# Paint doesn't stick



## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

I have an odd one... paint in one corner of a room simply won't stick. It peels off very easily taking the primer with it down to the drywall face paper and joint compound. This was brand new drywall and I primed with PVA. Behind it is R13 with vapor barrier. So how do I fix this? Different primer? It is very frustrating as with the paint peeled I will have to take joint compound to level between the drywall and paint that did stick and then re-prime and paint... so I want to be sure it doesn't happen again. Paint on the adjacent wall is just fine (though it is flat versus satin finish and a different color). Very odd. Should I put on Gardz, apply joint compound to level, then prime and paint again or what?


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## sirwired (Jun 22, 2007)

Precisely what products are you using now?

SirWired


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

Sigh, this is like admitting you got the clap from a park bench to your doctor....

Lowes Valspar Satin interior... Behr PVA... sorry, what I was given. (The old... use the stuff left under the steps.)

So what is my best fix option?


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## sirwired (Jun 22, 2007)

I'd say do exactly what you would expect... remove ALL failing paint (if it is sticking, no need to kill yourself removing), level with J/C, prime with a quality bonding primer, topcoat with quality paint from an actual paint store.

Given that this is new drywall, you can use water-base primer; just don't touch any water-base Kilz products. I have had fine luck with Sherwin PrepRite Pro Block latex.

SirWired


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Bubbagump:

Will ordinary masking tape stick well to the drywall that the paint won't stick to?

I can't understand your picture. The brown area that's surrounded by the teal, white and yellow areas... is the white area unprimed or unpainted drywall? Is the brown area the brown paper under the white surface paper of drywall?

If that brown area is brown drywall paper, then you might want to strengthen that drywall before painting over it with the Guardz or whatever. You can paint the brown paper with white wood glue diluted with enough water to make a paintable consistancy liquid, and apply that to the brown paper. Then apply self adhesive fiberglass mesh drywall joint tape. Apply that fiberglass mesh in two coats with the strips of the second coat running perpendicular to the strips of the first coat. Now, paint over the layers of fiberglass mesh with that same diluted white glue. As the glue dries, it'll bond the fiberglass mesh to the surface of the drywall paper, thereby restoring the strength of the drywall. That is, the strength of the missing paper will be replaced with that of fiberglass mesh.

Then you can skim coat over that with drywall joint compound, sand smooth, prime and paint.


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

sirwired said:


> I'd say do exactly what you would expect... remove ALL failing paint (if it is sticking, no need to kill yourself removing), level with J/C, prime with a quality bonding primer, topcoat with quality paint from an actual paint store.



BAH!
Thought so. Thanks for the tips guys!


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## Workaholic (Apr 1, 2007)

It is an adhesion problem. Either your primer is of poor quality, or there is a lot of dust on the drywall there. Is this the only spot in the room that is having this problem? 
I completly agree with sirwired's post. quality products will make a job run so much smoother.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

That is a primer failure
It could be the poor product choice (not a good primer under the best of circumstance), or poor prep (failure to clean or dust walls), or both

Scrape/sand off any/all loosely adhering product, clean and dust well, prime with a penetrating problem solving primer (such as Zinsser's Gardz), and go from there


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

So Gardz UNDER the joint compund? Or joint compound then Gardz?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Bubbagump said:


> So Gardz UNDER the joint compund?


Yup


Bubbagump said:


> Or joint compound then Gardz?


You will have to prime again over the J/C anyway, a quality acrylic (not PVA) would be fine, but if you still have Gardz left over, that would be fine too


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

So is PVA pretty much crap to be avoided always?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

.Yes.


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

Ok, I have the Gardz down (that is some screwy stuff) and the joint compound is down. Going to finish up the project with SW 400 as that is what I used in the rest of the house with perfect results. Of course I had to cut corners in the biggest room. Live and learn.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Thanks for the update
Yeah the Gardz is pretty weird...not easy to "paint" so to speak
But it does what it does real well
Good luck!


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

Out of insane paranoia of having to do this a third time... I primed with Gardez on top of the joint compound, primed on top of that with SW400, then paint. Worked a charm. No more PVA for me. 

There are places already primed with PVA but no top coats. Should I go over those again with the SW400? This was a miserable experience having to scrape, level everything out, prime, and paint again... so I want to be sure I proceed properly.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Well...it's hard to say w/o seeing it
I'd say it's probably not _necessary_, so to speak
But it couldn't hurt
Honestly, often in cases like these I will simply prime the whole thing just to be sure
(...my loss if I have to fix it later..and we know how time/material consuming that is)

It may be overkill, but I figure a little overkill is well worth it for the No Worries Factor


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

Dig. I would rather an extra hour or two of priming than losing three or four days scraping and waiting for joint compound and various coats of primer/paint to dry. For the $50 it may cost... it is well worth belt and suspenders here me thinks.


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

Ok, a month later and having switched to different primer, everything is super. I am a believer in that Gardz stuff. Holy crap does it work well... again, awful to work with, but it creates a great solid surface. PVA never again.


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