Peeling paint fixed at the cause, so the next coat stays on.
Flaking, blistering and lifting paint taken back to a surface that will hold, with the reason it failed identified first, because a fresh coat over a loose one comes away in the same place.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
Why is my wall paint peeling, and can it be repaired?
Paint peels because the layer beneath it has let go: damp plaster, chalky old distemper, putty painted without primer, or fresh plaster still alkaline enough to break down the coat above. Repair means working out which of those it is, stopping the cause, scraping back to paint that won't move, rebuilding the surface level and repainting the wall corner to corner.
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
- Paint is flaking, blistering or lifting in patches while the rest of the wall is still firm
- An earlier coat went over old distemper or unprimed putty and is now coming away in sheets
- A leak has already been traced and stopped, the wall has dried, and the damaged finish needs making good
- One area of a bathroom, kitchen or exterior wall is peeling and you want it corrected before repainting
Something else comes first if
- Water is still getting in, a leaking pipe, a terrace slab, an open joint at a chajja. The source has to be stopped and the wall allowed to dry before any finish is repaired
- The plaster sounds hollow when tapped, or comes away along with the paint. That's plaster repair, and a new coat over it will fail again
- The coating is lifting on every wall rather than in patches, which is a full paint removal job down to a base that will hold
What the service includes.
Failure diagnosis
We open a test area and look at what actually comes off. Paint releasing from the plaster is a different problem from one coat sliding off another, and the two need different repairs.
Moisture and substrate checks
Moisture readings on the affected wall and the surfaces behind and above it, a tap test for hollow plaster, and a rub test for chalky old distemper that nothing will bond to.
Dust containment and protection
Old coatings come off as flakes and fine powder. Floors sheeted, furniture moved clear and covered, doorways screened so the dust stays in the room being worked on.
Removal back to a sound edge
Scraping continues past the visible damage until the blade stops lifting paint, then the edges are feathered so the repair doesn't sit as a ridge under the new coat.
Rebuilding and levelling
Putty in thin coats to bring the scraped area back flush with the wall around it, each coat allowed to dry and sanded before the next goes on.
Primer and finish coats
Primer chosen for what's left on the wall, alkali-resistant on fresh or high-pH plaster, an adhesion primer over a sound but chalky base, then finish coats taken corner to corner, not stopped at the patch.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Tracing and repairing the leak that caused the peeling, plumbing, terrace, drain line or AC condensate
- Waterproofing of terraces, sunken bathroom slabs and exterior faces, which is quoted separately
- Structural crack repair, or any wall movement needing a structural engineer's opinion
- Stripping every coat from a whole house, which is old paint removal rather than peeling repair
- Replacing gypsum or POP false ceiling boards that have swollen and lost their shape after water ingress
The sequence.
Inspection and test scrape
We open a small area at the worst point to see how deep the failure runs and which layer is letting go. Nothing is quoted before that's known.
Find the cause
Moisture readings, and a look at what sits behind, above and on the other side of the wall, plumbing chases, chajjas, window sills, parapets, AC drain runs. Repair only makes sense once the cause is understood.
Agree the scope in writing
Patch repair, full wall or full removal, with the area and coat count set out in your quotation. Where the cause sits outside this work, we say so plainly and quote it separately.
Strip and clean
Loose coating removed back to a sound edge, efflorescence and salts brushed off dry, and the surface left free of dust, chalk and grease so the primer has something to grip.
Rebuild and prime
Putty in thin coats, sanded flush with the surrounding wall, then the primer matched to the substrate the scraping has exposed.
Repaint and hand back
Finish coats to the agreed count, taken wall to wall so the repair doesn't read as a patch, followed by a walkthrough with you to close anything outstanding.
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 far the loose coating actually runs, the scraped area is almost always larger than the visible damage
- How many old layers are on the wall, since distemper, putty, primer and emulsion each come off differently
- Whether the failure is moisture-driven, and whether the wall has to be left to dry before work can continue
- How much putty is needed to bring the scraped area back level, as against a light spot-fill
- Access, ceilings, stairwell walls and exterior faces need ladders, staging or rope access
- Whether only the repaired wall is repainted or the whole room is taken corner to corner for uniform colour
Paint Peeling Repair — your questions.
Can you paint over the peeling patch instead of scraping it?
No. Paint bonds to whatever is directly beneath it, so a new coat laid over loose flakes inherits the weakness of that layer and lifts along with it. Scraping back to paint that won't move is the only sensible starting point. We do that before quoting the finish, so the real extent is known to both of us.
Why did the paint peel in the first place?
Usually one of four reasons: moisture reaching the plaster from a leak or an unsealed exterior face; emulsion applied over chalky old distemper that nothing can grip; putty painted without a primer sealing it; or fresh plaster still alkaline enough to break down the coat above it. The repair depends entirely on which one it is.
Will the repaired patch be visible afterwards?
A patch painted only up to its own edge will show, as a difference in level, sheen or colour, most obviously in raking daylight. That's why we feather the scraped edges, rebuild the surface flush and take the finish coats corner to corner on that wall. On an exterior face, the full elevation is often the honest answer.
It was repaired last year and has peeled again. What went wrong?
Almost always the cause was never removed. If a bathroom pipe, a terrace joint or a crack in the exterior render is still letting water into the plaster, the wall stays wet behind the paint and pushes the next coat off in the same place. We check moisture before quoting, and say plainly when the fix has to happen elsewhere first.
Do you've to remove the paint from the whole wall?
Not always. Where the sound areas hold up to a scrape and a tape check, we remove only what's loose and feather the edges into it. But if old distemper is chalking under the emulsion, or the coating lifts wherever a blade is placed, spot removal only buys time and the whole surface has to come back to a base that will hold.
Related services
- Dampness and Seepage TreatmentWhere moisture is driving the peeling, the water has to be stopped before any repair holds.
- Old-Paint RemovalWhen the coating is failing everywhere rather than in patches, the whole surface has to come off.
- Wall Putty ApplicationOnce the loose coating is off, the scraped surface has to be brought back level before painting.
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.