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PSA: People still paint over dirty walls and it drives me nuts | Budget Home Upgrades - HW Forums

PSA: People still paint over dirty walls and it drives me nuts

I was helping my neighbor in his kitchen last month and saw him roll right over a greasy spot above the stove. He said 'the paint will cover it.' Spoiler: it didn't, the stain bled through in a week. I learned this the hard way in my first apartment 10 years ago. A $5 bottle of TSP substitute and 20 minutes of scrubbing makes all the difference. Now I see that shiny patch on his wall every time I visit. What's the one shortcut you see people take that always backfires?

4 comments

4 Comments

stellafisher4mo ago

Yeah, I feel for you on that one. It's such a simple fix to just clean the wall first, but so many people skip it and then act surprised when things go wrong. My mom did the same thing in her bathroom - painted over a spot of mold without treating it first, and now it's coming right through again. It's just frustrating because you want to help them, but they don't listen until it's too late. That shiny patch is basically a permanent reminder now.

kai3275mo ago

Wait, he painted right over actual grease? That's not even a shortcut, that's just ignoring basic physics. The paint has nothing to stick to but a layer of cooking oil. It's like putting a band-aid on a wound you didn't clean first. That shiny patch is gonna haunt him forever now.

aarons364mo ago

Hold on, does paint actually have nothing to stick to there? I've seen people use degreaser and still get peeling. Grease is basically a release agent. The paint will sit on top, sure, but it's like putting sticker on wet soap. It might look okay for a week or two. Then one bump and a whole sheet of paint comes off with the tape. He's gonna have to scrape all that off and start over. Way more work than just wiping it down first.

the_ryan5mo ago

Seriously? It might just be a small spot that holds up fine. Not every shortcut ends in disaster.