Peeling and associated issues

[leezer3]

I'm trying to fix up my kitchen for repainting, and have run into *another* problem

Untitled

• leezer3
• 13 Nov 2012
• 1

As you can hopefully see (Not the best of images), I've got a patch of peeling paint around the bottom of this doorframe.
I've pulled everything off that will come off easily with fingers/ rolling on the small vertical patch around the doorframe, but haven't tried going on the wall yet.
This is what I know:
* Doorframe goes through the old external wall and into a late 70's/ early 80's single storey extension (Flat roof)
* Plaster looks good underneath the peeling paint, no signs of dampness.
* This problem exists on the other side of the wall too.
* Just above the top of the patch I've peeled off (About 2ft in height), there's what I can only describe as a join in the finish. From here, the paint has been done on top of a standard matt white & as far as I've found yet doesn't peel.
* I can see this join on the other side of the wall too, where I also have peeling issues, although at the minute I'm not so worried about there.
* Paintjob is probably about 12 years old. I'm going by the date of the original boiler on this, as when I replaced it, you can see small patches of white walls where the new one is smaller.

I've got a nasty suspicion dilute PVA was used on the wall, although why it'd only go up to about 2ft I'm by no means sure. (Patch for something later on?)
Would appreciate any thoughts or advice
Best I can come up with at the minute is to get off everything I can and then sand down the joins and the existing surface before mistcoating?

I've got to admit I'm also considering hiring someone to do the whole painting job.
For reference this is basically:
* Mistcoat and paint newly boarded/ skimmed ceiling.
* Paint 4 walls, room about 4m (L), 2m (W), 2.4m (H), with about 60% of this as painting surface.
Rough figure I've pulled out of thin air (I know....) for this is in the region of £200- £250, based on 3 coats at 2.5 hours each plus materials.

Thoughts, laughs at my financial calculations or anything else very welcome!

 

[opps]

Hmnnn. you might want to spend 20 quid on a damp meter

eg

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...UKyIIKmr0QXeooGwDQ&ved=0CJYBEPMCMAI#scoring=p

or

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...=X&ei=95qiUK2gI-K80QWEiIHoCQ&ved=0CJ0BEPMCMAM

 

[leezer3]

Might try meddling with the multimeter, but I'm very sceptical of any damp diagnosis (And for that matter, those meters tell you pretty much squat)

If I had the undercoat above coming off too, I might agree, but this smacks of a badly/ wrongly prepared patch of some description.

 

[ryanhirst]

I would definitely agree with the advice given, get yourself a multimeter. This will give you a clearer diagnosis.

 

[opps]

Might try meddling with the multimeter, but I'm very sceptical of any damp diagnosis (And for that matter, those meters tell you pretty much squat)

If I had the undercoat above coming off too, I might agree, but this smacks of a badly/ wrongly prepared patch of some description.

But at least they will tell you if there are signs of damp. Granted they wont tell you the source.

Re undercoat coming off, emulsion will normally fail first, as the moisture can travel through the plaster faster.

TIP for OP- if you do use a meter, allow the pins to penetrate through the emulsion.

 

[leezer3]

Might try meddling with the multimeter, but I'm very sceptical of any damp diagnosis (And for that matter, those meters tell you pretty much squat)

If I had the undercoat above coming off too, I might agree, but this smacks of a badly/ wrongly prepared patch of some description.

But at least they will tell you if there are signs of damp. Granted they wont tell you the source.

Re undercoat coming off, emulsion will normally fail first, as the moisture can travel through the plaster faster.

TIP for OP- if you do use a meter, allow the pins to penetrate through the emulsion.

Maybe I'm not being entirely clear
This 2ft odd high patch has *no* undercoat, and I'm only peeling up until the top of it.

Can't get any sort of reading out of the wall on the multimeter either, I've been all the way up to 2,000k Ω
(I wouldn't necessarily call this conclusive, but like I say, I can see no signs of damp...)