Most paint failures start before the first coat. The surface was dirty, glossy, damp or bare. This page covers the prep questions we hear most in Fargo, where old plaster, ice dam stains and long winters with closed windows all play a part.
Do I need to prime before painting?
You need primer on bare surfaces, on stains, on glossy or oil-based paint, and when making a big color change. You do not need it on clean, sound, flat or eggshell paint in a similar color.
- Bare wood, bare drywall and new joint compound: always prime.
- Water, smoke, ink and tannin stains: use a stain-blocking primer.
- Glossy or oil-based paint: sand, then use a bonding primer.
- Metal, masonry and stucco: use the primer made for that surface.
Do I need primer if the old paint is in good shape, and can you paint over old paint?
Yes, you can paint over old paint, and if it is clean, dull and firmly stuck you can usually skip primer. Wash it, sand any shine off, patch and spot prime the patches, then apply the finish coats.
Old paint that is loose, chalky or glossy is another matter. New paint only holds as well as the layer under it.
Do I need to sand the walls before painting?
A light sanding helps on almost every wall, and it is required on glossy paint and on patches. Sanding knocks down roller lint, drips and ridges and gives the new coat a surface to grip.
It is a quick pass with a pole sander, not a strip to bare wall. In a house built before 1978, do not dry-sand old paint until you know whether it contains lead.
Do painters fix nail holes, cracks and dents first?
Yes. Filling nail holes, small cracks and dents is part of normal prep, and it is in our quotes. Nail pops, where a drywall screw or nail pushes a bump through the paint, are reset and filled.
Nail pops are common in newer homes in the Fargo area. The framing dries out and shifts through the first few heating seasons. Cracks in old plaster tend to come back if they are only filled, so wider ones are taped or meshed.
How do I paint over a water stain so it does not bleed through?
Seal a water stain with a stain-blocking primer before you paint, or it will bleed back through. Ordinary wall paint will not hold it, however many coats you use. Oil-based or shellac-based stain blockers are the reliable choice.
Fix the leak first. In Fargo, brown stains along outside walls and ceilings often come from ice dams in late winter. Painting before the cause is fixed only means doing it again.
Can you paint over smoke stains or pet smells?
Yes, with the right primer. Smoke and nicotine have to be washed off and then sealed with a stain-blocking and odor-blocking primer. Paint alone will let the yellow and the smell come back through.
Pet smells in walls and trim are sealed the same way. If the smell is in the subfloor or carpet pad, paint on the walls will not cure it.
There is mold on the bathroom ceiling. Can it just be painted over?
No. Mold has to be killed and cleaned off first, and the moisture that feeds it has to be dealt with. Paint over live mold peels, and the mold grows back through it.
Small patches of surface mildew on a bathroom ceiling can be cleaned, primed with a stain blocker and painted with a bathroom paint. A fan that vents outside is the real fix. Fargo houses are shut tight for half the year, so shower steam has nowhere to go without one. Large areas, or mold that returns, need a mold specialist. HomeGuide lists small-area mold remediation at $500 to $1,500.
Paint is peeling to bare wood on my old house. What prep does it need?
Scrape every loose edge, sand the edges smooth, prime the bare wood, caulk the joints and then paint. Bare wood left in the weather turns grey, and grey wood has to be sanded back to fresh wood or the primer will not hold.
On a house built before 1978, treat the old paint as possible lead paint. Scraping and sanding then have to follow lead-safe work rules. See our lead paint guide.
Why is my paint peeling?
When paint is peeling, the cause is almost always moisture or poor prep. Water gets behind the film, or the paint was put over dirt, gloss, chalk or damp wood and never bonded.
Outside in Fargo, look for peeling under windows, near the ground where snow piles up, and on walls outside bathrooms and kitchens. Warm indoor moisture moves out through the wall in winter and pushes paint off from behind. Inside, peeling near ceilings usually points to a roof or ice dam leak.
Why is paint bubbling or peeling in my kitchen or bathroom?
Bubbling or blistering paint in a kitchen or bathroom is caused by moisture or by grease and soap film under the paint. Steam gets behind a weak film and lifts it.
The fix is to scrape and sand the failed area, clean it, prime it and repaint with a paint made for damp rooms. Then keep the room drier with a working fan.
How do I know if old paint is oil or latex, and can latex go over oil?
Rub the paint with a rag wet with rubbing alcohol. If color comes off on the rag, it is latex. If nothing comes off, it is oil-based.
Latex can go over oil-based paint, but not directly. Sand the oil paint dull, apply a bonding primer, then paint. Latex put straight over glossy oil peels off in sheets. Older trim and doors in Fargo's core neighborhoods are very often oil.
Do bare drywall patches need primer?
Yes. Bare drywall patches and joint compound need primer before paint. Without it the patch soaks up the paint and shows as a dull, flat spot, which painters call flashing.
Spot prime each patch, let it dry and then paint the whole wall from corner to corner.
How much prep is included in your price?
Our quotes include the normal prep: patching, sanding, caulking and priming where needed, plus covering floors and furniture. Larger repairs, such as replacing drywall or rotten wood, are listed and priced separately so nothing is a surprise.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (701) 502-6833.