How to Test the Strength of Old Paint Before Painting Over
If you want to apply the strongest, smoothest and most thorough layer of paint, you need to begin by stripping, sanding and priming the surface. However, that doesn't mean that those steps are mandatory; some older coats of paint that are still strong are perfectly safe to paint over. The key is to be absolutely sure before you break out the paintbrushes, otherwise you won't know that the old paint was weak until is starts peeling off weeks later. Remember this tip if you want to skip painting preparation with confidence in the future. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Duct tape
- Paper towels
- Water
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Instructions
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Find a clean and inconspicuous area of the painted surface you wish to paint. If the entire painted surface is dirty, wipe a small area clean with a damp paper towel, and dry it with a dry paper towel.
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Tear off a piece of duct tape about six inches long. Stick the tape to the painted surface, but leave a tab about an inch long at the bottom. Fold this tab over onto itself so that you can use it to tear the tape off the wall.
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Smooth out the part of the tape that is stuck directly to the painted surface to make sure that it has adhered as tightly as possible.
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Get a firm grasp on the folded over tab and quickly pull upwards to tear the tape off of the wall. Pull the tape as if you were pulling off an adhesive bandage and wanted to get it over with quickly.
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Examine the area. If any or all of the paint has been pulled from the wall, the surface should be stripped of all its paint before the new coat is applied. If all of the paint is intact, it is safe to paint over this old coat.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not substitute weaker adhesives for this test, as most others do not stick hard enough to make the test trustworthy.
