Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Aug 02, 2013 5:07 pm I am a complete newb when it comes to painting interiors, and have just taken the challenge of painting my entire house interior. I have encountered a problem which I need some advice with. Now the house is about 35 years old, and most of the ceilings appear to have never been painted in that time. The ceilings are plasterboard, and generally good condition. Visually the paint, although faded and old-looking, looks okay - not chipping or peeling. After cleaning with sugar soap, I started rolling (with Dulux ceiling white), some of the bedrooms. In some places, the entire old coat of paint will peel back to bare plasterboard as I am rolling. This is obviously very annoying, because I then have to wait for the paint to dry, scrape back all the loose paint - re-fill the hole with plaster, sand, and paint over again. Also, in the rooms that have not yet been painted over, when I stick some blue painters tape onto the ceiling, and remove the tape, the paint chips/peels off very easily with the tape (back to bare plaster). So it appears the original paint has not bonded very well to the plasterboard. When I put the sticky tape on the newly painted areas though (after it has dried of course), the paint will not peel off when I rip the tape off. (So the new paint seems to help bond the old paint). The problem does not seem to be due to moisture, and exists throughout the entire house. Now, I have a bit of a dilemma before I start painting the rest of the house, as I don't want to put new coats of paint on, only to have it start falling off again in a few years. Can I, or should I, use some sort of primer that I can apply that will somehow "soak through" the old paint and help it bond to the plasterboard? Or, am I just worried about nothing - can I just paint straight onto the old paint with regular ceiling white, and just fix the paint that peels off when it happens? I am really trying to avoid having to sand the entire ceilings of my house! Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 3Aug 02, 2013 7:11 pm sceen7 can you post a picture? I won't be back at the house till next week, so won't be able to get a picture till then. The best way I can describe it is if you were to stick some sticky tape to the ceiling's original paintwork, and then remove it immediately, about 30-50% of the paint comes off, and there is bare plasterboard left behind. The remaining paint scrapes off very easily with a scraper. However if i paint over the original paintwork, wait for the paint to dry, and do the same test, then the sticky tape doesn't remove any paint. I suppose what I am am really just trying to work out is whether it is safe to paint over the old paintwork without sanding first. The existing paintwork just doesn't seem like a sound base to paint on to me, but maybe this is normal for such old paintwork - I just don't have the experience to know. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 4Aug 03, 2013 10:32 am Okay, after a bit of research, I found a product called Zinsser Peel Stop (sold at Bunnings). I'm going to try priming the ceilings with this before I paint to help bond the old paint. Anyone tried this product? Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 5Aug 03, 2013 11:20 am Zinzzer is great but don't know how that will help you. If the original paint is coming off you really need to remove that. This will be a big problem as it will be patchy and you can't repair a whole ceiling. I'd get a painter in for a quote (a proper one, not a handyman) and see what they recommend. I've never seen whole ceilings with that problem, just patches. I'd also have a look above the ceiling for water damage. I don't want to say resheet the ceiling but it may be an option. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 6Aug 03, 2013 11:47 am travelbug I'd also have a look above the ceiling for water damage. No, theres no specific water damage. The ceiling paint is weak throughout the entire house. The wall paint is fine though. I'm no expert, but it appears as though the ceiling paint was sprayed on. travelbug If the original paint is coming off you really need to remove that. I agree, but it is too big a job for anyone. Just trying to find my next best option. travelbug I don't want to say resheet the ceiling but it may be an option. If it were only a couple of rooms, then I'd consider re-sheeting. But this is quite a big house we're talking about. Also, I've already spent quite a bit of money on electrical work involving the ceiling - installing downlights, etc. travelbug I'd get a painter in for a quote (a proper one, not a handyman) and see what they recommend. Yes, not a bad idea. