Homes usually have a lot of visitors. Friends and family are frequent guests, which means walls get plenty of love taps. Residents also have houseguests from time to time, which means they get lots of unintentional hard knocks. It’s not uncommon for these small accidents to leave the walls with chips or even large chunks missing. Chips and cracks in the paint can make a room look old and dingy very quickly. Repairs aren’t difficult but you shouldn’t take shortcuts or rush them. It’s worth investing the time it takes to thoroughly prep the surface for repairs, then follow through with the rest of your plan effectively. The best wall repair begins with removing all old finishes from the damaged area and then prepping that area for fresh paint as soon as possible. There are several ways to fix chipped paint on walls, but only if you first prepare your surface for treatment and then proceed correctly from there.
How To Fix Chipped Paint On Wall
Remove Old Paint Before Repairing Walls
The key to quality repairs is first removing all of the old paint. It’s important to do this before you attempt any repairs that involve more than touching up a few spots in the wall. The catch is that the old paint has to be gone before you can repair the damage and repaint. If you try to work over the top of existing paint, you will just create more problems and delays. You’ll have to apply more coats to get a smooth finish, and that will take much longer to dry. There are several ways to remove old paint from walls, but most methods are best suited for small areas or for removing a very thin layer of finish. It’s not recommended that you try to strip the entire wall or large areas.
Sanding is the Key to Good Repairs
Any repairs that involve repainting walls are basically a fresh coat of paint over the repair. If you don’t sand back to the bare surface, or at least very close to it, the new paint will not look good. It will look patchy and uneven, and the repair will be obvious. A fresh coat of paint applied over a repair leaves a very obvious line where the paint ends. It’s also often difficult to match the color of existing paint. It’s best to sand back to the bare surface whenever possible. As with removing the old paint, you’ll need to do this on a large area with a power sander. Unless you have a lot of experience sanding with a hand sander, you’ll likely leave visible marks on the surface.
Use Touch-up Paint as a Basecoat
For large areas, the best solution is to apply a couple of heavy coats of matching touch-up paint to the surface. The paint should be thick enough to cover any minor imperfections on the surface and provide a smooth finish. When the paint is completely dry, it’s a good idea to sand the surface lightly with fine-grit paper to remove any raised edges from the touch-up paint. You don’t want to remove all of the paint; just sand it down slightly so it’s level with the surrounding surface. Once the surface is perfectly smooth, apply a coat of primer and then a couple of coats of your topcoat. The top coat should be a paint designed for large areas, like enamel paint.
Use Acrylic Resin Overcoating for Repairs
If you need to repair larger areas, or the patches are larger, you can use a special acrylic resin overcoating to seal the surface. This works especially well for cracks in the wall. When you use the resin overcoating, you will need to paint a base coat on the wall before you apply the sealer. The sealer itself is very sticky, so it will not stick to other paints. You’ll also want to protect your freshly sanded surface with a light coat of primer. Once the base coat is dry, apply the sealer. The sealer will expand slightly as it dries, filling in any cracks or holes in the wall. It dries quickly, so you’ll need to work in small sections.
Use Drywall Repairs When All Else Fails
If you have a large area with missing patches, and you don’t want to repaint the entire wall, you can always install drywall repairs. This is essentially replacing a section of the wall. It may seem drastic, but if you have a large area that needs repairs, it will be a lot less obvious than trying to blend the repairs with the rest of the wall. When installing drywall patches, you should use a slightly thinner sheet of drywall. You can apply joint compound over the seams once the new patch is installed. This will help blend the repair into the wall, but it won’t be as seamless as a new section of the wall.
Conclusion
Wall damage is common in homes and can be caused by a variety of mishaps. Chips and cracks in the paint can make a room look old and dingy very quickly. Repairs aren’t difficult but you shouldn’t take shortcuts or rush them. It’s worth investing the time it takes to thoroughly prep the surface for repairs, then follow through with the rest of your plan effectively. If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to easily repair any damage to your walls and get them looking their best again.
FAQ:
Q: I have a small paint chip on my wall, how do I get rid of it?
A: If you are able to remove the paint chip easily, you can try painting over the area with a light coat of primer. This will make the wall look uniform and cover the chip. If this doesn’t work, you could try removing the paint from the chip with a razor blade. You can then try to fill in the hole with a putty knife or toothpick. If that doesn’t work, you can use a patching compound to fill in any holes or cracks in your wall.
Q: Is it possible to remove paint from concrete walls?
A: Yes, but it is difficult. You can try using some sort of chemical cleaner on concrete walls and let them sit for several days before wiping them clean with a damp cloth. You can also try using an abrasive like sandpaper on concrete walls if you are unable to remove all of the paint from your walls.
Q: Can I fix paint damage on wood doors?
A: Yes, but it will take some time and effort. Use an acrylic primer on wood doors before painting over any damaged areas. This will help protect your new color choice from fading or staining as soon as you start painting over them with your new color choice. After that is finished, apply several coats of your new color choice and let each coat dry completely before applying another coat of primer over it.
Q: Can I remove the paint from the wallpaper?
A: Yes, but it will take some time and effort. You can try scraping off the paint with a razor blade but be careful because you might get some of the paper stuck to the wall as well. You could also try sanding down the wall with fine-grit sandpaper before removing any paint with a razor blade.
Q: How can I fix paint damage on wood floors?
A: You can try using an acrylic primer on wood floors before painting over any damaged areas. This will help protect your new color choice from fading or staining as soon as you start painting over them with your new color choice. After that is finished, apply several coats of your new color choice and let each coat dry completely before applying another coat of primer over it.
