How to Repair Peeling Paint on Plaster Walls

When it comes to tricks that stop paint peeling, 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.

The next step on how to repair peeling paint on plaster walls 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.

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!