Prep decides how long a paint job lasts, and in Honolulu it matters more than in most places. Salt, mildew, strong sun and humid air all work against paint that was put on a dirty or damp surface. Our quotes include surface prep: patching, sanding, caulking and priming.
Do I need to prime before painting?
You need to prime bare wood, bare drywall, patches, stains, glossy surfaces, rusty metal and any big color change. You do not always need primer on clean, sound paint of a similar color. Primer does three jobs: it sticks to the surface, it seals it so the finish coat dries evenly, and it blocks stains. Paint sold as paint and primer in one is a thicker paint. It does not replace a real primer on bare wood or stains.
Do I need primer if the old paint is in good shape, and can you paint over old paint?
Yes, you can paint over old paint that is clean, dull and firmly stuck, and often without primer. Wash it first. In Honolulu walls carry a film of salt, cooking grease and sometimes mildew that you cannot see. Gloss paint must be sanded dull. Spot prime any repairs. If the old paint is chalky outside, flaking, or oil-based, it needs more than a wash.
Do I need to sand the walls before painting?
A light sand is needed on most walls, and a thorough one on glossy paint, patches and rough spots. Sanding knocks down bumps and gives the new coat something to grip. Two cautions for older Honolulu homes. Do not dry sand paint in a house built before 1978 until you know whether it has lead. Do not sand old fiberboard ceiling or wall panels until you know what they are.
Do painters fix nail holes, cracks and dents first?
Yes. Filling nail holes, small cracks and dents is normal prep, and it is part of our quotes. Larger damage, such as holes through the drywall, long cracks, water-damaged board or termite-eaten trim, is repair work. We list it separately so you can see it. Single-wall board homes move a little with heat and damp, so cracks at the board joints are caulked with a flexible caulk, not a hard filler.
How do I paint over a water stain so it does not bleed through?
First stop the leak, let the area dry, then seal the water stain with a stain-blocking primer before painting. Ordinary wall paint will not hide a water stain. The brown ring comes back through coat after coat. An oil-based or shellac-based stain blocker locks it in. If the drywall or ceiling board is soft or sagging, it has to be replaced, not painted.
Can you paint over smoke stains or pet smells?
Yes, with the right primer. Smoke residue and pet odors have to be washed off as far as possible and then sealed with a stain-blocking and odor-blocking primer. Plain paint lets both come back, most of all in humid weather. Heavy smoke damage after a fire is a job for a restoration company first.
Mold on the bathroom ceiling: can it just be painted over?
No. Mold or mildew painted over will grow back through the new paint. It has to be killed and washed off first, the surface dried, and then primed and painted with a mildew-resistant bathroom paint. Mildew is the most common paint problem inside Honolulu homes, because the air is humid all year and many bathrooms have a jalousie window and no fan.
The lasting fix is air movement: an exhaust fan that vents outside, or windows left open after showers. If the growth covers a large area, keeps returning, or the board behind it is wet, find the source of the moisture. HomeGuide lists professional mold remediation for a small area at $500 to $1,500 as a national figure.
Paint is peeling to bare wood on my old house. What prep does it need?
It needs every loose edge scraped off, the edges sanded smooth, the bare wood primed the same day, and gaps caulked before two finish coats. Bare wood left out in island sun for even a few weeks turns grey and will not hold paint until it is sanded back to fresh wood.
On a house built before 1978, assume the old layers may contain lead until a test says otherwise. Scraping and sanding then have to follow lead-safe methods. See our page on lead paint rules in Hawaii.
Why is my paint peeling?
Paint is peeling because it lost its grip, and the cause is nearly always moisture or poor prep. The usual causes we see in Honolulu are:
- Water getting behind the paint from a leak, a failed caulk joint or wet end grain.
- Paint put over salt film, mildew, chalk or dirt.
- Paint applied to damp wood after rain.
- Latex paint over old oil-based paint with no primer.
- Too many old layers, which get brittle and let go together.
- Sun on the south and west sides breaking down a thin or cheap coat.
Look at the back of a peeled chip. Bare wood on the back means the first coat failed. Old paint on the back means the newer coat did not bond to the one under it.
Why is paint bubbling or peeling in my kitchen or bathroom?
Paint is bubbling there because steam and moisture are getting under it. Blisters form when a wall was damp or dirty when painted, when flat wall paint was used in a steamy room, or when there is no fan to carry the moisture out. The fix is to scrape and sand the failed area, let it dry fully, prime, and repaint with a moisture-resistant paint. Then deal with the ventilation, or it will return.
How do I know if old paint is oil or latex, and can latex go over oil?
Rub a hidden spot with a cotton ball wet with rubbing alcohol. If paint comes off on the cotton, it is latex. If nothing comes off, it is oil-based. Latex can go over oil-based paint only after the surface is cleaned, sanded dull and coated with a bonding primer. Skip that step and the new paint peels off in sheets. Old doors, windows and trim in Honolulu homes are very often oil-based.
Do bare drywall patches need primer?
Yes. Bare drywall patches and joint compound must be primed before paint. Compound soaks up paint differently from the wall around it, so an unprimed patch shows as a dull or shiny spot that no number of finish coats will hide. Painters call that flashing. Prime the patch, then paint the whole wall from corner to corner.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (808) 201-4302.