If you really want to get rid of the calcimine problem, you need to scrape off all the paint and scrub away as much of the calcimine as possible. The rubbing alcohol experiment will remove the top layers of latex paint, then stop when it reaches the oil layer With this scenario you will see chips with a crackled base (the dry oil paint) and a stretchy, more intact top layer of paint. Sometimes there will be coats of oil paint followed by coats of latex. Oil-based paint will not be affected by the alcohol, but water-based latex paints will dissolve to some degree, getting sticky and rubbery like an eraser. Next, dampen the cloth in rubbing alcohol and rub a peeling spot. To identify the subsequent types of paint, first choose a cloth or rag that is a distinctly different color from your surface so you can plainly see the results of your test. If you have calcimine, it will feel just as if you wet your finger and rubbed a dirty chalkboard. Because it is predominantly chalk, you can easily detect calcimine by rubbing a damp finger (sure, spit works) or a sponge on the surface and looking for a chalky residue. The first process is to identify for sure that you are dealing with a calcimine problem and assess the kinds of paints that might be coated over it. The consequences are lots of peeling paint. Environmental and climatic changes (temperature shifts, unheated rooms during winter, moisture and humidity) also significantly accelerate the delamination. Calcimine is a very soft coating and any movement by today’s stronger paint products will cause them to pull away. Here we’ll describe the three procedures we prefer when dealing with determined-to-peel calcimine surfaces.Ĭalcimine paint is a problem for old-house owners because it does not offer a durable base for modern paint coverings.

Simply repainting the surface will not, unfortunately, make your problems go away. There are no easy or quick-fix solutions to dealing with calcimine coatings.įor any new paint to adhere in a smooth and long-lasting surface, you must remove as much of the calcimine as possible. Since calcimine is essentially a water-based mixture of chalk and glue binder, in time any modern paint applied over a calcimine base will fail. If patches of peeling paint hang from your ceiling, or paint chips litter your floors, your old house’s past probably includes calcimine paint. Though the first few coats of oil-based paint sometimes penetrate a calcimine ceiling and hang on for several years, water-based latex paint can begin to bubble and peel away almost immediately.

Flat plaster rings