Peeling paint on bathroom ceiling

[MatthewDM81]

Dear all,

This is my first post, so I hope I'm in the right place.

I've done quite a bit of work on my house since I purchased 3 years ago, including the bathroom. We had a new suite installed by a plumber, and plastered throughout.

However, we have a terrible problem with peeling paint on the ceiling of the bathroom. We had it decorated following the plastering, and I have now repainted the ceiling at least four times in 18 months. I last did it before Xmas and its peeling again. I don't just mean little clumps here and there, large patches have appeared already, with pieces falling off.

I have always used specialist bathroom paint, but this makes no difference.

I should add that we don't have an extractor in the bathroom, but it is well ventilated, with two separate windows, one of which is always open.

I would be very grateful indeed if someone could help. I'm at the end of my tether!

Thanks so much.

 

[blightymam]

Most of the time peeling ceiling paint is cause by damp or by not priming correctly before painting. You may need to put in a good extractor fan despite having the window open, or it could be that the newly plastered ceiling was not mist coated or were covered with something like PVA prior to painting. Both can cause peeling paint and in a room with steam you've got more against you.
Is it bare plaster under the peeling paint?

 

[MatthewDM81]

Thanks for the prompt response. Yes, it's bare plaster. What's the best way to tackle it. It's a little strange, as not all the paint peels, just in patches, and it's bare plaster throughout.

Thanks again

 

[blightymam]

Ok, at least you know it's a priming problem and less of damp (hopefully!). It's normal to be patchy, don't worry about that, esp in a bathroom.

Best thing to do if it's just down to no mist coat, is remove as much of the ceiling paint as possible with a scraper, sand down all over and feather any edges of paint that's too stubborn to remove. Then get a normal, bog standard mat emulsion paint and dilute it with water. I always do 50/50 water and paint mix as a DIY'er, but they do print on the can the mist coat ratio for that brand/type of paint so you can follow that if prefer. Once you've painted the mist coat, follow it with 2 more coats of your normal choice of paint and you should be good to go.
I am a little concerned that PVA was used, so please have a look to see if there's a clear glossy film or anything on the bare plaster as you may have to use something else. Some plasterers use this on bare plaster prior to painting and it's really not a good idea!
Good luck

 

[MatthewDM81]

Thanks again for your response.

Forgive my ignorance, what is PVA?

 

[joe-90]

Bog standard matt emulsion is the usual culprit. It's soft and chalky and your vinyl coat will pull it off. God knows why people continue to recommend it. Best bet at this point is a cheapo oil undercoat thinned down a bit. Do it first thing in the morning as it's a bit smelly. Leave it a few days to fully dry out then use whatever paint you want over it.

 

[blightymam]

PVA is glue. For some reason a few painters think this is the correct primer to use on bare plaster. Unfortunately what it does is create a film on top of which the paint does not adhere to very well. I've experienced this in the bathroom we have now where it was left on the corners (the whole bathroom was plastered after a removal of a chimney breast) and when it came to painting, you could see the difference after I primed with watered down emulsion and painted on top and you could tell it wasn't sticking very well. I had to sand the PVA off and start again, but I missed a tiny patch and that paint is now lifting which I need to sort out!

You do not by an means need to use watered down oil undercoat. At the very least, oil undercoat is a smelly, long-drawn out job and if you splatter anywhere in the bathroom by mistake, including your walls, you're left with a paint that is harder to remove. I see no point in that, and if it helps, I have painted 10 rooms now that have been reskimmed, including 2 bathrooms, using the emulsion method and have been fine. I used matt paint in nearly all rooms as a final coat and vinyl silk in the bathrooms and all been tickedy-boo.

So far from tell you what to do, I'd recommend looking at past posts here on the views about fresh plaster primer and what to use, or indeed have a good old google on the internet. Hopefully you'll see that watered down emulsion is by far the most successful and easiest option for bare plaster.

 

[joe-90]

No it's not. Science proves you wrong. And PVA is a constituent of many paints so if you learn to use it judiciously, is a very useful tool for the decorater.

 

[blightymam]

 

[arfurfouksayke]

Thanks for the prompt response. Yes, it's bare plaster. What's the best way to tackle it. It's a little strange, as not all the paint peels, just in patches, and it's bare plaster throughout.

Thanks again

there's an easy way to deal with this, and you'll never need to worry about it ever again
http://www.bathroomcladdingshop.co.uk/ceiling-cladding

modern looking and easy to do
or if you prefer the old fashioned look, use timber cladding and stain it with a 7 year wood stain

 

[misterhelpful]

@MatthewDM81
Take a look at a previous post I wrote for advice on painting bare plaster.

//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/mist-coat-or-pva-bare-surface-basics.425261/

Bog standard matt emulsion is the usual culprit. It's soft and chalky and your vinyl coat will pull it off.

Plaster doesn't breath. It's dead. Contract matt is fine if that is your final coat. It isn't good as an undercoat. It's very chalky as it contains little binder. Ergo it doesn't adhere very well. When you put you top coat on it is much tougher than the contract matt which then becomes a weak sandwich between the plaster and the vinyl top coat. That often leads to the top coat peeling.

Oh, dear. Talk about contradictory advice. One minute it sticks and peels off the mist coat and the next it peels away from the mist coat. Get your story right, joe, or it will never get past the proofreaders for publication!

 

[joe-90]

No it takes the soft coat (or a lamination of it) with it. Simple science in action.