For some reason when I apply white emulsion paint it shrinks and cracks
over a couple of years.

See photo
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/Temporary/Image014.jpg

I don't think this is the paint as it's the same paint as has been used
elsewhere without the crazy cracks. It's just some places that give me
trouble.

So... How can I know when this is going to happen, what can I do to
stop it. and what can I do to put it right?



--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
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Ed Sirett wrote:
For some reason when I apply white emulsion paint it shrinks and cracks
over a couple of years.

See photo
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/Temporary/Image014.jpg

I don't think this is the paint as it's the same paint as has been used
elsewhere without the crazy cracks. It's just some places that give me
trouble.

So... How can I know when this is going to happen, what can I do to
stop it. and what can I do to put it right?



I had a similar situation in the bathroom. Wouldn't last more than
twelve months. It was probably exacerbated by the steamy atmosphere but
I am pretty certain that the underlying cause was that the original
emulsion had been put on top of an oil-based paint.

I tried everything. Dulux suggested eggshell but to no avail. Crown
suggested Zinser primer/sealer but that didn't help either.

Eventually, earlier this year I used a water-based paint stripper to
strip as far back to plaster as I could and re-coated with vinyl matt.
It now looks fine but only time will tell whether that has cured the
problem. If it had been a larger area I would probably have given up and
had it re-skimmed.

Andrew