Soot On Ceilings

Richie-C

About three months ago I painted a ceiling that had soot marks on it caused by a faulty heating system. Long story hort...apparently the previous painter did not prime and the soot began bleeding through the paint. So, came in and used BIN to primed the celing and then I painted it. Just got a call from the homeowner is having the problem again.

Anyone have troucble with soot coming back to haunt? Also--could it be a problem in the home that was not fixed correctly?

Richie

ProWallGuy

That would be my first impression. If you applied a good coat of BIN, nothing should bleed through. I have used BIN for fire restoration, and it covered MAJOR smoke damage. Soot should not be a problem.

Try to wash a spot of on the ceiling. If it washes off, its not bleeding through, and it's an on-going problem with the hvac unit. Have the homeowner fix the source of the problem, then get paid to paint it again.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

Richie-C

Pro--the story gets worse.

Spoke with homeowner today and he told me the ceiling is "peeling down to the sheetrock." Now, I have not seen it yet--so I cannot say how bad it is or what caused it or if he is exaggerating---but I am betting on the the fact that the original painter who painted over the soot failed to create a proper bond.

Any further thoughts would be appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Richie

Dale

Sounds like a possible moisture/ventilation problem. How old is the house and was there any recent remodling or change to the heating system or attic insulation?

Richie-C

Dale,

The house is probably 30-40 years old. There was a decent amount of remodeling done. New roof, siding, bath, etc. Homeowner did tell me in passing that a similar problem occured in his living room (I did not paint that one!). He was told [not sure by whom] that it was caused by painting over bare sheetrock without priming.

By the way--it's a one story home, which to me would make sense that there is a ventilation problem. Is there a way to check this out?

In these situations, what can you do to prove that the work you did is not at fault??

AAPaint

Is that a popcorn ceiling? Popcorn will drop right off if it gets moist sometimes. Painting it will cause it to come down in sheets like you described if it's not adhering good to begin with. The best thing you can do is try to lock it in place with a good oil based primer then topcoat with an acrylic latex. BIN is a shellack, and I tend to think of oils as a better glue for stuff like this.

The problem is the popcorn itself...Assuming this is what's on there. Usually other textures hold up real good. (My luck, you're talking about a smooth ceiling, hah) Popcorn texture is made with a chalk base...NOT a mud. The chalk dries out and doesn't adhere extremely well. Hit it good with moisture once, and it's a goner! Painting them is hit and miss always, and you need a clause in your contract for them, if you ask me. (been burned by em allready)

It's always a good idea to test for adhesion by dampening a sponge and soaking a few suspect spots on the ceiling. Also, giving a little scrape here or there with a fingernail will give you an idea how good it's holding. I just don't guarantee that ceilings like that will hold once painted. The adhesion of the texture to the substrate also falls under "pre-exhisting conditions"!

__________________
-AAPaint

AA Quality Painting & Pressure Washing LLC
Jacksonville Painters
Jacksonville, FL.

Dale

Find out more about what was done in the remodel. Was insulation added to the attic? If you have or can borrow a moisture meter take some readings around the areas that are peeling and some readings from areas that are sound with no peeling on the ceilings and walls for a start.

It seems to me that the only reason the paint would be peeling in the living room would be painting over sheetrock dust or moisture. Painting over clean unprimed rock would just leave a crappy looking uneven finish at most. Just my 2 cents.

Having the paint peeling in a similar way on a ceiling you didn't paint says alot.