# Bubbles on interior walls: what to do?



## iPaint (Nov 30, 2007)

I just had a previous customer phone today to inform me that - fortunately only in two spots - the paint appeared to form a small bubble. They are on interior walls and I top-coated with two coats of eggshell latex. Any idea what might cause this and what I might do to fix this? I might have forgotten to prime a couple of holes that I would have patched, but other than this I'm stumped!


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

I have seen this happen on areas that are skimmed with mud, and if the mud isnt thoroughly cured and/or you put paint over it instead of priming, the patch may decline adhesion. Its a tricky fix, as there is air in the bubbles and when you break them and peel them back you can remove alot of paint.


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## timhag (Sep 30, 2007)

vermontpainter said:


> there is air in the bubbles .


V, in my 41 years of life, I never knew what caused bubbles. Thanks brother, I learned something new today.:jester:


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

TH

As you are noticing, my mind operates at a real simple level. :blink:


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## timhag (Sep 30, 2007)

vermontpainter said:


> TH
> 
> As you are noticing, my mind operates at a real simple level. :blink:


:laughing:


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## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

vermontpainter said:


> I have seen this happen on areas that are skimmed with mud, and if the mud isnt thoroughly cured and/or you put paint over it instead of priming, the patch may decline adhesion. Its a tricky fix, as there is air in the bubbles and when you break them and peel them back you can remove alot of paint.



I agree this could be the problem and have had that happen to me when using vinyl/acrylic paints.
I have popped the bubble and scraped the paint till it stop which usually happens if its over a patch, and used a heat gun to make sure the patch was dried primed the area w/ oil re patched sanded and re primed then tried to touch up the spot with top coat to no avail and had to paint the entire wall again, lesson learned about painting over patches that were dry.

Now this may not be the case in your instance but it was in mine.


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

What paint?
Holes filled with what?


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## ProWallGuy (Apr 7, 2007)

slickshift said:


> What paint?
> Holes filled with what?


I'd bet dollars to donuts it was hot-mud. Or Quik-set. Or 90 minute. Whatever you want to call it. The fast drying stuff, not the evaporative drying kind.


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## smalljobs (Feb 3, 2008)

Paint could be the problem too. What did you use?


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## jeffsko (Mar 20, 2008)

Could be moisture in the substrate. Check for a leak. Moisture meter, if you have one.


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## plainpainter (Nov 6, 2007)

You enconter this problem when their is 'weak' adhesion of the bottom most layer of paint to wall. This happens alot now adays with blueboard/veneer plaster being back in vogue again. I keep trying to tell guys that the stuff is an absolute disaster to paint. For one thing - it's very dusty, and requires to be at least washed - which few guys do. Then it is very alkaline - so an oil primer is out of the question unless you wait 3 months. And thirdly unless you had a top rate plaster that really 'trowelled up' his work, you may get some jobs that are very porous and chalky. I've seen whole areas of which the plasterer filled in the 'cat-eyes' with wet-trowelling procedure - and watched those areas pop right back out, when the primer was applied. Sometimes the first and second finish seem ok - but then you go back and apply a quality 100% acrylic coat, that really stresses the older paint - poof, the old adhesion breaks - you get a bubble - and you now you are all done. I put this stuff in writing that I am not responsible and fixing it is extra.


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## Dustygirl01 (Feb 12, 2008)

Plainpainter, I think you are exactly right. We had this same thing happen on a job where the walls were plaster skim-coated. We had to strip wallpaper prior to the painting, which made the wall surface even more unstable.


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## Tmrrptr (May 4, 2007)

What I have seen, is fast setting plasters that were not mixed well enough and applied too quickly, will out-gas, they call it.

If IT has craters or whatever, from that, you must let it dry before a fix.

Leave the oil based primer in the shop!

If you got a blister in the topcoat, it might likely go away by itself, if you make excuses and lag a few days before going over to inspect the problem.

If it won't subside by itself, shave it off with a blade, spackle to fill the new discrepancy and spot prime w/ feather after dry. Repaint the wall to a block line or HVLP if behind furniture or NOT right in front of view.

Cause is probably from trying to go too fast.
Just can't rush everything!
Painting used to be fun.


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## Z paint (Jan 16, 2008)

this has happened to me alot and i usually let the bubbles settle and they go away...in my experience it is from painting over 90 minute patc to soon..and moisture in exterior walls


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