How to Fix Patchy Paint on a Wall
Patchy paint is nearly always one of a handful of problems, and they look much the same from across the room but they're fixed differently, so it's worth working out which one you've got before you open another tin. Stand side on to the wall with a window or a torch throwing light across it, because that's the light that shows the problem up, and look at whether the patches are dull, shiny, thin or a slightly different colour.
Thin patches where the old colour shows
If you can see the old colour ghosting through in places, the paint simply hasn't covered, and that usually means the coats went on too thin or the colour change was a big one. Another full coat over the whole wall is the fix, laid on generously rather than stretched, and if you're going from a dark colour to a light one, a prepcoat underneath does more than a third topcoat would.
Dull or shiny spots over filler
A patch that looks duller or flatter than the rest of the wall, usually right where you filled a hole or sanded back to bare plaster, is called flashing. The filler soaks up paint differently to the painted wall around it, so the sheen comes out different even when the colour is right. The fix is a sealer undercoat over just those repairs, and once that's dry, a full coat over the whole wall, because a touch-up on the spot tends to flash all over again.
Stripes and lap marks
Stripes running the height of the wall are lap marks, where fresh paint has been rolled over an edge that had already started to dry. The cure is another full coat, and this time keep a wet edge by finishing each wall in one go, rolling top to bottom in strips a roller wide and always back into paint that's still wet. The lap marks post goes through the method properly.
When it's the roller
A cheap roller sleeve, or one with the wrong nap for the wall, holds less paint and lays it on unevenly, and a sleeve that's been left to dry out with paint in it never rolls properly again. For a flat interior wall a medium nap of around 10 to 12mm is the usual choice.
Give it time and the right light
Judge the wall once it's fully dry, because paint looks patchy while it's still drying, and recoat only after the time printed on the tin. Paint by daylight or with a work light standing on the floor, since a ceiling light straight overhead hides exactly the patches you'll notice the next morning.
If the wall needs a full recoat anyway, a good low sheen acrylic covers better than a cheap one, and we mix and tint Haymes and Taubmans to order in the shop.
Shop related products
- Unifiber 270mm Roller Kit, 11mm Nap. A medium nap for flat interior walls.
- Uni-Pro 230mm Unifiber Roller Cover, 6 Pack. Spare sleeves, so a dried one gets binned instead of reused.
- Uni-Pro Aluminium Extension Pole, 1.2m to 2.4m. Keeps the strips even from ceiling to skirting.
- Medium Sanding Block. For knocking back filler before it's sealed.
Did you know Haymes paint is tinted to order in the shop, and like the Haymes prepcoats it can't be shipped, so both are a pick up. We stock a sealer undercoat as well, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf, or have a look at the paint mixing page. The rollers and the rest are in paint and accessories.
Keep reading
- How many coats of paint does a wall really need?
- How to choose a roller sleeve for your paint finish
I still check every wall I paint side on with a torch, because the ceiling light flatters everybody.
Cheers,
Candeece
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