Flaking ceiling paint

[Mark G.]

Good evening.

When I bought my house twelve years ago, the seller had hired the low-bid contractor to "freshen" things up. He freshened the living room by spraying paint on the ceiling, apparently without prep work of any kind. I'm convinced he didn't even wash it first. The result is that the paint has been gradually flaking, with additional paint constantly coming loose. Paint that resists scraping one year will flake off on its own a year or two later.

Any suggestions for how to deal with this? If I scrape what I can and then repaint, I assume the new paint will come loose as the paint below it loses adhesion.

Thanks

-Mark

[Mike Paulsen]

It may be poor prep before painting, but check for moisture problems above the ceiling to be sure that's not a contributing factor.

You may want to try priming with Peel Stop. I haven't used it myself so I can't give any input on how it goes on or whether it works well. (It's either a Zinsser or Kilz product -- don't recall which.)

[Mark G.]

There was definitely a moisture problem at one time. It's a lath & plaster ceiling, with an unfinished attic above. Obvious moisture stains appeared in a few places during the first year I owned the house--the roof had been leaky for some time before I bought it. It's been dry for twelve years, so the moisture should be a thing of the past.

Thanks, I'll investigate.

-Mark