Whats going on with my kitchen walls. Pics.

[Flamingosarepink]

Recently moved in. Had vile wallpaper on kitchen walls.

DH decided ro removed wallpaper which revealed turquoise painted walls except in some parts the paint has detatched itself from the wall just leaving brown plaster behind.
Whats going on? Why is the paint coming off in chunks in places and remaining solidly attached to the walls in other places?
I wanted to just emulsion the walls but how do we resolves this? Any advice?

Did you use a steam stripper to remove the paper? Just wondering if it is that moisture resistant kitchen paint underneath and the heat from the steam has melted the paint and lifted it.

You need to strip that paint off too otherwise you'll never get a nice finish.

Strip the paint and check the state of the plaster.

If sound, you need a sealing coat of watered down paint and PVA before anything else is done.

If not, the walls need a new coat of plaster. If you're lucky, it'll just need skimming.

If you're unlucky, you'll need to knock it all back to the brickwork and completely replaster.

Fingers crossed it's not too serious.

not unusual where plaster is painted before its dried out and/or the priming cost was missed - also happens when plaster is damp but you'd usually see that because the pattern of flake could be matched to source of damp / condensation

If the walls have been skimmed in the past and a steam stripper used to remove the wallpaper, them the skim layer can be removed. Plasterers use PVA before skimming and steam dissolves it.

OP we have the same thing in our kitchen. Massive disappointment as was hoping just to emulsion over, now saving up to have it all reskimmed.

it might be that somebody put glue on the walls, which prevents the paint from touching the plaster and soaking in.

It is usually either wallpaper paste or PVA glue.

Clean it off. Hot water and a broad metal scraper will do it, the glue will turn to slime that scrapes away.

In a kitchen, it can be greasy film from cooking, especially if an effective extractor hood was not used. Scrub with Sugar Soap and rinse off.

To paint bare plaster, clean it thoroughly, then apply one or two mist coats of emulsion thinned with water. It will disappear. This is good, because it means it is soaking into the bare plaster in preparation for future coats to adhere. You will know you have done enough when the wall stops sucking the moisture out of your brush. You can them paint unthinned.

Houses over about 60 years old might have been painted internally with distemper, usually in pastel colours. Paint will not stick to it.

Sorry taking so long to get back to this thread but thanks for the replies.
The previous owners do seem to have bodged alot of DIY. The kichen is a horrendous state with a tiny window and no extractor fan so i imagine steam may have played a part.
In places the turquoise peels off easily. In others its stuck solid. I'm really stuck as to what to do. Shall i leave it on the walls where its stuck and just emulsion over? Then mist coat the plaster on the bare walls?

you don't need to scrape off paint that is firmly adhering. But you need to form an opinion on why some is loose and some isn't.

You can feather the step where the firm paint adds extra thickness, otherwise it will show through. Some people say you can sand it. I would use a broad metal filling knife and fine-surface filler or plasterboard jointer, scraping it smooth with a broad metal scraper while it is cheesy.

Press the knife very very hard with one end running on the paint and one end running on the plaster, to prevent a bulging excess or gobbets of filler. You need much less than you think. Start by mixing up an eggcupful and see how far it goes.

My opinion is that if you don't scrape off the bits of paint remaining then you'll see it through the new paint you add! But I paint things white and like oblique lighting!