Paint Contractors:Do you need to remove previous paint applying new paint?

As Paint Contractors we took our job very seriously and we know that it is not just a matter of getting the bucket and the brush and apply paint to a surface and that’s that. You need to be careful and know what you are doing. And one question that is commonly asked is: Do I need to remove a previous paint job before I apply new paint? Let’s talk about it.

First and foremost let’s make something clear, paint, once applied, becomes a layer on the surface in which is applied, meaning that if we are to apply new paint it means a new layer over a previous one, so, should we remove the previous layer? The answer is yes.

Yes because you can’t tell whether or not the previous layer is still sticking to the surface, so if you apply a new layer, chances are that in a very short period of time, both layers end up falling and ruining the whole work.

It does not matter if you are using water based or oil based paint, the situation is mostly the same, you need to remove all traces of old paint before you applying a new layer or risk seeing them fall together a couple of weeks later.

Also, after you remove the previous layer of paint make sure the surface is clean and no other particles are present, then you should apply a layer of paint, let it dry and apply a new one, this in order to make sure that you have the surface well covered.

You need to make sure that the paint is not too thin but not too thick either, the idea is to cover well with the first layer and then seal it with a second one.

All in all, we do think, as paint contractors, that painting over a previously painted surface is a big big risk that you should avoid.