Pinhead bubbles in new paint job

geecee · 24-07-2022 1:49pm #1

Hi All

I had my apartment painted 2 weeks ago, the painter used crown Mid sheen vinyl emulsion

I noticed last week that one or 2 sections of wall had lots if pinhead type raised spots, i presumed at the time that the painter had used a dirty roller and decided I could live with it as it was unobtrusive

Since then i have noticed that it is happening on nearly every wall that was painted.

There is no dampness in the apartment, so these are not the "bubbles" that you see online, but my walls are damn ugly now, like someone mixed a handful of sand into the paint can!

Research online seems to indicate that this might be some sort of reaction with the original wall paint or possibly the heat of the last 2 weeks

Any thoughts on what my best course of action are here (I am not keen to have the original painter back) is this a question of sanding and repainting or do i have a bigger job ahead of me?

Thanks in Advance!

geecee · 24-07-2022 2:06pm

Minor clarification:

the pinheads only appear to be coming out on the walls that are painted white, the walls that were painted blue (and thus had 3 coats in total AFAIK) do not seem to be affected

Xander10 · 24-07-2022 2:23pm

Extreme heat or moisture on the walls can cause the issue. Where the walls washed down in advance and still possibly a bit damp?

sniperman · 24-07-2022 2:24pm

could be a number of things, reaction to underlying paint,greasy walls,walls not washed or sealed before new paint applied,anyhow it has to be sanded,sealed/primed before repainting,seal with either stablelizing primer,or mixture of pva and water,let dry overnight,then what i would do is mix some of the sealer with first coat of new paint,and unless there is ongoing moisture in the walls,you should have no more bubbles/flakes/cracks

geecee · 24-07-2022 2:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119380302#Comment_119380302

I don't think he washed the walls at all. Which was why I originally thought that the first pinheads I observed were dirt painted in

geecee · 24-07-2022 2:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119380306#Comment_119380306

I guess based on above that the issue won't go away by itself!

All sounds a bit complicated for me. So guess I will have to check the credentials of my next painter a bit better than the last guy!

sniperman · 24-07-2022 3:22pm

no it wont go away,sometimes bubbles do dry back,but if there next day then its sand/strip time,to really cure the problem you could line the walls with lineing paper,its like wall papering,but the paper is paintable,and eliminates underlying problems,be like painting new walls,and yes try get someone that knows what they are doing,word of mouth is the best way,thats how i get all my work,best of luck

Xander10 · 24-07-2022 3:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119380451#Comment_119380451

Can you not get him back to fix it?

geecee · 24-07-2022 4:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119380612#Comment_119380612

Definitely not. Don't think he had ever heard of dust sheets, filler, straight lines or masking tape!

geecee · 24-07-2022 11:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119380594#Comment_119380594

Sorry to ask another stupid question, but when you talk about sanding do you mean a "rub with some sandpaper" to take off the bumps, or are we into using machines to tear away the most recent coats back to the previous layer?

sniperman · 25-07-2022 11:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119382897#Comment_119382897

that depends on how bad it is,try a bit of sanding first,if that leaves it pitted,then its off with it all,only other option is lineing paper,sanding the walls back to the previous layer is a bit of a job,and then theres no garrentee the next new coats wont again react on top of the old paint,if the sanding removes the bubbles,and leaves the wall smooth,then put the sealer on like i said before new coats,anything else please ask me,

geecee · 11-08-2022 7:48pm

Just to close out this thread, I bought a fine sandpaper sponge and gave the bubbles a light rub in a place that wouldn't be too noticeable, they came away without pitting or marking and after a wipe down the wall looks a lot better, have repeated this in some of the worst spots and it has come up great, so looks like for now i will get away without repainting!

Thanks to @sniperman and @Xander10 for their comments and support!

Pinhead bubbles in new paint job

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