How do I cover small wall paint flakes coming off the wall?

LiveOnce

Hi all,

How do I cover small wall paint flakes coming off the wall?

E.g. Small flakes of paint comes off because I may have previously stuck a sellotape to hold something there and when I take it off, a small flake of paint comes off.

How do I cover these flakes?

krey

no way really other than re-painting!

LiveOnce

Is it just a matter of painting over the flakey bit? Or do I have to re-paint the whole wall?

Does it look odd if I just paint the flake? Providing I get the right colour.

What should I ensure I do when I re-paint?

Sorry I am quite new so asking possibly a stupid question.

Snakey

If you are still living there: Put bigger posters up!

If you're moving out and don't want to lose your deposit... When I was a student, landlords used to paper the rooms with woodchip. It was very easy, then, to fill in the gaps with Tippex. If your walls are smooth you're a bit stuffed though - you'll have to either repaint it yourself or speak to the landlord to see if he was going to redecorate anyway (if so, he might prefer a contribution towards the cost which could be cheaper for you than DIY not to mention the time saved).

If you try just repainting over the tiny patches it's likely to be very visible.

Doozergirl

Sand it first, then touch up.

whether you'd have to repaint the wall depends on The right colour match and the paint on the wall not being too old/dirty.

McKneff

Sand it, then paint the whole wall

Touching up never works properly

LiveOnce

Thank you guys, Can you please give good example of how to sand please?

I have never done it so would like to get it right.

The flakes are only about the size of a human thumb nail.

TheCyclingProgrammer

How successful a touch up will be ultimately depends on the paint, the sheen and the colour. Some paints will touch up almost invisibly and others will stick out like a sore thumb.

You can very lightly sand the surrounding area (stick a bit of sand paper on the eraser of a pencil) just to soften the edges of the chipped paint and then paint over. Then you can carefully touch it up - do a couple of coats to build up the layers to match.

LiveOnce

What should I get to sand like this?

Any links to the products I need would be greatly helpful

London50

http://www.wilko.com/wallpaper-paste+preparation/wilko-sandpaper-assorted-grades-pack-x-10-sheets/invt/0287561

And just use the finest grade

Any

What colour is the wall and how long since painting?