How do I repaint plaster coving without the paint cracking?
Tried painting it with normal Matt emulsion and it turned a bit soggy and started cracking.
We have been in the house eleven years and the coving was already there.
3 different rooms has had the same effect when painted.
Even just cleaning it with sugar soap has the same results.
It's like the layer of paint hasn't bonded with the coving.
It's just about old enough to have been originally painted with distemper, though your fault is not typical.
I'd try to get all the old paint off, then apply two mist coats of matt white emulsion, with a soft brush, thinned with 25% water and stirred very very thoroughly. This will soak into the "pores" of the plaster, which gives best adhesion. The frst thinned coat will practically disappear as it soaks in, but the second will leave a visible thin colour. Once that is dry, apply a couple more coats unthinned. Matt white is the cheapest, and a good surface prep even if you want your final colour to be something different. Keep glue or paste away from the plaster you want to paint.
I believe you can remove distemper by coating it in wallpaper paste, leaving it for half an hour, and then scraping off. Just to be extra sure, might worth running a difficult surfaces primer along the coving once you've got rid of the distemper - should help seal things up in case there's any small bits remaining.
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