When decorating a kitchen that has had problems with peeling paint we have a top tip for you.
Some kitchens can suffer from peeling and/or flaking paint even though there is no obvious cause, such as a damp problem. You may not notice anything when the paint is first applied (or in my case it might start to happen within 2 hours) but at some point the bubbling and flaking will start to appear and will worsen very quickly, be it days or even months before it starts to peel. The peeling paint often appears at higher level ie ceilings and the tops of the walls (or in my case all over!).
This is usually caused by tiny particles of grease from general cooking and once it has stuck to the surface of the paint it can be very hard to cure. Simply painting over it doesn’t work as the new coat of paint is adhering to a thin film of grease. Even washing the walls with sugar soap and applying a coat of oil based sealant didn’t work for me. Within a couple of hours the flaking paint was back with a vengeance.
The solution is to rub the walls down and then apply lining paper horizontally as this will dramatically reduce any visible joints. A good decorator will ensure that the joins are invisible. The paper will form a sound base for your paint new paint. Although it is still preferable to apply paint specifically designed for kitchens as they have a smoother finish, you can use any type of paint once the paper is applied.
