Finally got the paint to stop peeling on my old porch swing by mixing a bit of dish soap into the primer, a trick from a painter I met at the hardware store.

After two failed attempts that left the paint flaking within a week, I added a capful of Dawn to a gallon of oil-based primer, which finally let the topcoat stick properly to the weathered cedar.

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarh165d ago

My buddy had this old garden bench that was a total paint nightmare. He tried everything, even sanding it down to bare wood. A retired contractor at his local store told him to stir a spoonful of liquid soap into the primer. He used some generic lemon-scented stuff, and that bench hasn't chipped in three years now.

rivera.christopher5d ago

That trick about the dish soap in the primer is a lifesaver. I had the same peeling problem on some old outdoor shutters. A guy at the paint counter told me the soap cuts through any leftover grime or wax that the cleaner misses. It makes the primer actually grip the wood instead of just sitting on top. I used the blue Dawn too, just a little splash, and the paint finally stayed put through a whole winter. It feels like a secret weapon they don't put on the can.