[obviouslymaggie]

we purchased a foreclosed home and the bank painted the house with a flat eggshell colored paint. the problem that we are having is that they painted over top of latex paint so the paint is just peeling in the bathrooms.
i have been told by painters that the best way to get it off is warm water and a drop of dawn soap and a sponge but the WHOLE whole is like this! it's a 3 story with cathedral ceilings in the living room.

how do i quickly remove the flat paint so i can primer over the latex and repaint the colors that i want?

 

[joecaption]

we purchased a foreclosed home and the bank painted the house with a flat eggshell colored paint. the problem that we are having is that they painted over top of latex paint so the paint is just peeling in the bathrooms.
i have been told by painters that the best way to get it off is warm water and a drop of dawn soap and a sponge but the WHOLE whole is like this! it's a 3 story with cathedral ceilings in the living room.

how do i quickly remove the flat paint so i can primer over the latex and repaint the colors that i want?

None of this post makes since to me.
Egg shell is a sheen not a color, it's flat or egg shell finish not both.
If they painted latex over latex it should not be peeling.
Sounds more like someone did not clean the walls first or painted latex over oil based paint.
No way is a sponge and soap going to wash off peeling paint, time for some new painters.

 

[ARC Painting]

If it is just peeling in the bathrooms, it may only be an adhesion problem there, since baths can have a glossier paint than other areas, not to mention moisture, that contributes to the flat paint failing.

We really need more information to help though...

 

[obviouslymaggie]

The whole house was originally painted with a semi-gloss paint. When it was foreclosed on, the bank that owned it came through, and put a regular, FLAT PAINT on top of the semi-gloss without putting a primer down that would adhere to the semi-gloss paint.

Now, throughout the whole house, the paint is peeling off since its a flat on top of the semi-gloss.

What my husband and I are trying to do is take the flat paint off so that we can then prime the walls with something that will adhere to the semi-gloss so that way we can paint the house the way we want.

I need to know how to take the flat paint off because if I just prime/paint over the top of what is there now, it will just peel off with the flat. SO, does anyone know of a way that I can get the flat paint off that is not hard to do???

We have tried taking warm water mixed with a little soap and "washed" the walls so that the flat paint would soak up the water which would allow us to scrape it off. Yet, its not working because it took about 2 hours for a 2' x 2' area.

 

[Brushjockey]

Bummer. And screw the banks that degrade the properties through ignorance!
But if it took 2 hrs to remove a 2x2, that area is adhered good enough.
If it were me , I would try to find the areas it was easily letting go ( use some tape- cut an x in the paint- tape and pull tape- did it come off?)
and work on that . Concentrate on easy wear areas- the high stuff will not get abrasion to help it loosen.
Then when satisfied that you have reasonably done what you could, prime the whole thing with a clear penetrating prime called Gardz. Kinda like a glue/ seal coat. then first coat, mud as needed, prime mud, and finish.

 

[paint boss]

we purchased a foreclosed home and the bank painted the house with a flat eggshell colored paint. the problem that we are having is that they painted over top of latex paint so the paint is just peeling in the bathrooms.
i have been told by painters that the best way to get it off is warm water and a drop of dawn soap and a sponge but the WHOLE whole is like this! it's a 3 story with cathedral ceilings in the living room.

how do i quickly remove the flat paint so i can primer over the latex and repaint the colors that i want?

If your are saying they painted oil-base paint over latex that could be a problem. Sometimes it can be accomplished without a problem. I would scrap off what comes off easily and sand the peeled areas to a feather edge. Oil base can be sanded easily unlike latex paints. Then use Zinsser cover stain bonding primer and repaint with your choice of paint. I would do the same to the rest house of the to be sure there is not a future problem.The problem could be isolated to the bathroom because of the lack of proper preparation or excess moisture in that area. If the room does not have an exhaust fan then that could be the problem.

 

[Windows]

If it took you 2 hours of effort to remove only a little bit of the flat paint, are you sure you actually have a problem? As stated above, this is the kind of issue you need to address as it comes up. Live in the house for a while and fix the areas you have trouble with and leave alone areas that you don't.

 

[Brushjockey]

Paint Boss- where are you getting the oil idea from? She said nothing about oil...

 

[Gymschu]

Personally, I would test a wall first. Using an orbital or sheet sander, sand off/scuff up a wall. Clean the dust off. Prime with Guardz or at least a bonding primer. Allow to dry for 24 - 48 hours. Paint wall. Allow to dry 24 -48 hours. Apply a strip of painter's blue tape on that painted wall and pull it off. If paint comes off, you know you have a serious issue and you will have to go the route of priming and skim coat ing. If the paint stays put on the wall, you may be able to use the same process on all the other walls. At this point, what have you got to lose. Experiment to see what you're up against.