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How to Repaint a Wall With Peeling Paint

Publish date
12th May 2025
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Want to learn all about repainting a wall with peeling paint and prevent paint peeling in the future? Read our step-by-step guide today and ensure your paint looks fresh and flawless.

In this article

We all want our homes to look as beautiful as possible, particularly when it’s time for guests to arrive. Caused by high humidity or unsuitable painting preparation, peeling paint on walls has the power to make even a well-decorated room seem neglected and worn. However, we’re pleased to tell you that all is not lost if you find yourself faced with flaking, peeling paint. In this expert guide, we'll teach you everything about repainting walls with peeling paint and how to transform the appearance of your room in 4 easy steps so you can let your home shine again.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Protect the room

Use masking tape to keep the dust sheet in place.
When repainting a wall with peeling paint, always remember to properly prepare your surface before picking up that paintbrush. Our useful guide on How to Paint a Wall will help you learn how to prepare your walls like a professional, however it’s vital to know some additional points when it comes to understanding how to repair peeling paint on plaster walls. For instance, paint often begins to flake or crack if the wall has not been suitably cleaned ahead of painting or if there is excess moisture in the walls, so be sure to fully address these areas ahead of applying your primer and top coat in future projects.
 
Whenever we start a DIY project, even if it’s just a small repair, we start by protecting the surfaces in the room. Begin by removing any furniture near the area you will be working on. Lay a Seriously Good Cotton Rich Dust Sheet to prevent any dust, drips or spills from ruining your floor or furniture. To keep you safe from tripping, we also recommend using some Essentials Masking Tape to secure the dust sheet in place. This will also stop paint from bleeding through to the floor or skirting boards below and prevent avoidable damage and challenging clean-ups.

Step 2: Scrape the paint

The next step to repainting a wall with peeling paint is to remove imperfections and smooth the surface of the wall. Depending on the size of the peeling paint, you can begin to break the flakes away with your fingers. For larger areas, we recommend using an Ultimate Paint Scraper to gently buff away peeling paint. For smaller surface areas, the Ultimate Fine Sandpaper and a Seriously Good Cork Block are the best tools to rapidly clean the area up.
 

When the loose paint has been removed, you may find some sections are still lifting away from the wall but are quite solid! In this case, use the Seriously Good Paperhanging Knife to cut around the area of flaking paint, and strip the paint away up to the line. Follow this up by sanding the area again with the Ultimate Sandpaper and clean any dust away with a damp Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth to guarantee an even finish.

Step 3: Clean the surface

Cutting in means using a paint brush to paint around the edges of the wall, do this in 1m sections.

With the area cleaned up and that frustrating peeling paint removed from your walls, it’s time to fill any holes or cracks in the wall to prevent peeling from taking place in the future. Use the Ultimate Filling Knife to apply a small amount of fine surface filler to the areas where the top paint layer meets the bottom paint layer or plaster. When the filler has fully dried and solidified, use the Ultimate Fine Sandpaper and Seriously Good Cork Block to buff the area down until it is smooth to the touch. Once again use a damp Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth to clean the dust away and ensure your surface is pristine ready for painting.

Step 4: Paint the surface


Now to the painting! Take the Ultimate Walls and Ceilings Flat Brush and begin painting around any detail areas on the wall including your light switches and skirting. Next, switch to the Ultimate Walls and Ceilings 4″ Roller to transform your walls, ensuring fast and even coverage of the affected area. Depending on the amount of paint removed in the initial phases, several coats may be required to fully cover the area. If bare plaster is exposed when removing the paint, you will need to apply a mist coat as a first coat to effectively seal the plaster. Follow our How to Paint New Plaster tutorial for more guidance on this step!

Discover more expert guides and handy top-tips to DIY success in our How To, Tip Exchange and Let’s Plan sections now!

Paint typically peels when it loses adhesion to the surface beneath. The most common causes include moisture or damp in the walls, inadequate surface preparation before painting, painting over a dirty or greasy surface, or applying paint to plaster that hasn't fully dried. In older properties, you may also encounter issues with multiple layers of paint becoming too heavy for the wall, or problems with calcimine (an old chalk-based coating) that prevents modern paints from bonding properly.

Unfortunately, painting directly over peeling paint will not solve the problem. The new paint will only be as stable as the surface beneath it, meaning it will eventually peel off along with the old coating. You must remove all loose and flaking paint before repainting to ensure proper adhesion and a long-lasting finish.

There are several telltale signs of moisture-related peeling. If the wall feels soft or spongy when pressed, if you notice yellow or brown stains beneath the peeling paint, or if you can see mould or mildew growth, moisture is likely the culprit. Rooms with poor ventilation, such as bathrooms and kitchens, are particularly prone to moisture-related paint problems due to steam and condensation settling on walls.

Yes, applying a suitable primer is strongly recommended after removing peeling paint and before applying your topcoat. Primer creates a stable base that helps your new paint adhere properly to the surface. If you've exposed bare plaster during the repair process, you'll need to apply a mist coat (watered-down emulsion) first to seal the porous surface before adding your finishing coats.

A mist coat is a diluted mixture of emulsion paint and water that acts as a primer for bare or new plaster. You'll need one if you've scraped back to bare plaster during your repair. The typical ratio is around 70% paint to 30% water, though this can vary by brand. The watered-down mixture soaks into the porous plaster rather than sitting on top, creating a sealed surface that your topcoat can properly grip. Without a mist coat, paint applied directly to bare plaster is highly likely to peel.

If you've exposed bare plaster, it needs to be completely dry before painting. Fresh plaster typically takes two to four weeks to dry fully, depending on the thickness, room temperature and ventilation. You can tell plaster is dry when it changes from a dark colour to an even, pale pink shade and feels cool but not damp to the touch. Painting too soon traps moisture beneath the paint, which will inevitably cause peeling.

These rooms experience higher humidity levels from cooking steam, hot showers and baths. This excess moisture can penetrate beneath the paint film and weaken its bond with the wall. To reduce peeling in high-moisture areas, ensure good ventilation by using extractor fans and opening windows regularly. When repainting, choose a paint specifically formulated for kitchens and bathrooms, as these contain additives that resist moisture and mould.

Yes. Over time, multiple layers of paint can become heavy and begin to pull away from the wall surface. If your walls have been repainted many times over the years, the accumulated weight of all those coats can cause sagging, cracking and peeling. In such cases, you may need to strip the surface back more thoroughly before repainting rather than simply patching affected areas.

Featured Products

Seriously Good

Seriously Good Cotton Dust Sheet 3.6m x 2.75m
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Ultimate

Ultimate Super Scraper
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Seriously Good

Seriously Good Paperhanging Knife
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Ultimate

Ultimate Walls & Ceilings Paint Brush 3 Pack
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