We’re currently renting a large Victorian home with multiple THIN layers of paint. The reason I know this is that my 3 y.o., who I thought had outgrown this kind of thing, has attacked the walls and windowsills with ballpoint and Sharpie over the holidays. :mad: I have tried gently washing, scrubbing, using solvents, etc., but I take off paint faster than the graffiti. And the top layer is a markedly different shade of taupe than the base layer.
Also, a painted interior door has seriously begun to delaminate in a big patch. I suspect latex over oil, or some similar incompatibility. Off-white over taupe (not the same shades as the walls, of course…).
We can’t handle repainting the house now, even individual rooms, especially since most of the rooms have a wallpaper border (ugh, but it actually doesn’t look too horrible). I’ve some experience with painting, stripping paint, and even art restoration, but no paint repair on a macro level like this. I could probably seal and repaint that whole door with no problem, though, if I know the right way to do it.
So, what would be some good ways of fixing this issue to an acceptable level?
It doesn’t have to be pristine-perfect–the landlord will likely repaint when we move anyway. He’ll have to, actually, since there’s cracking/stress lines in the plaster and such near the joints. I am NOT hiring his handyman to help me. While said handyman is nice enough, our landlord is very Type-A and…ugh. Don’t get me started. Bottom line is, I just want the rooms to look decent and tidy.
(Mods: if this should go in the Barn forum, sorry! It just doesn’t seem to get much traffic.)
I think I’d try a couple of coats of Kilz primer on the graffiti, and feathering it onto the surrounding unmarked paint. That should take care of any bleed through from the Sharpies and pen. Then get as close a match as possible to the top layer of paint. Thin layers of paint, gradually feathering out into the old paint. Then you can really thin down the remaining paint and do a wash over the rest of the wall.
Rearrange furniture as needed.
I’m not sure about the door … is the paint peeling? I’d scrape and try Kilz then paint. If it’s a hollow core door, is it the wood that is separating from the frame? You’d need to glue that.
I once lived in a rental where they had painted over the wallpaper and then tried to blame us when the wallpaper decided to peal away from the wall. It was the unregulated radiator heat, not us.
For the door issue, you might just want to ask the landlord. A good landlord will admit to these issues and not try to charge you for it.
Can you get a decent-sized sample of the wall paint? Did they paint the switch/outlet covers? If you are in a largish city, find the paint store the pros use (it ain’t HD!). They will have a person who can mix by eyeball to an exact match - there will be a time delay.
Alternately, is there someone available who can “carry” colors? Being able to remember the shade well enough to pick out a chip which is really really close is second best to actual sample - again, go to pro - they have the full set of chips for every color the mfg produces - not just the ones being featured in this month’s sample chips.
Otherwise, Whatever4’s advice is spot on - the Kilz primer is the most important part, however you address the top coat.
If you can get “close enough” color, you won’t need to wash the entire area.
Uh, what?? Eyeball color? Carry color?? WTF are you even talking about?!?!
To the op, if you have a big enough sample…you need about a 1.5×1.5" sample, the person behind the counter at home depot or lowes can match the color. The tricky part is matching the paint base (ie flat, eggshell, satin, gloss, semi-gloss…)
Number one thing - find out what product and color the landlord used the last time the place was painted. Without knowing that, you’ll never be able to do any sort of acceptable touch-up painting. DO NOT go to a big box store to attempt to match paint; they are clueless. Go to a real paint store. One that, as usedtobe says, caters to real painters. But even then, the chances of getting a good match is basically nil. So ask your landlord what was used. Without that knowledge, you’ll never get it perfectly right.
keturah - there is no industry standard for flat/satin/matte/semi gloss/eggshell. So Lowes or Home Despot will just be a waste of time. And if the house was previously painted by a professional, they wouldn’t have used HD or Lowes paint.
Ditto on the solvent-based Kilz or similar product. Pen ink, Koolaid and such stains will bleed through water-based finishes. And if you get the right colour & finish, you’ll probably want to thin it down and roll it, rather than using a brush, because the method of application changes the appearance, and something in the middle of a wall was no doubt rolled or sprayed.
