets on the painted surface.
- After the primer has dried, it’s time to paint. The procedure is standard: a brush, roller or sprayer is used; in each subsequent layer, the direction of the tool movements changes to perpendicular.
To achieve a long-lasting, expert finish when painting over old paint or other complex surfaces, proper preparation is essential. Understanding the unique difficulties presented by each surface—whether glossy, chipped, or textured—will help you select the best tools and methods to ensure that the new paint sticks well and endures a long time, preventing the need for future, expensive, or time-consuming repairs.
Wallpaper
Only non-woven or fiberglass wallpaper is deemed suitable for regular painting over old wallpaper. Multiple layers of the same paint type can be applied; non-woven fabric allows for up to five or six coats, while fiberglass allows for up to ten.
Fiberglass wallpaper for painting.
The matter becomes a little more intricate when paper wallpaper is used. Their primary issue is that the paper moves away from the base when it gets wet from painting. Either a wallpaper strip peels off entirely or swells up with messy bubbles.
Solution
It might be an acrylic resin-based penetrating primer. Acrylic resin stably binds paper and base together by penetrating into their structures. Painting after that is the same as puttying.
Technology
- Try applying the primer to a small area of the wallpapered wall and wait until it dries completely. If the wallpaper has not peeled off or swelled, it makes sense to continue the work. If this happens, the paper will have to be completely removed from the walls.
Advice: Before removing paper wallpaper with a sponge or spray, it is preferable to soak it with water. After getting wet, some of the strips will come off completely; a steel spatula can be used to easily clean the remaining areas.
- Prime the entire surface of the walls and wait for them to dry.
- Sand down any unevenness and wrinkles that appear. It is better to use medium-grain sandpaper on a hand grater or block: it is easy to remove excess with a sander.
- Paint.
Rust
Is it possible to prevent rust from being totally removed? Given their vast surface area, cleaning curved surfaces by hand is incredibly labor-intensive.
Solution
The solution is a rust converter, a mixture that changes iron oxides chemically into a resilient, insoluble layer. A liter package costs roughly 200 rubles.
Technology
- Plastic rust is removed with a spatula. The converter can change its chemical composition, but will not do anything with the spatial structure; the base for painting, as we remember, must be durable.
- Areas soiled with lubricating oils or diesel fuel are degreased with a solvent.
- The rust converter is applied with a sponge or brush. Painting is possible immediately after it dries.
Tiles
Can ancient tiles be painted?
Sure, as long as they’re not glazed. Paint won’t stick to glass-like glaze well enough.
Solutions
Limescale and other deposits can be removed from tiles, and painting can proceed without the need for priming. In this scenario, paints that are extremely adhesive and wear-resistant on urethane or epoxy bases must be used. Use of acrylic-latex rubber paints is acceptable because, like the two types of dyes previously mentioned, they offer complete surface waterproofing at a reasonable cost.
Epoxy paint with two components.
Technology
How can you prepare and paint tiles using just your hands?
- To remove deposits, it is better to use acidic agents – Sillit, solutions of hydrochloric or oxalic acids. The product is applied to the surface and washed off after 10-20 minutes. If necessary, the treatment is repeated several times.
Limescale deposits can be effectively removed using oxalic acid.
Fascinatingly, fats are broken down by acid solutions among other things. There is no need to degrease.
- Two-component dyes are mixed with a hardener immediately before use.
- The wall and plumbing adjacent to the tiles are protected with masking tape.
- The paint is applied with a brush or roller in one or two layers.
A small detail: it is preferable to take off the masking tape just before the paint sets, but after it has lost its flow. The tape is adhered once more when painting in multiple layers.
Wood
What and how should I paint old wood?
Solutions
For wood, you can use any type of dye or varnish. The painting technology alone determines the coating’s quality.
Technology
- If it is planned to apply transparent or translucent varnish, the wood is pre-lightened with any oxygen or chlorine-containing bleach. Even regular Bleach for washing plumbing will do.
The outcome of bleaching old wood is seen in the picture.
- The next step is treatment with an antiseptic primer. It will prevent the appearance of rot and attack of woodworms.
- After drying, the wood is sanded until a smooth to the touch surface is obtained. Sanding – strictly along the fibers.
- Then – regular painting or varnishing in several layers.
Important note: fine-grained paper is used to sand the wood surface once more after the initial layer has been applied. To remove the pile that rises when moistened, the operation is required.
Pile elevated following varnishing.
Surface Type | Preparation and Tips |
Old Paint | Clean the surface, sand it lightly for better adhesion, and apply a primer before painting. |
Glossy Surfaces | De-gloss with a light sanding or a liquid deglosser, then apply a primer to help the new paint stick. |
Textured Surfaces | Use a thicker roller or brush, and consider using a high-quality paint that can cover uneven areas effectively. |
Wood | Sand down rough spots, fill any gaps with wood filler, and use a primer suited for wood before painting. |
Metal | Remove any rust, sand the surface, and use a rust-inhibiting primer before applying paint. |
To achieve a long-lasting finish when painting over intricate surfaces or old paint, thorough preparation is essential. It’s important to take the time to complete tasks correctly because rushing through tasks like cleaning, sanding, or priming can result in peeling or uneven coverage.
No matter if it’s glossy paint, textured walls, or previously painted wood, every surface type presents unique challenges. A seamless and long-lasting outcome can be ensured by being aware of these obstacles and employing the appropriate methods and supplies.
You don’t have to remove old layers to update any space if you follow the right procedures and have patience. This method not only saves time but also gives the original surface a new, fresh look while maintaining its original character.