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Anyone give me some killer insight about a decorating issue? We've had some building work done and I've repainted the bedroom the other day. Mostly fine, except the bloody expensive supposedly good Dulux paint I've used on the skirting board has cracked loads on the flat horizontal top surface. Initially thought it was the heat of the radiator, so turned that off and sanded back the first coat then did the second. Looked this morning and the second coat's done it as well. Very annoying!
It won't be the paint cracking, it will be the skirting drying out and shrinking.
Did you apply knotting solution to the knots? Did you then prime and undercoat? Did you fill the small gap behind the skirting board with decorator's caulk? A good paint system will reduce moisture loss and shrinking and the caulk should be a little flexible. Best advice now would be to re-caulk, finish with a wet sponge run along, allow to dry then re-paint.
ok, thanks for info. it was painting over the top of existing paint so i sanded that back and just went put a fresh coat on top - is this a mistake?
seemed to take alright with a smooth finish, aside from the cracking in a few spots. what should i do?!
anyone else?
What Exactly is the dulux paint you used ?
And where has it split ?
Is this new skirting ?
Is it New Plasterwork behind ? and was it fully dry before mounting the skirting ?
I suspect you havent followed the application instructions, IE It may need a compatible undercoat (Most Gloss does) and its always a good Idea to undercoat anyway, as it acts as a sealer and stops gloss reacting with old paint as well as giving a better finish.
Is it the filled transition between the wall and skirting thats 'cracking' or actually on the skirting itself?
ok, the answers:
paint = dulux diamond satinwood, white;
split = it hasn't "split" as such, more sort of cratered cracking in some parts of the horizontal top surface only;
skirting - not new, a new covering of paint on sanded back existing painted skirting;
new plaster behind some but not all of the skirting, i'll check if there's a correlation between locations;
and cracking is not in what would be the gaps between wall and board (though there aren't really any, anyway), more just on the actual flat surface.
I'd guess at an annoying reaction between the new paint and something already on the skirting. If only the top surface is effected I wonder what the plasterer may have got on there, PVA maybe and the paint doesn't like it?
I don't know whether undercoat would have prevented your trouble but I have been painting a mixture of old and new skirting in replastered rooms recently. I have used undercoat and not had that problem.
Sort of sounds like paint over silicone which is never a good thing, but if its gone over original paint....
ok, thanks for input chaps. don't really know what to do to sort it out, though!
Got any pictures?
You should be fine sanding back and the paint should be compatable.
If it's cratering then it sounds like a contamination issue but that depends on if we are talking about the same kind of thing.
My guesses would be that there is damp which has affected the paint drying, the plaster shrinking or the skirting board warping. How long was the plaster drying for? To have a paint like dulux crack is very (very) unlikely. These are key issues tacked before it hits the market. It's normally due to some extenuating circumstances rather than product issues.
Other potentials dontamination leading to poor adhesion to the previously painted substrate. Given that it's the hoizontal surface by intant reaction is to wonder how thick you applied it as well. Very common to see over application on horizontals because unlike verticals it doesn't sag.
My expertise isn't in the deco business though, I'm more industrial although I am a qualified coating inspector 8) (NACE CIP). Work for Akzonobel, all views my own etc.
ok, thanks. from what you say it is most likely to be over-application, though i wouldn't honestly have thought so, or the wall/plaster right adjacent to it not being quite dry. i'll take some pictures in a minute.
I suspect the old paint surface was contaminated in some way. It could be the plasterer used PVA as a bonding agent and some got onto the skirting or it could be furniture polish on the old paint surface from general house cleaning etc.Dulux Diamond Satinwood is water based and needs really good surface preparation before application. That means after any rubbing down the surface needs to be cleaned with a sugar soap solution, rinsed and dried with any bare wood primed, best practice would be to undercoat the whole surface even though DDSW is supposedly self undercoating.
i did do the rub and sugar soap first. but maybe not comprehensively enough, in hindsight. guess some more sanding and creation of a better "key" might be in order now?