Modern emulsion paint on lime plaster walls - what to do?

[Mrs McG]

Hello folks

I’ve just moved into my new home, a late 17th / early 18th century grade II listed cottage with lath & plaster walls. Loving my new home but I suspect I will be coming here much more frequently as lots of things need attention and I’m a DIY novice!

I’ve removed some built-in wardrobes in the main bedroom so the walls need some minor repairs and of course repainting, however I suspect that they’ve been painted with modern emulsion as I found a tin of magnolia Dulux in the garage

Do I need to remove this before repainting and if so any suggestions on how best to do this?

 

[Lacan07]

Hello folks

I’ve just moved into my new home, a late 17th / early 18th century grade II listed cottage with lath & plaster walls. Loving my new home but I suspect I will be coming here much more frequently as lots of things need attention and I’m a DIY novice!

I’ve removed some built-in wardrobes in the main bedroom so the walls need some minor repairs and of course repainting, however I suspect that they’ve been painted with modern emulsion as I found a tin of magnolia Dulux in the garage

Do I need to remove this before repainting and if so any suggestions on how best to do this?

Hello

Where is this bedroom, is it ground or upper floor? Is it an external wall, is there any evidence of previous issues?

 

[Zebra]

Ordinary (not bathroom) emulsion isn't totally non-breathable, it might not be doing any harm. What are you thinking of using instead/over the top? Traditional limewash probably wouldn't work because it needs to bond with the lime in the plaster, but limewash is not very durable anyway so you probably would be looking to use something a bit more durable. There are "breathable emulsions" on the market from companies like earthborn -in which case you could ask the manufacturer for advice on whether it'd work over normal emulsion. Same with clay paint etc.

 

[Mrs McG]

Thanks both. It’s an upstairs bedroom and the walls go right up under the thatch roofline, photo below which shows the magnolia walls and a pink paint from where the fitted wardrobes were removed. Two walls are external.

It’s reassuring to hear that Matt emulsion isn’t totally non-breathable and good idea to ask someone like Earthborn about using a breathable emulsion over it. I think there was a thread a while ago with a few alternatives to Earthborn too? I’ll see if I can find it.

 

[Lacan07]

Thanks both. It’s an upstairs bedroom and the walls go right up under the thatch roofline, photo below which shows the magnolia walls and a pink paint from where the fitted wardrobes were removed. Two walls are external.

It’s reassuring to hear that Matt emulsion isn’t totally non-breathable and good idea to ask someone like Earthborn about using a breathable emulsion over it. I think there was a thread a while ago with a few alternatives to Earthborn too? I’ll see if I can find it.

Well, you'd only really need worry about the two external walls and unless there's any obvious issues I wouldn't even do that. Make sure all external guttering is sound and the external walls aren't being exposed to any unnecessary moisture like leaks, etc. The only other reason to desire breathable walls in this part of the house is if you were experiencing troublesome condensation.