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 7Aug 05, 2013 11:20 am Painted pLasterboard , if properly prepped and pianted the first time. and not subjected to temp or moisture extremes, will last and look good for ever. Where problems oftne start is where people repaint for a colour change, and dont clean it properly first. Then their second layer of paint peels at some later stage. If its peeling the paint will have to come off. On the paper surface of plasterboard that is going to be difficult without breaking the surface. A resheet is very likely on the cards. But get a painter to give his opinion. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 9Aug 05, 2013 6:39 pm travelbug I'd say you're right- could have been sprayed. If it's not done properly it will flake off as it doesn't adhere. Bummer! Yes, I think it's definitely been sprayed. I suppose, right at the moment, a re-sheet or complete sand is out of the question. The paint is not flaking of it's own accord, only with some help from some painters tape. The paint actually looks good, except faded with age. Only in a few spots has it "peeled" off when rolling fresh paint over it. Applying new paint over the top of it seems to "strengthen" it - i.e. it doesn't flake anywhere near as easily when I do the "tape test". Was thinking of applying the Zinsser Peel Stop, then maybe a primer, then the final coats of ceiling white? As long as the paint job lasts the next 5-10 years, I'll be happy with that. Any thoughts? Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 10Aug 06, 2013 7:42 pm When you say plaster board are you are referring to the older style plaster glass. Plasterboard today is plaster encased in paper, if you have a plaster faced board then it is what is called plaster glass. If this is the case then the problem will be that it was never sealed properly. All plaster products whether they be plaster glass ceilings or hard plastered walls need to be sealed with an oil based sealer before being painted with the finishing paint. Your only option is to scrape all the loose paint off, patch then seal and finally paint. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 11Aug 06, 2013 7:55 pm chippy When you say plaster board are you are referring to the older style plaster glass. Never heard of plaster glass. I think what I have is pretty standard plasterboard, encased in paper. House was built mid-80's. chippy Your only option is to scrape all the loose paint off, patch then seal and finally paint. This is part of my problem. The old paint looks perfect, but I only find out about the loose paint when I begin to roll on the new paint. The weight of the fresh paint is causing the old paint to peel off right down to the plasterboard in the places that haven't adhered properly in the original paint job. This hasn't happened very often, only in a few places. I am more concerned overall about how well the old paint is sticking to the original plasterboard, due to it coming off very easily when painters tape is stuck to it (no matter where I stick it on the ceiling). This could just be normal for paintwork this old - as I am inexperienced in this area, I just don't know. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 12Apr 07, 2014 6:55 pm Congrats!for your decision.When painting plaster board ceiling it is best to go with oil-based colors. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 13Apr 08, 2014 2:55 pm robeinneil Congrats!for your decision.When painting plaster board ceiling it is best to go with oil-based colors. Congrats on creating a zombie thread with a reply that is totally untrue, meaningless and pointless. Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 14May 28, 2014 2:23 pm A bit of a Johnny come lately. Due to your home being quiet older i would not be surprised if your ceiling was painted using a oil based paint. When placing water based paints over the top you have an adhesion issue which will lack the strength when it comes to contact with your tape etc. Now these are your options: - Re-coat with a Flat Enamel Paint although will carry a smell for a little while and or takes a while to re-coat (24 Hours). This will 100% Work - Zinsser do have a range of products that will work and are water based. The one I recommend and stock is the Zinsser All Coat which is an all in one solution and sticks to basically anything and can be tinted. They also have other primers but this will give you a great dead flat finish coat! Hope this helps, Good Luck! Re: painting plasterboard ceilings - advice needed 15May 28, 2014 2:26 pm in regards to your Dulux Ceiling white you may need to take what you can off... use a swivel floor, wall and ceiling Sander (attaches to a pole) to help you out a little. Thank you alexp79 and gommeqld for your advice, that's very helpful, thanks 3 7945 What we have done in a few theatres ( including my own) is run 2 layers of 13mm gyprock, but sounds insulation especially for the bass is really tricky as a lot of that… 4 2577 Plasterboard Gyprock is very popular as a reveal liner these days. You need to provide a way of supporting it, we use a modified timber reveal or bracket. You will be… 1 4763 |