"Finman" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am pulling my hair out. I had a bedroom and bathroom constructed in
my basement. 5 days after the drywall had been mudded and sanded I
put on one coat of Kilz Oil based primer. The next day I put on a
coat of satin latex based Behr paint on the ceiling. 1 day following
the ceiling paint I used Behr Bed and Bath paint on the walls, WITHOUT
cutting in, I was leaving the cut in for last (doesn't make sense I
know). I followed that up the following night with a second top
coat. The second coat was applied pretty thick with a 3/4" nap. That
night I left a window open in the basement to help alleviated the
smell. It got down to 45 degrees that night and I had 65% humidity in
the basement. When I checked the bathroom the following morning there
was sweat all over the walls. There was even a small amount of sweat
above the shower where there would be green board (the shower has
never been used). That's my first mystery. I let the room sit for two
days without touching it. After two days I went to remove the tape
and the layers of top coat peeled away in many areas when I tried to
remove the tape. The walls felt like they could have been a slight
bit dusty underneath. I'm trying to figure out what caused these
issues and what I should do next. PLEASE HELP!!


Years ago a painter told me about the best primer to use on new walls.
Muralo is very thin and it is quickly absorbed into the wall board sealing
it up. I always use Benjamin Moore on top of that with great results. I
used Behr once so I understand why you put on a thick second coat.

As others have stated, you obviously had too much moisture in the room as a
result of it being in the basement and from the moisture from the paint
trying to evaporate. The cold air caused condensation.

Masking tape should be removed promptly after applying paint. In your case
the paint under the tape was not completely dry. It can take several days
for paint to cure completely even though it is dry to the touch. Run your
fingernail into the paint and see if it makes a dent. If it does the paint
is still soft underneath.

At this point I think that you should let everything dry out for a week or
more. Look at the temperature limitations on the paint can and make sure
that the room stays above that. Repaint next week and put a small fan in
the room. Keep the windows shut if it cold outside. Buy a respirator so you
can work with the smell.