Rogue splodge of gloss paint

[MrsMogginsMinge]

In the process of painting my bathroom walls from white to grey. After the first coat it has become apparent that the previous owner painted the bathroom door then opened it, leaving a little L shaped splodge of gloss/satin paint where the corner of the door hit the wall. Not noticed it before because everything was white. Now obviously my emulsion won't stick to the splodge.

Help! Do I have to sand down through two layers of paint to get rid of it or is there something magic I can paint over the top to make the emulsion stick?

I'd use a scraper rather than sand it. If necessary you can smooth it with smudge of filler afterwards, like you are doing with any other blemishes.

Thanks PJ. I feared as much. Will have to obtain a scraper from somewhere.

While I'm at it, can you (or anyone else) recommend a filler that is actually easy to sand down? I used a pre-made Ronseal multipurpose one last time that was like sanding marble. Not keen to do that again. Is there one that actually resembles paint/plaster in texture?

Red Devil!

A 2-inch scraper is very useful to have. You can also use to scrape smooth fillers. IMO the plaster-based ones are easier to use and to smooth, as well as cheaper. Look for Easiplast or for a joint-filling plaster as used by plasterers to hide the joints in plasterboard. You may find a smallish bag in a DIY/light builders shop, or a readimixed tub.

www.wickes.co.uk/search?text=joint+plaster
Bags of plaster do not store long, as they absorb moisture from the air, and old plaster can go hard before you have had time to get it on your trowel.

When filling or patching, mix and use less than you need, and use a broad metal filling knife that spans the blemish. You can apply a second layer if needed. Press very hard to push it in. Any smear on the wall beside the blemish should be so thin you can see through it, and you can rub it off with a dry rag. There's no point in applying a mountain of filler, because you will only have to scrape it off again.

A scraper is quicker and cleaner than sanding, and you can do it while the filler is still cheesy. Bare filler of plaster has to be patch-primed with diluted emulsion, then spot-painted to reduce its absorbency.

Polyfilla seems to reliquify when wetted. Plaster doesn't.

scrapers

filling knife

In both cases they must be perfectly clean and rust free (clean them with a green nylon pan-scourer) and free from nicks, scratches, dents or bends