We have a 1920s home with plaster walls. We took the wallpaper off, scraped the wallpaper paste, and washed with TSP. It did not look like the walls had ever been painted. We then compounded the cracks, sanded, and washed with water. Then we applied Behr latex primer and two coats of Behr latex paint. It looks great, but when we tape between ceiling and wall, say, some of the paint comes off with the tape. HELP! What can we do about this?
Thanks, New Remodeler
Don't use tape. It's a crutch and the sooner you learn to cut in without it, the better. I could show you how to cut in in five minutes so that you'd never want to use tape again, but it's tough to describe. A little practice goes a long way.
There are several contributing factors. How long did you let the walls dry before applying the primer? If that first coat is compromised all subsequent coats will be just as weak as the first. Another possible factor is the type of tape you use. You should be using a low-tack tape, such as the blue 3M tape. Finally, how you remove the tape could be part of the problem. YOu should be pulling the tape off so that it is almost 180 degrees to itself. In other words you are pulling the tape back at a very sharp angle so it doubles back.
R
Stop using Behr paint for one thing. Let the paint dry for a few days before applying masking tape. I assume that you are using masking tape and not duct tape. Don't leave the masking tape on longer then you need it.
The blue painting tape seems a little more forgiving when left on longer. But still....there's no reason to leave tape on for longer than necessary.
Thanks so much for your replies. We are trying to cut as many edges without tape as we can. This was a very unusual situation where the wall curved right into the ceiling. We are using the blue painters' tape and taking it off right after the second coat has been applied. We will use the removal trick mentioned.
Another factor that I realized--while it does not look like the plaster walls have been painted before, the ceiling has. Might it be that the ceiling was painted originally with an oil based paint, so the latex would not stick? How could we tell that it is oil based? We would prefer not to use oil-based paint while we're living here with our dog!
I'd worry about you more than the dog, or equally as much if it was a really good dog. Those curved corners are problematic to paint. Tape is really the only way to go. Sorry for the assumption.
Latex will cover oil paint just fine, although the reverse is not recommended. You might have a different type of paint that they used to use on ceilings. It's called calcimine and needs special preparation before you can paint it. Benjamin Moore makes a paint for covering calcimine - Moorcraft Super Spec® Alkyd Calcimine Recoater
306.Do a Google search for calcimine and click on the Groups tab - lots of information on calcimine in various newsgroups over the years.
R
Good advice. Hope you are using painter's tape - blue stuff? It is risky putting it on new paint, but a few days and careful removal work for me. Tape should not be left until the paint dries; should be removed right away. Pull it carefully back on itself, not straight out from the surface. Lucky you - plaster walls.
TSP must have been something, in the good old days. Now it is only TS-, since they took out the phosphate :o)
I know how to cut in a nice straight line, just like I know how to walk a tightrope. Doesn't mean I can do it. Some of us were born "wobbly" and can't be cured. :o)
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