Bathroom paint issues...
Author
Discussion

Hard-Drive

Original Poster:

4,273 posts

252 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
About 7 years ago, I repainted our bathroom. It was fecking terrible, pink paint over lumpy plaster. In hindsight I should have just replastered the lot, but using a combination of paint stripper (some of the paint was applied REALLY badly), sanders, and patching the plaster, I got it looking good and painted it white.

Problem is that after time the pink shows through. It's weird, you can actually wipe the pink off again, and the white is not coming off with it. It's almost as if the steam etc in the bathroom is making the pink residues come through the white, and sit on the surface.

I want to change the colour to green, but is there some special sealing paint I can apply beforehand, or is this a bigger job? I must have repainted it twice since the original colour change but still no good! And yes, the white is kitchen/bathroom paint.

Any tips?

s3fella

10,524 posts

210 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
Just PVA it first, then repaint it.

chris1roll

1,893 posts

267 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
s3fella said:
Just PVA it first, then repaint it.
Try this first.

There will be someone come along now who will say you should never use PVA for painting.
I don't actually know why.
We've never had any problems, its allowed me to paint on dusty, flaky uneven surfaces (where I have wanted to keep the patina of an old wall/ceiling) many times.

Failing that, you can buy a stain blocking paint.
I don't think its particularly pleasant stuff though.

Huntsman

9,097 posts

273 months

Wednesday 13th October 2010
quotequote all
I'm an ex decorator for my sins.

Give it a good scuff with some scratch.

I would say to get some oil based white undercoat and brush on a coat or two of that first. Then white emulsion.

To check its oil based look on the tin, if it says brush cleaning with white spirit you are good to go, lots of it is water based these days and that wont work.

GingerWizard

4,721 posts

221 months

Wednesday 13th October 2010
quotequote all
As above i am too an ex painter and decorator.

I would hark above, don't use PVA it does not work well in damp rooms in my personal en suite decorating saga..... (mouldy celing)

Oil based undercoat. (make sure its not the low odour stuff thats not as good) slap a coat of that on and then use some heavy duty white paint (exterior house paint is good stuff).

Personally i would always use Brewers paint. Albany i believe the range is called. Dulux and such like really are'nt as good. (all to do with obilteration factor)

So......... use some rough sand paper, scratch up the walls a bit. Next get high as a kite undercoating, then 2x coats of exterior paint. That is quite a bit of work but it will look very very good when you have finished.....

Edited by GingerWizard on Wednesday 13th October 08:45


Edited by GingerWizard on Wednesday 13th October 08:46

Hard-Drive

Original Poster:

4,273 posts

252 months

Saturday 16th October 2010
quotequote all
OK Thanks all, I'll go for the stinky undercoat option as I really don't want to have to do this again!

Cheers!

iiyama

2,201 posts

224 months

Saturday 16th October 2010
quotequote all
Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3. All of your questions answered in one tin. biggrin

Doofus

33,092 posts

196 months

Sunday 17th October 2010
quotequote all
Hard-Drive said:
Problem is that after time the pink shows through. It's weird, you can actually wipe the pink off again, and the white is not coming off with it. It's almost as if the steam etc in the bathroom is making the pink residues come through the white, and sit on the surface.
Are you sure that's pink paint, and not Serratia marcescens?

Deva Link

26,934 posts

268 months

Sunday 17th October 2010
quotequote all
Doofus said:
Hard-Drive said:
Problem is that after time the pink shows through. It's weird, you can actually wipe the pink off again, and the white is not coming off with it. It's almost as if the steam etc in the bathroom is making the pink residues come through the white, and sit on the surface.
Are you sure that's pink paint, and not Serratia marcescens?
I think that only forms in areas that get soapy - we get it around the shower area.

Wings

5,935 posts

238 months

Sunday 17th October 2010
quotequote all
s3fella said:
Just PVA it first, then repaint it.
Never use PVA in a wet enviroment, since being an adhesive it will "re-activate" when mixing with water, and in the case of tiling on top of PVA, the "re-activation" of the PVA will cause the tiles to come loose. As other posters have stated, use an oil based undercoat as a stain block, stopping the pink paint bleeding through.

FamilyGuy

850 posts

213 months

Sunday 17th October 2010
quotequote all
I've made the PVA mistake. I now can't get the paint to stay stuck to the wall - it starts flaking off.

flyingjase

3,094 posts

254 months

Tuesday 19th October 2010
quotequote all
Ummmm 7 years ago, was that when you were going to put your house on the market????!!!!!!

How time flys.........

GingerWizard

4,721 posts

221 months

Tuesday 19th October 2010
quotequote all
How has it gone? any update?

Hard-Drive

Original Poster:

4,273 posts

252 months

Wednesday 20th October 2010
quotequote all
So far all I've done is chase in some wiring for the shaver socket...it was external and looked pretty rubbish. Did not quite have the right chisel bit for my SDS drill, ended up digging holes so deep I was expecting a Chilean miner to wander out, however all plastered up now and looking good!

GingerWizard

4,721 posts

221 months

Wednesday 20th October 2010
quotequote all
Hard-Drive said:
So far all I've done is chase in some wiring for the shaver socket...it was external and looked pretty rubbish. Did not quite have the right chisel bit for my SDS drill, ended up digging holes so deep I was expecting a Chilean miner to wander out, however all plastered up now and looking good!
yeah the old SDS attachment can be quite "vigerous" at going through what seemed to be a solid wall! The worst is when you hit a cavity you where not aware of..... followed by hissing.......


ohhhhhhh sttttttt! wink

FamilyGuy

850 posts

213 months

Wednesday 20th October 2010
quotequote all
For chasing I've found an angle grinder with a wide wheel very effective and easy to control. The downside is that you need to have a vacuum nozzle in close proximity as it creates a lot of dust.

s3fella

10,524 posts

210 months

Wednesday 20th October 2010
quotequote all
Wings said:
s3fella said:
Just PVA it first, then repaint it.
Never use PVA in a wet enviroment, since being an adhesive it will "re-activate" when mixing with water, and in the case of tiling on top of PVA, the "re-activation" of the PVA will cause the tiles to come loose. As other posters have stated, use an oil based undercoat as a stain block, stopping the pink paint bleeding through.
Surely if we are allowing walls ot get so wet that hardened and covered up PVA melts, there is an issue of adequate ventialtion / too much condesation?

Surely such humidity would be a problem for things like electrics too?

I've never used bathroom paint in bathrooms, just regular emulsion and never had any problem. But then I make sure the room is heated and well ventilated.

eliot

11,988 posts

277 months

Wednesday 20th October 2010
quotequote all
I used Marbrex shower wall panneling in my shower - looks great and never goes mouldy.

from this:


to this: