Old paint taken off until what's left will hold the next coat.
Flaking distemper, chalking cement paint and lifting putty taken off until what remains will actually hold a coat, with the dust contained, the plaster underneath checked, and an honest account of what we find behind it.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
Does old paint have to be removed before repainting?
Not always, and rarely all of it. Paint bonds to the layer beneath it, so if that layer is loose, chalky or oily, the new coat lifts right along with it. We scrape, tape and rub-test each wall, then remove only where the bond has failed and abrade the rest.
When this is the answer, and when it is not.
Sending you to the wrong service wastes your money and our time. This is how to tell.
This is likely right if
- The existing coat is flaking, blistering or coming away in sheets when you press a blade under it
- Old distemper or cement paint chalks off on your hand, so nothing new will bond to it
- Putty or emulsion has been laid over an unsound layer and is now lifting in patches
- You are going from an old oil-bound or enamel finish to emulsion, which won't hold on gloss
Something else comes first if
- The coating is sound and well bonded, cleaning, abrading and priming is enough, and stripping would only tear the plaster
- Blistering is being driven by moisture from behind, the source has to be traced and treated first, or the next coat lifts the same way
- The plaster sounds hollow when tapped, that's a plaster repair job, and taking paint off it will only pull more of it down
What the service includes.
Coating identification and adhesion testing
We scrape, tape-test and rub each wall to establish what's on it, dry distemper, cement paint, oil-bound finish, emulsion, putty, and which layer the bond is failing at.
Containment and dust control
Doorways sheeted and taped, floors and fittings covered, sanding run with extraction where the coating allows, and a debris route planned that doesn't pass through your living room.
Removal back to a sound layer
Scraping, wet softening, mechanical abrasion or spot stripping, chosen for the coating in front of us and for how much the plaster underneath can take.
Checks on the bare surface
Once the coating is off we take moisture readings, tap for hollow plaster and look at what the old coat was hiding, and we tell you before anything is covered again.
Edges feathered and the surface brought level
Where sound paint is retained, its edges are sanded out so the join doesn't telegraph through the new finish. Plaster torn during scraping is cut back and filled.
Debris out and a written record
Scrapings bagged and removed, the area vacuumed down, and a written note of what was found on each wall so the priming can be specified for what's actually there.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Re-plastering where the plaster comes away with the coating, assessed and quoted once the extent is visible
- Tracing and treating the damp that caused the coating to fail, and any waterproofing that follows
- Laboratory testing of old oil paints for lead, and the specialist handling a positive result would call for
- Stripping of wooden doors, window frames, grilles and gates, a different method, quoted under wood and metal painting
- The repaint itself, primer and finish coats are specified and quoted as painting work
The sequence.
Inspection and coating identification
We tap, scrape and rub-test wall by wall, and cut back a small section where we need to see the layers in order.
Agree the extent in writing
Full removal, patch removal or abrade-and-overcoat, marked wall by wall, so the quotation shows exactly how much is coming off and how much is staying.
Contain the area
Sheeting, taping, floor protection, and a ventilation and debris route agreed with you, and with the association, where common corridors or lifts are involved.
Remove by the method the coating needs
Scraping and wet softening for distemper and loose putty, mechanical abrasion for bonded films, spot stripping only where nothing else will shift it.
Inspect the bare surface and make good
Moisture readings, a hollow-plaster check, cracks opened, torn areas filled, and the edges of retained paint feathered out.
Clean down and hand over
Debris bagged and taken out of the building, surfaces vacuumed, and the findings written down for whoever primes and paints next.
What moves the price on this job.
We do not publish a rate, because it would change once someone measured your property. These are the variables that decide it.
- How many coatings are stacked on the wall, and whether anything was ever removed before
- Which coating it is, dry distemper scrapes away quickly, a bonded acrylic texture doesn't
- Whether the whole surface has to come off or only the areas where the bond has failed
- The condition of the plaster underneath, which decides how much making good follows the stripping
- Access and containment, ceilings, stairwells, full-height exterior walls and occupied rooms all slow removal down
- How the scrapings and any stripper residue have to be collected and carried out of the building
Old-Paint Removal — your questions.
Does every layer have to come off, down to the plaster?
Rarely. What matters is the weakest layer in the stack, not how many layers there are. If an old dry distemper sits buried under two sound emulsions and nothing is lifting, it stays. If the bottom layer rubs to powder, everything above it is only as good as that powder, so the lot comes off. We mark the walls after testing so you can see the split.
Can putty just be applied over the old paint instead?
Only over a coating that's sound and keyed. Putty is a thin cement-based skim with very little strength of its own, it holds on to whatever it is spread over. Over chalky distemper or a glossy oil-bound finish it lets go later and comes away in sheets, taking the new emulsion with it. We see that failure often, which is why the testing comes before the quotation.
How much dust and mess will this make?
A great deal, unless it is controlled, which is why containment sits in the scope rather than being an afterthought. Doorways are sheeted and taped, floors and fittings covered, sanding run with extraction where the coating allows, and coatings softened with water where dry sanding would fill the flat with fines. Scrapings are bagged at the end of each day rather than swept into the corridor. Expect noise as well as dust.
We repainted last year and it is peeling again. Will removal fix it?
Removal fixes it only if the bond was the problem. If the coat lifted because moisture is coming through from behind, a leaking bathroom wall, a failed terrace, a wall with a water line buried in it, then stripping and repainting gives you the same result again. So we take moisture readings on the bare surface and say plainly when the source has to be traced before any new coat goes on.
Are chemical strippers used inside an occupied flat?
Sparingly, and only where scraping and abrading can't do the job, an old enamel or an oil-bound distemper on a surface we would rather not gouge. Strippers need ventilation, a neutralising wash afterwards and careful collection of the residue, none of which suits a room in daily use. In an occupied home we normally plan mechanical removal instead and stage the work room by room.
Let us look at your walls first.
Tell us about the property and we will set up a free colour and wall inspection. You get a written, itemised quotation afterwards, with no obligation to go ahead.
- We call you back the same day to get a picture of the property and the surfaces.
- We agree a time and come out for the free inspection.
- You get the written scope and itemised quotation.
- Nothing starts until you approve it.