# Underlying layer of paint bubbling during application of new ceiling paint...



## Panzer5 (Oct 21, 2008)

Not the most experienced painter, but never run into this before.

The existing ceiling looks fine - had a couple of places where I needed to patch / sand - but overall it looked like your everyday painted ceiling. 

As I applied the new paint (Sherman Williams Brilliance) the underlying layer bubbles up in places (See bottom pic). Got frustrated at one patch & hit it with the scraper - which took everything off down to the drywall, as you can see.

Any ideas on what to do?

I'm pretty sure the moisture in the paint is causing the bubbling / separation of the original paint - but there is no way to tell by looking at the old paint *where* this is going to happen. Looking at the ceiling, all of it will look the same, then I'll paint an area and a few minutes later parts of it bubble up.


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Underlying coat? You mean first coat?

New construction?

Was first coat dry and clean ( no sanding dust) before second was applied?


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## Rent A Painter (May 29, 2010)

How old is the ceiling (house)?


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## Panzer5 (Oct 21, 2008)

Underlying = existing. The house is 60+ and the addition (where I'm working) probably dates to the eighties - if not before.

The room had last been painted before the current homeowners moved in (say over 6 years ago). Until now, there's been no problem with the ceiling paint.

After patching & sanding, I vacuumed up and sponged the walls and ceiling clean before painting.

This did not happen on the walls (repainted them too) - only on the ceiling.

There is clearly separation of the original paint from the ceiling happening shortly after I applied a new coat of ceiling paint. I think it has something to do with the old paint absorbing moisture from the new & bubbling up - but I've never run into this before. I can't be sure - but it looks like they might not have primed the ceiling before painting it (originally).


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

> Got frustrated at one patch & hit it with the scraper - which took everything off down to the drywall,


That statement is related to my next question. Did it come off just where the ceiling was patched?

Did you prime your repairs before and after mudding them? Had the mud ever been frozen? 

I'm assuming this a heated space, right?

I've never seen that happen. to a clean, dry, and primed surface.

If no moisture problem in the attic (ventilation), I believe I would oil prime, patch,sand,oil prime and repaint.


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Now that I think about it, I do remember one ceiling that did not want to take paint. The paint just wanted to slide like their was no or very little adhesion.

This ceiling looked and felt dry, but it had been wet from a roof leak. I saw it was not sticking and didn't like peeing in the wind, so I stopped trying to paint it. I figured the rock had to be replaced. What little I did may fallen off or bubbled up after I left. I have no idea. I expect the guy I was fixing this for had to eventually have it fixed as it was his company that roofed the house.


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## Ole34 (Jan 29, 2011)

were the bubbles there the next day ?? .............i only ask cause sometimes so called ''bubbles'' will suck back down


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

Scott, it sounds like you top coated over a dusty surface. 
As stated by Boman, Prime before patching it and after. 
The spray cans of Kilz work great for this type of job.:thumbsup:
-Paul


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## Panzer5 (Oct 21, 2008)

boman47k said:


> Did it come off just where the ceiling was patched?
> 
> Did you prime your repairs before and after mudding them? Had the mud ever been frozen?
> 
> ...


Yes, heated, conditioned space. I did not prime _before_ mudding - but did prime the areas I sanded and mudded before painting them.

Big thing is this - the areas where I did my repairs are NOT the problem. It only occurred in areas where I did nothing (other than wiping the surface clean) before applying the new coat of paint.

I think boman47k is onto something vis the roof leak. The homeowners had recently had their roof re-done, and some of the repairs I did were due to water staining from leaks. The odd thing is that the bubbling occurred in places where there was no obvious leaking - in fact they occurred 1-2 feet away from the nearest leak marks - in places where the paint / ceiling looked undamaged.

The top coat is not the problem - my paint is bonding to the existing surface coat of paint. The problem is that the existing / old paint is bubbling - and the bubbles are where the existing paint is separating from the ceiling's drywall.

There's probably a moisture problem with the drywall & the moisture from the new paint sucked through the old paint which then separated from the drywall.

Ole34 might be on to something too - wish I had waited to see if they'd have collapsed on their own after the paint dried.


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