Can You Paint Over Peeling Paint? The short answer is yes, you can paint over peeling paint, but there are some things you need to do first.
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Introduction
If your paint is peeling, you may be wondering if you can simply paint over it. After all, painting is a lot cheaper and easier than stripping off the old paint and starting from scratch. The short answer is yes, you can paint over peeling paint—but it’s not going to work miracles. Here’s what you need to know before you break out the brushes.
The Right Way to Paint Over Peeling Paint
Peeling paint can occur for a variety of reasons. The moisture in the air, lack of prep work, and poor paint quality are all contributing factors. If you have peeling paint, the best thing to do is to scrape it off and start from scratch. However, if you’re short on time, you can paint over the peeling paint. Just keep in mind that this is a temporary fix and the peeling paint will likely come back.
Prepare the Surface
Whether the paint is on a wall, ceiling, woodwork, or another surface, you’ll need to take some basic steps to prep the area before you can start painting. If the paint is peeling off in small pieces, you can probably sand the surface and then wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove any loose flakes or residue. If the paint is coming off in larger pieces, you may need to use a putty knife or other tool to scrape off as much of the paint as possible. Once you’ve removed the loose paint, sand the surface until it’s smooth, then wipe it down with a damp cloth.
Apply a Primer
Fixing peeling paint is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of prep work. The first step is to remove all the loose paint, which can be done with a putty knife or a scraper. Once you have scraped off all the loose paint, you will need to sand the surface to create a smooth surface for the new paint to adhere to.
After you have sanded the surface, you will need to apply a primer. This will help the new paint to adhere properly and will also provide a barrier against future peeling. Once the primer is dry, you can then apply your new paint color.
Paint the Surface
You can paint over peeling paint, but you must first prep the surface to ensure that the new paint will stick. Start by scrape off any loose, peeling paint with a putty knife or wire brush. If the paint is only slightly peeling and you can’t remove all of it with a putty knife or brush, sand the surface lightly with medium-grit sandpaper until the edges of the peeling paint are smooth. Wipe off any dust with a tack cloth before proceeding to the next step.
Conclusion
The short answer is yes, you can paint over peeling paint—but not with just any type of paint. If the paint is peeling off in very small pieces (think wallpaper) then you can use a latex paint as your primer and topcoat.
