hundreds of cracks in paint General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[robert0881]

ive painted my hall with dulux mat emulsion and when it has dried it has come up with hundreds of tiny hairline cracks over it that resemble aligotors skin. i tried putting another coat of paint on but this had just done the same. the wals were perfect before i started. and its the paint that has cracked not the walls. any advice on what to do?

[kekec]

Have you checked the paint that was on before - if it was silk emulsion(slightly shiny finish) and you are trying to put matt emulsion over it, will get that cracking effect due to reaction between two paints. The remedy is to use basecoat (B&Q own or Polycell) to seal the surface and when dry paint over with matt.