How To Repair A Peeling Bathroom Wall Or Ceiling

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When I covered how I repaired my flaky, peeling bathroom ceiling on Instagram stories recently, I had so many messages about it that I decided to certificate the process over here on the blog. While this will non be my most glamorous blog post, it volition sure beat all the badly filmed 'tedious bloke in a bath' You Tube videos I had to suffer to learn how to acquit out this DIY job myself!

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Our tiny downstairs en-suite had always had issues with peeling paint on the ceiling. Nosotros take a shower in hither that is hardly used, but the condensation was plenty to seep in nether the paint and push button it away from the plaster. I've done a few patch-up jobs in the past, scraping off the worst of the impairment and touching it up with a kitchen and bathroom paint, but the problem always resurrected itself quite quickly. Upon having the tiles replaced in this bath, I decided it was time to tackle this ceiling one time and for all with the proper products that would repair the existing harm and terminate the paint peeling in the future. There were four central products that I used that gave me a super-smooth, repaired ceiling and peace of mind that the peeling would not come back:

Find the links to all these products in the DIY guide below….

Find the links to all these products in the DIY guide below….

To brainstorm, I used a paint scraper to scrape away all the loose paint. This is a horrible job on a ceiling, so make certain y'all wear a grit mask and protective spectacles for your condom. Once all the loose paint has been completely removed, use a sander with a medium-grit paper to sand and smooth the ceiling down as much as possible. I used the Ryobi Palm Sander every bit it is prissy and low-cal to hold above my head, plus it has a dust collection box which sucks the dust into the machine, rather than only permit it all fall on your head!

A good tip I got after I shared this photo online was to cover the plughole with tape so the paint flakes don't trickle down there!

A good tip I got after I shared this photo online was to cover the plughole with tape and so the pigment flakes don't trickle down there!

In one case the ceiling was rid of any flaky paint, I filled in any really deep holes with Ronseal Smoothen End Filler. Once the filler was dry, I and then sanded the filled area until smooth and this is what I was left with:

how to fix a flaky peeling bathroom ceiling

As you tin come across, the ceiling was still actually uneven. Some pigment had been removed back to the plaster, while some layers remained. To get a perfectly smoothen finish ready for priming and painting, I had to put on a patching chemical compound to level everything out. After a bit of research, I decided that Polycell Finishing Skim was the right product for the chore. Finishing Skim is a more than watery type of filler that yous apply with a paintbrush, then polish over with the scraper that is supplied in the tub. I applied the skim quite liberally in all directions with the paintbrush every bit I found that this had the all-time result. Afterward I smoothed information technology over with the plastic scraper and left it overnight to dry out, this is what it looked like:

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I so gave it a good going over with the sander again (using a fine grain paper this time) and this was the issue:

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I take to say I was overjoyed with the result. The ceiling was now flat and smooth set for priming and painting. I cleared abroad the sander and washed down the ceiling with carbohydrate soap to remove any surface dust.

Now the ceiling was stock-still I needed to make sure that I focused on prevention from this happening again. I accept a brilliant local decorators merchant who give me a wealth of advice and they recommended two products: Zinsser Peel Stop Primer and Tikkurila Luja Matt 7 Anti-Mould paint.

Zinsser products I take used before and love. Their B.I.Northward. primer is the best primer going and I've used it in a multitude of DIY projects. Pare Finish actively bonds down old paint edges and seals any cracks and then that whatsoever moisture in the atmosphere cannot penetrate and push out the pigment. I used one generous coat of this on my ceiling and let it dry overnight before applying 3 coats of Tikkurila Luja 7.

A Finnish brand, Tikkurila paint is anti-mould and incredibly hard-wearing. It volition not soften when exposed to moisture and it has been designed for use in high humidity environments such as swimming pools, distilleries and hospitals. As mentioned, I purchased Tikkurila in my local decorators merchants, and so seek out your local trade paint specialist to purchase in your area.

how to fix a peeling ceiling

The final result

The final upshot

I couldn't be happier with the DIY job and a flaky ceiling is at present non something that I should have to deal with in the hereafter. Stay tuned for the full bathroom reveal which is coming on the weblog next calendar week!

* While this mail service is not sponsored in any way, delight notation that links within the post are affiliate (which means if you purchase anything via my links i'll become a tiny committee.)