Okay here I was reading the March issue, “painting over trim,” which I’m about to do, and it says don’t use oil over latex, bad idea. So I go to the hardware store and say I want oil since the previous trim was oil, and the guy says oh no you can put latex over oil, you just can’t put oil over latex. He said that latex stretches (expands/contracts) whereas oil sets up hard. So he is saying yes, I can put latex over oil, which directly contradicts the dire story in the March issue where the guy talks about a disaster where that was done.
I am about fed up with people being very sure and definite and yet contradicting each other. Could someone please explain?
Thanks
Smith2423
Replies
Your existing paint is oil. So you can use oil or latex to repaint. If your existing paint were latex, you would have to use latex to repaint. There is no contradiction, although I don't have the March issue in front of me to look at that article. The paint store guy is right.
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
Is there a typo in your post??
"don't use oil over latex, bad idea."
and
"you just can't put oil over latex"
I can't find where the article in the March issue says that (not that I looked real hard, just scanned around a bit). There is the sidebar that describes how to use latex over oil.....
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Edited 3/29/2003 11:17:41 PM ET by Rich Beckman
-I am about fed up with people being very sure and definite and yet contradicting each other. Could someone please explain?-
And you think it will be different here because.....?
According to your post they both agree that oil over latex is bad. Where's the contradiction? What the article says is that you shouldn't put latex over "gloss" oil without extra prep. For the most part this is true. If the oil isn't deglossed properly you will have a disaster.
The oil paint itself isn't the issue. The sheen is the issue.
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whoops, typo in my original message.
The march issue, page 88, starts with a story about a guy who walks into a house and all the new paint is peeling off. He says he hates to tell them that it's because they used latex directly over oil.
So I'm thinking, okay don't use latex over oil.
But my hardware guy says it's the other way around. He says don't use oil over latex. He says it's fine to use latex over oil.
One of the 3 replies so far says it's not the latex over oil that's the problem, it's the latex over glossy oil.
So, a simple sanding job does the trick? Or should I worry? Or should I just use oil over oil and be safe? (What's the problem with that?)
Thanks.
The main problem is that you need to read the entire article. How to apply latex over oil is outlined perfectly....that's not a mistake, it's rustic