Not cleaning the walls before painting...

RainbowLaura

Last week I painted my living room and have been really pleased with the results. A few weeks previously I noticed a bit of a sooty build-up around where I often have candles burning. I tried to clean a small area of it but made the mess much worse, which was part of my reason for painting. I have never painted or really done any DIY before and had no idea I was supposed to properly wash the wall first until my sister mentioned it this afternoon :eek:

I am now having nightmares that I will come down in the morning to find my hard work peeling and flaking
I know it's my own fault for not researching and preparing properly. What is the likelihood that my paint job will start to show problems, and if so what should I do about it now that I've painted over the dirt? It was standard matt emulsion over what appeared to be the same.

Any advice would be gratefully received

Horseygirl123

The only walls I wash prior to painting are the kitchen walls to remove any grease. I've not had any problems due to not washing before painting. Don't worry.

RainbowLaura

Horseygirl123 wrote: »

The only walls I wash prior to painting are the kitchen walls to remove any grease. I've not had any problems due to not washing before painting. Don't worry.

Thank you Horseygirl, that is reassuring. The room is 15ft x 15ft and the soot was only around a relatively small area within that, so hopefully I will get away with it and just know for next time

Furts

I second horseygirl. Bear in mind emulsion paint contains pva, and this is the glue you used at school to stick anything from paper to fabric. It means emulsion paint is very good at sticking to walls. Candle soot should not be a problem, but even if it were you could easily touch in that area if problems arose.

Le_Kirk

Looks like you have "got away with it" but for future reference I would invest in a bottle of spray sugar soap and wash down all walls with that. It kills the grease and allows paint to stick to previously painted walls. Well don on your first foray into the realms of DIY.

Hedgehog99

I would always wash down with sugar soap before decorating.

Remember that despite it's "sweet" name, it's caustic, so wear household gloves.

Looks like you got away with it this time, but remember for next time.

I hadn't decorated for 20 years (ahem), but the walls looked clean. However, the sugar soap water in my bucket told a different story.

Washing down (and letting it thoroughly dry before painting) ensures there is no dust or stray cobwebs to spoil the finish of your new paintwork.

RainbowLaura

Thank you everyone. I feel so much better now!