What do I do if I've painted a wall with Kilz and it won't adhere?

I have a dark cranberry accent wall and purchased a latex Kilz paint to cover the wall before I change the color to a neautral tan. I am having problems getting the Kilz to adhere to the wall and am thinking that the previous cranberry color may have had some gloss to it and seems to be causing problems with the Kilz sticking to the paint. There is some bubbling in the paint as well. How do I ';clean up'; this Kilz paint that won't stick to the wall and correct the problem as soon as possible, without a huge mess and without damaging my wall? Help, this is horrible!!!What do I do if I've painted a wall with Kilz and it won't adhere?
If the previous coat had some gloss, that may well be the problem. Kilz latex is not a good choice for that application.





Did you clean? Over a period of time, oils and dust can accumulate on walls causing similar problems. It doesn't have to look dirty to be too dirty to paint.





Removing the Kilz will depend upon how long it has been there. If you put it on in the last 48 hours or so, a strong TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) solution will probably take it off, but it will not be easy. You can get TSP at any store that has a decent paint department -- WalMart has it if you have a 24 hour one and want to start now.





Mix the TSP to the strongest solution listed on the box. Scrub with a brush to break into the surface, then finish with a sponge. I would get a couple of different brushes to try -- you will want the softest one that will do the job to minimize damage to the layer unerneath (maybe). My first try would be a short, natural bristle brush. The sooner you start on this the better your chances will be.





After the TSP, rinse well and let it dry for a day or two before you try again.





Now for the next problem. You say the paint is bubbling. You mean the original paint? This must be addressed as well. There is some problem underneath what you are doing, and it will have to come off. Break one of the bubbles and pull off all of the paint that you can.





Does the bubble go all the way to the bare wall? If so, the original paint was probably applied without a proper primer. In this case, the paint on the joints (assuming drywall) will probably come off easily, the rest will not. I would remove any obviously loose spots and use drywall joint compound to fill in the voids left by the removed paint.





If the bubble goes to another layer of paint, there was probably a problem similar to yours -- too much gloss to paint over, or the surface was not cleaned well. In this case it is hard to say where it will peel and where it will stick. Again, remove any obvious trouble spots. This time you will need to clean the voids well (TSP again) and fill the void with joint compound. The cleaning is not needed if you get to bare wall.





In either case, you may find that all of the paint wants to come off. I have seen this a few times, and it is really the best case because it lets you correct all the problems. If it wants to come off, it should.





Now back to painting. Prime any bare wall or new joint compund with a good drywall primer. Let that dry well. If you still have some paint left on the wall, it should be cleaned well by now and you may have eliminated any gloss -- TSP helps with the gloss as well.





Since you have had a problem, I would not take chances with this. Get a shellac based primer sealer (BIN is one example, there are others) and seal the entire surface -- including any areas you primed with the drywall primer. Wait a couple of days before you do this to make sure any drywall primer is wll cured as the shellac based sealer will slow the curing process considerably.





Shellac based is important here because it sticks to almost anything. The cleaning is still important, but gloss is less of an issue.





Most of the shellac sealers are transluscent, so you will be able to see the underlying color through it. This is not a problem. A good paint will still cover your cranberry in one or two coats. The trick is to allow a bit more curing time between coats. Wait a couple of days between coats instead of the few hours most paint cans indicate for a recoat and you will get much better coverage.





Good luck.What do I do if I've painted a wall with Kilz and it won't adhere?
My guess is the wall color was an oil base paint and the Kilz you are using is a water base. I would wipe off the Kilz the best you can, let the wall dry for a day, then get yourself a good primer from the hardware store before you go to your new color.....or trade in the Killz you have for can of oil base. Killz does make an oil base paint.