Why is my paint not sticking?

One of the questions I often get in my inbox is, “My paint isn’t sticking, can you help?”.

If your paint is scratching or chipping off easily or maybe you are putting a second coat on and it’s bringing off the first - you have an adhesion problem.

99% of the time IT IS NOT THE PAINT!!

Most likely it’s a prep issue. It could be:

Your surface is too shiny

There is wax or oil on the piece

There is residue from your cleaner that hasn’t been rinsed off

Your piece just isn’t clean or degreased well enough

You’ll not make it any better by:

Adding more coats

Putting a varnish on

Waxing it

You need to strip back and start again, prepping your surface correctly. 

Some of the pieces that we paint as furniture upcyclers are over 100 years olds! There has been a lot happening to the surface over that time, from traditional polishes to lots of greasy fingers - they've seen it all. All those years of dirt and grime need to be removed before painting!!