Has your home’s once elegant oil paint started to show its age? Perhaps you’re noticing an unpleasant yellowing, unsightly cracks, or a brittle texture that detracts from your home’s beauty. It’s a common dilemma for many homeowners in Cornelius, NC, and across the country.
While oil paint offers a beautiful, glass like finish when new, it simply doesn’t age with the same grace as its modern counterparts.
The good news? You absolutely can update your home by painting acrylic over oil paint, and it’s probably easier than you think! At Sherwood Painting, we’ve helped countless clients for interior painting in Cornelius NC, and we understand the desire for a fresh, long lasting finish.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the simple, seven step process to successfully transition from oil to acrylic paint, transforming your walls and your home’s entire atmosphere.
Oil vs Acrylic Paint for Your Home
For years, oil based paints were the go to for their stunning sheen and incredibly smooth, almost glass like finish. The ability to sand walls meticulously between coats meant a truly exquisite and durable surface.
However, as many homeowners discover, this beauty often comes with a significant trade off as the paint ages.
The Downside of Aging Oil Paint
When oil paint gets old, its once beautiful qualities can turn into major drawbacks. You might notice:
- Unsightly Yellowing: A common issue with older oil paint is its tendency to yellow over time, especially in areas with less natural light. This can drastically alter your home’s color scheme and create a dated appearance.
- Cracking and Brittleness: Over the years, oil paint can dry out and become brittle, leading to a spiderweb of fine cracks across your walls. In severe cases, it might even chip or flake off, leaving your surfaces looking unkempt and damaged.
- Long Drying Times: Oil based paints require significantly longer drying times between coats, which can prolong a painting project considerably. This means more waiting and a longer disruption to your daily life.
- Strong Fumes and Hazardous Cleanup: The solvents in oil based paints produce strong fumes that can cause headaches and require extensive ventilation. Cleanup also involves harsh chemicals like mineral spirits, making the process more labor intensive and less environmentally friendly.
- Difficult to Master Application: Achieving that perfect, glass like finish with oil paint often takes years of practice. Proper thinning and application techniques are crucial, and without them, the results can be uneven and disappointing.
The Advantages of Modern Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paints, on the other hand, offer a compelling alternative that addresses many of oil paint’s shortcomings. While they may not always replicate the exact glass like sheen of fresh oil paint, they provide a beautiful, durable, and far more convenient solution for your home:
- Quick Drying Times: Acrylic paints dry remarkably fast, allowing for multiple coats in a single day and significantly speeding up your painting project.
- Low Odor and Safer to Use: Unlike oil paints, acrylics are water based, meaning they have minimal odor and release fewer harmful fumes. This makes them a healthier choice for your home environment and more comfortable to work with.
- Durable and Long Lasting: Modern acrylic paints are incredibly durable and flexible, making them resistant to cracking and chipping as they age. They maintain their color vibrancy for years, ensuring your walls look fresh and new for much longer.
- Easy Cleanup: Cleanup is a breeze with acrylic paints simply use soap and water! This saves time and avoids the need for harsh chemical solvents.
- User Friendly: Acrylic paints are much more forgiving and easier to apply evenly, making them suitable for both professional painters and DIY enthusiasts.
In essence, acrylic paint is everything oil based paint isn’t when it comes to convenience, longevity, and ease of use, making it an excellent choice for a home refresh.
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How to Paint Acrylic Over Oil Based Paint in 7 Step
Ready to give your home a stunning acrylic makeover? Follow these seven easy steps for a successful and lasting transformation:
1. Prepare the Room for Painting
Before you even open a paint can, take the time to properly prepare your painting area. This crucial first step helps protect your furniture and floors from paint splatters and makes cleanup significantly easier. Start by removing all furniture from the room if possible, or moving it to the center and covering it completely with plastic sheeting.
