Endless scraping!

[mrstrace]

Hello,

My husband and I are in the midst of a major home renovation project, and much to our dismay, our plans have been delayed due to peeling paint in the master bedroom. It seems that layer upon layer of paint was applied over the years--no idea what type, etc. A few areas were chipped so my husband began scraping and sanding to smooth the walls before applying new paint... but the more we scrape, the more paint comes off! It seems like on the walls there comes a point where the paint stops peeling eventually, but the ceiling paint comes off in large flakes with little prodding. I don't know if there was water condensation on the walls/ceiling at one point, or what, but that is possible; there was some water damage to the ceiling and the two worst walls are an outside wall with large windows and the area next to the bathroom door.

My question: how to know when we are through scraping? Should we scrape as much as humanly possible off the walls even if the paint doesn't seem "loose" or damaged in some areas, or is it only necessary to take off whatever comes down after a quick once-over with the scraper and then just sand the whole wall smooth and repaint? I don't want our new paint to be peeling off! On the other hand, it is taking FOREVER to scrape the old paint and some of it really doesn't want to come off...

And is there an easier way to do this other than using a small hand-held scraper? Especially on the ceiling, which as I mentioned, the paint comes off in strips. Seems like there should be a quick solution to that but it takes forever just because the tool is only about 2" wide.

I would sure appreciate any suggestions. I'll probably be on this forum a lot now that I've discovered it! We have many questions, and a house desperately in need of some love

[skeezix]

You could always throw another layer of sheet rock over the top But that would probably end up being more work in the end since you have already scraped quite a bit. I would definately break all the loose stuff off and seal it well with a good primer before you paint again. That really sucks! I spent WAY too much time scraping glue and adhesive off of things in my last project, it's not fun.

[guntech]

well you could always take one of them fancy power sanders to it.
NOTE:this suggestion may or may noit be a very bad idea, that is why it is a suggestion.

[mrstrace]

LOL, well thanks for the suggestions so far

Sounds like we just need to keep plugging away. I think we've gotten nearly all of what was coming up from the walls. At least most of that wasn't peeling right off... unlike the ceiling, which I guess we'll end up doing in it's entirety. My main concern was that if we didn't get it ALL off the walls, the new stuff wouldn't "take", but I guess with a smooth surface and a good coat of primer to seal it, it should be ok, huh?

[tom_matthews]

At this point, you may have scraped enough that you see light at the end of the tunnel. But if not, you may opt for sheeting over the walls with new, thin drywall, as shown here: http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/artic...ticle_id=60262

[Distinctivescenes]

Endless Scraping

If you have scraped enough that there is no more paint falling off the walls and then sanded and the sand paper or sander is not knocking more off, you have sanded enough. If you feel you have to sand till it is smooth before you paint, you should rent a hand sander. You may want to rent one to make things easier for yourself at this point anyways, but I do find it easier if I scrape to get the worst off first.

There is one other option. Consider having a faux finish on your walls instead of straight painting. Faux finishes are known for their ability to hide imperfections. I have used this technique for several clients whose walls had problems. You can't tell the walls are all uneven after the faux finish is there. You could elimate having to sand the walls smooth. All you need to is to get all the loose paint off and a light sanding.

Jan Distinctive Scenes, Certified Muralist and Custom Faux Finisher.

[Drywall DIY Guy]

Replace the walls

Unless you float out all scraped surfaces with drywall mud and sand level and smooth, you will have a wall that looks questionable after the paint cures completely. Scraping is fine for exterior painted walls that you rarely get within 10ft of but looks terrible up close. Look close at repainted exterior siding - the scraping shows greatly through the paint after the paint gets a year or so to cure. Even sanding will not help much - you will still clearly see the scrape lines - I can vouch for that personally as I just painted my exterior wood siding last year and I sanded everything after scraping.

So, unless you want to level out the surface with drywall mud, my vote would be to either cover what you have with thin drywall or replace the drywall. If you just scrape and sand, a year after painting you will see all the paint lines.

If you decide to install more drywall, go to http://www.drywallinfo.com below for step by step instructions.