Sanding Undercoat?

lindze

I am hoping you guys can give me some advice.

I paid someone to paint the woodwork in my living room (as I find that the most irritating bit to do) and I painted the walls.

Anyhoo I have just painted my radiator with Dulux Satinwood, after completing the walls, and now that I have done this the skirting boards look and feel completely different. I believe that he had actually just painted on an undercoat and not done a top coat!!!

The paint I used on the radiator is the same pot of paint I provided him for the skirting boards etc

So I now need to paint a top coat on the skirting, after walls painted, which is annoying in itself but I am getting conflicting advice on whether I need to sand the undercoat before the top coat or can I just get on with painting?

Thanks for any help you guys could give me.

Note to self - if you want anything doing......do it yourself!

casper_g

The first thing you should do is contact the decorator - you have already paid somebody to do this task!

lindze

I have tried contacting him but he is not returning calls or emails and I have a new carpet coming so am under time constraints now. I wish I had just done the job myself and at least then I would know for sure what was done and not done.

Hoploz

Are you sure he didn't use the satin paint? Maybe he just did one coat instead of two, it might not be as smooth after a single coat.

Anyway, how does the surface feel? If it feels rough then you could sand it a little before the satin. But if it feels relatively smooth then just paint over the top. A second coat will normally feel smoother. Also gloss will feel smoother than satin.

lindze

Hi thank you for your reply.

The radiator and the door architrave that I have painted feel smooth to the touch and a nice bright white (it is Dulux one coat satinwood) but the skirting boards he has done are very matt, not as smooth (but not paint brush drags) and a very dull white that is very noticeable now that I have done the radiator above it.

When I opened the Dulux tin that I had given him I was surprised how little of it was used, which has also made me think he didn't use it for skirting boards but just used it for a cupboard door and the window sills. Also when I returned home the evening there was not really any paint smell and after I used it the stink lingered for about a week - I promise I am not a paint detective but maybe naturally suspicious

I am hoping that if I tape up the wall above the skirting I can paint them without getting satinwood on the walls!

Maybe a light sand to be safe then and hope for the best?

Le_Kirk

You should always sand lightly to provide a key for the next coat, whatever type of paint that might be. If you are going to tape the walls, use Frog tape and make sure that the walls have been painted AT LEAST 48 hours before and that you pull the Frog tape off not too long after you've painted the skirting but before the paint is fully dry

lindze

I have some of the yellow delicate frog tape so will try that and hope that the emulsion stays on the walls.

It's a shame when people let you down when you are paying them to do a job....I even sanded all woodwork for him the day before so all he had to do was paint and no prep.

Such a let down!

Thank you for your advice, it is much appreciated.

getmore4less

We are going matt for our woodwork in living space lle it better than shiny paint.

Hoploz

I wouldn't tape the walls, just paint carefully, with a small brush on the top edge if necessary. I always find tape pulls the paint off no matter how carefully I apply & remove it!

Hoploz

getmore4less wrote: »

We are going matt for our woodwork in living space lle it better than shiny paint.

Not my choice - can't wipe and will mark and chip quickly.

getmore4less

Hoploz wrote: »

Not my choice - can't wipe and will mark and chip quickly.

dulux diamond is holding up fine on the kitchen door(dining/living side) the most used door in the house.
Gloss for the halls and kitchen.