For the peeling door: lightly sand the whole thing and apply one coat of a good, high-adhesion acrylic latex. Nothing you’ll find in a big box store. An oil-modified latex, such as Sherwin Williams Pro Classic or Benjamin Moore Advance. Dries hard and fast and sticks like crazy. A quart will set you back about $20 but you can do a half-dozen doors with a quart. Or, as suggested upthread, have your landlord fix it since it’s really not your problem.
In situations where a member of the household has damaged a rental unit (in my case pets not children but damage is damage) or we’ve been there long enough for just general time and wear effects to appear I have generally had good luck by negotiating for the landlord to provide the materials for the fix (spackle, primer, paint, whatever) and doing the labor myself. Such negotiations do not always work out, but if price is a factor it can be a win-win for both sides.
Check the Sharpie website for advice. I know Crayola has advice for very specific problems. Also, perhaps the landlord still has the left over paint and would let you have it for ‘touch up’ purposes.
I did think of taking a chip of the paint to the paint shop to match. I can actually match colors very well (art restoration) but I don’t have any paint pigment for latex. That’s hard to get. We don’t have a “good” paint store nearby, but there’s an old-fashioned True Value with old guys who seem like they know what’s up.
I guess I could ask the landlord for touch up paint, but he’s so particular I think he’d have a crew in here before I hung up the phone. I don’t need that right now.
I already ordered this Kilz primer that’s supposed to “glue on” peeling paint, so I will try that on the door. The door is heavy oak or something like that (the house is from the late 1800s), likely with lead paint a few layers below, so I’m not messing around with much sanding.
Whatever4, that’s just the method I was going to try with the primer, etc. Most of the “artwork” has been pretty faded by my scrubbing already.
Anyway, I’m working mostly with taupe (almost a light peachy color) ultra-flat cheapo grade paint, so I think I can blend it well enough. The nice thing is that all the walls are divvied up into small sections that recede or protrude (either due to bay windows, soffits, or fireplace surrounds) so I think I could get away with painting a section if I needed to, rather that a “whole” wall or room.
If it looks stupid, then I’ll bug the landlord. But doing the work covering the scribbles will be better than nothing, for all concerned.
I would also check the basement for any leftover paint. I used to be a “handyman” for several property management companies and I usually left half-cans behind to do touch-ups, especially if the color was specific to the unit.
I second this. When we bought our house 8 years ago the basement contained a handful of paint cans with small amounts of leftover paint, for both the interior and exterior paint jobs. It was a godsend.
!. Did you try a Magic Eraser to get rid of the graffiti? I have seen it work things that I would regard as amazing.
The typical color for interior paint in rental properties is Navajo White. Get a paint chip and check. It’s remarkably cheap and you may only need a gallon.
No suggestion for the door. However, doors are cheap. Really cheap. Just replace it rather than have your landlord charge you a couple hundred bucks for $40 worth of door and labor.
Put everything in writing with some proof of delivery that your landlord received your proposal. And document all communications.
It behooves you to involve your landlord in every step this process. Your relationship is, I presume, contractual. Review very carefully your contract regarding any proposed alterations. Go by the letter of that contract, and you will save everyone headaches.
I say this based on a couple bad experiences with two consecutive and less than savory landlords.
Step one is to transport back through time to find the fool who painted an oak door and stop them. Guessing it’s a six-panel style and just enough away from today’s standard sizes to make the kids at the Big Orange Homestuff store go “Uhhhhh…” Replacing will not be cheap or simple.
The proper fix would be to sand it down to bare wood, but as mentioned, there’s a good chance of lead paint, so sanding isn’t a good idea, especially with a toddler around. The high adhesion primer should work out OK once you get the loose paint off and lightly “feather” the edges.
But doing the work covering the scribbles will be better than nothing, for all concerned.
I already checked the basement and garage.