Lay down drop cloths or tarps to protect your flooring. Remove switch plates and outlet covers. Use painter’s tape to mask off trim, windows, and any other areas you don’t want painted, ensuring crisp, clean lines. Good preparation now saves a lot of headache later!
2. Scrape Off Any Peeling Oil Based Paint
Inspect your walls carefully for any areas where the existing oil paint is peeling, bubbling, or flaking. Use a paint scraper or putty knife to gently remove any loose paint. It’s vital to get rid of all compromised paint, as painting over a peeling surface will only lead to your new acrylic paint failing in the same spots. Take your time with this step to ensure a stable base for the new paint.
3. Lightly Sand the Scraped Areas
Once all the loose paint is removed, use 120 grit sandpaper or a “fine” sanding sponge to lightly sand the scraped areas, as well as the transition points where the old paint meets the bare wall. This helps to feather out any ridges and create a smoother, more even surface.
The goal here is to create a slight “tooth” or roughness on the surface, which gives the new paint something to grip onto. You’ll know you’re done when the surface looks slightly hazy and feels a bit gritty to the touch, rather than slick. Don’t worry about sanding all the old oil paint off, just create a consistent texture.
4. Repair Any Damages to the Wall
With the peeling paint addressed and sanded, now is the perfect time to fix any other imperfections on your walls. Fill in any nail holes, dents, cracks, or larger gouges with spackling paste or drywall compound.
Apply the filler smoothly, level with the wall surface. Once the filler is completely dry, lightly sand these repaired areas until they are perfectly smooth and flush with the rest of the wall. This ensures a seamless finish once painted.
5. Clean the Wall Thoroughly
This step is often overlooked but is incredibly important for proper paint adhesion. After all the scraping, sanding, and repairs, your walls will be covered in dust, dirt, and potentially grease or grime. Use a damp cloth, or a solution of mild soap and water, to thoroughly clean all painted surfaces.
This removes any contaminants that could create a barrier between your new paint and the wall, preventing proper bonding and leading to premature peeling or cracking. Make sure the walls are completely dry before moving on to the next step.
6. Prime and Sand
This is perhaps the most crucial step when painting acrylic over oil based paint. Oil based paint is inherently slick and nonporous, so a special primer is needed to create a bonding layer that acrylic paint can adhere to. You must use an oil based primer or a high quality bonding primer specifically designed for glossy or challenging surfaces. A product like Ben Moore Fresh Start (oil based) or UMA® (a strong bonding primer) are excellent choices.
Avoid water based primers at all costs when painting over oil paint, as they will not mix well and will likely lead to adhesion failure down the line. Apply one even coat of your chosen primer according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once the primer is completely dry, lightly sand it with a very fine grit sandpaper (around 220 320 grit) to create an ultra smooth base and remove any brush marks. Wipe away any dust with a tack cloth before painting.
7. Paint with Two Coats of Acrylic Paint
Finally, it’s time to bring on the color! Apply your chosen acrylic paint in thin, even coats. Two coats are almost always necessary to achieve full, opaque coverage and maximum durability. Allow ample drying time between coats, following the recommendations on your paint can.
Use high quality brushes and rollers for the best results, ensuring a smooth, professional looking finish. Once the final coat is dry, allow for adequate curing time before you reintroduce furniture or put any stress on the newly painted surfaces.
Ready to Elevate Your Home with Professional Interior Painting?
Imagine stepping into a home where every wall glows with vibrant, even color, transforming your living spaces into a haven of modern comfort without you lifting a single brush. At Sherwood Painting, we specialize in seamless interior painting Cornelius NC.
Our skilled house painter meticulously handles every step, from expert surface preparation and damage repair to flawless paint application. We ensure a superior finish that not only looks incredible but also stands the test of time, freeing you to simply enjoy your beautifully updated home.
Don’t let the thought of a demanding DIY project deter you from the stunning interior you deserve. Contact Sherwood Painting today at (704) 924-1800 for a professional interior painting services and discover how effortlessly we can bring your vision to life!