Have you ever painted latex over oil based paint without properly prepping the walls? The unlucky readers who answered ‘yes’ know how painful this mistake is! After two years of painting our new home, the mudroom makeover is my first run-in with oil-based paint. Show
 Although our mudroom is one of the smaller rooms in the house, it has 8 (!!!) doors! I say this because it is very time-consuming to paint doors, especially when 4 are large doors with slats. Fixing this mistake took countless hours and 5 coats of paint, but now it looks great! Warning Signs of Latex over Oil-Based PaintSo how did I figure out that I made an error? There were a few factors that made me realize that something wasn’t right. First, the paint felt chalky even though it was a satin finish. Second, the paint was chipping off at the slightest scratch. I could take my nail and easily scrape off a long strip of paint. A quick google search confirmed that applying latex over oil based paint was the cause of these issues. Ideally, I would love for you to learn from my mistake and avoid this headache altogether! But if you find yourself in the same pickle as me, I will take you through the various ways to resolve this problem and move on! Latex paint is a water-based paint. This type of paint dries quickly and is what most people use on the interior walls of their homes. Oil based paint is made with either alkyd (synthetic) or linseed (natural) oils. It is more durable than latex paint so it is more frequently used on trim and doors. It takes longer to dry and requires chemicals to clean up any paint messes. How can you tell if paint is oil-based or latex?If you suspect that the paint in your house is oil-based paint, there is an easy way to check. You will need denatured alcohol or acetone (nail polish remover) and a cotton ball. Add the alcohol to the cotton ball and rub a small area of the painted surface. If paint comes off onto the cotton ball, it is latex paint and you are good to go. If no paint rubs off, you have oil based paint. Skip to the second step if you do not have to remove latex paint. If your home was built before 1978, you probably want to test the paint for lead. Dust from lead paint is incredibly dangerous when inhaled or ingested and there are safety protocols to follow if your home has lead paint. How to Fix the Mistake of Painting Latex Over Oil Based Paint1 | Remove the Layer of Latex PaintThere are a few ways to remove the latex paint and one option may work better than another depending on your situation. With all of these solutions, it is important to wear a mask to protect your lungs! Option 1 | Warm Water & Scouring PadWarm water and a scouring pad work great to remove the latex paint quickly. The downside of this option is that it is incredibly messy. Dirty water and wet paint splattered everywhere and make a big mess. If you are working in an unfinished space, this is a good option, but it is not ideal if you need to protect the floors. Option 2 | Paint Scraper & Scouring PadI ended up primarily using a paint scraper, followed by a scouring pad. Then, I used a sanding block and wiped the trim and doors down thoroughly with Krud Kutter. In the beginning, I forgot to wear a mask and was quickly reminded how terrible the dust particles are for your lungs! Do as I say and not as I do. 🙂 I removed most of the peeling paint and then sanded it as smoothly as possible. A few times I gouged the trim, but it is 50 years old and I wasn’t too concerned with imperfections here and there. I have another confession – I skipped scraping the doors and just crossed my fingers that the bonding primer and trim-specific paint would suffice. I don’t know that I would ever have finished this mudroom if I had to scrap all 8 doors! We will see how they hold up, but they are already looking better with the primer and trim paint applied. Option 3 | Additional Latex Paint Removal OptionsI found some other solutions to this problem online but did not test them out. Depending on how much time you want to spend removing all of the paint, a combination of these options could speed up the process.
2 | Apply Extreme Bonding PrimerI’m giving you a big round of applause if you discovered the oil-based paint before applying latex paint over it! This will save you a ton of time and is a pretty quick fix. First, you will take a sanding block and scuff up the surface with the oil-based paint. Wipe down the surface to remove any dust and dirt. Next, you will apply one coat of bonding primer to seal in the oil-based paint. 3 | Apply 2 Coats of Trim & Door PaintTo be honest, I never used to purchase paint made specifically for trim and doors. I realize now the error of my ways! Paint made specifically for trim and doors is much more durable for these high traffic areas and I highly recommend using it for your projects. Once the bond primer was applied to our mudroom walls, I applied 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel and I can really tell the difference! For the application, I used a combination of an angled paintbrush and a small roller to paint the surfaces. Is oil based primer different than oil based paint?Yes! An oil based primer can accept any topcoat whether it is oil based or latex. We used oil-based primer in our home to seal in leftover wallpaper glue in our foyer. Because latex paint is water-based, we couldn’t just paint the walls because the water reactivated the glue. If you have ever made this mistake, it turns your wall into a gummy mess. Instead of using a steamer to scrape off all of the glue, we were instructed to use an oil-based primer to seal in the wallpaper glue and then apply the latex paint. Why do people use oil-based paint?Oil based paint is extremely durable making it ideal for molding and trim. How have my mudroom doors held up since I fixed my mistake?A year later and the doors are in pretty good shape. They have a few paint chips on them because it is a high-traffic area, but nothing too noticeable. Project Source List
Fixing this mistake was a huge pain in the butt, but it was definitely worth it. My family is pretty rough on our mudroom and we need durable paint on the trim and doors to hold up. I hope my experience will make your paint removal process go a little bit quicker! Mudroom RevealI fixed the paint mistake and then installed wallpaper to finish the mudroom makeover. I absolutely love how it turned out and am glad I took the extra time to fix my painting mistake. Check Out All of the Mudroom DIY Projects
Similar Content You May Like
For more tips on choosing interior paint colors, head on over to my friend Katelin’s site at The Inspiring Investment where she shares tips on picking the perfect colors! Pin the Image Below for Reference LaterCan you paint directly over oilHow To Paint Over Oil-Based Paint. Dip a cotton ball into a small amount of denatured alcohol. Rub it over a small area on the surface. If the paint does NOT come off, it is oil-based paint and you will need to prime the surface with a bonding primer before applying latex paint.
What happens if you paint over oilUsing water-based or acrylic paint when painting over oil-based paint is likely to cause peeling or chipping because those formulas don't bond well with the naturally glossy surface of oil-based paint.
Is it hard to paint over oilHowever, it is extremely difficult to work with if you're using it to paint over another oil paint. Conversely, if you're painting over old linseed oil paint with new oil or latex, it might still be too slick, even when the surface is primed.
Can you paint over oilAs a whole, to paint over oil-based paint without sanding a high-bonding primer has to be used and the surface, that will be painted, needs to be intact and clean. Simply apply the high-bonding primer directly to the surface and let it dry. Then apply the paint to the freshly prepared surface.
|
How do you paint over oil based paint
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 pauex Inc.
