These days, much of the paint you see on your home's interior walls is water-based paint strengthened with latex binders. As such, you can think of the paint covering the walls as an extremely thin sheet of latex material, rather than a simple color wash. For this reason that paint professionals recommend the use of a primer, which functions to help the latex paint adhere to your wall. With this in mind, periodic tears in your wall paint won't seem as puzzling--and you'll better understand what you need to do to fix them.
Instructions
1. Pull the paint on either side of the tear gently to remove it from the wall. Although you could simply patch the tear itself, doing so will eventually result in another tear. It's clear the paint at this point has not fully adhered to the wall underneath it. Don't pull away paint that is attached to the wall, but make sure to remove any paint that is not fully clinging. Avoid creating a hole that's more than two inches away from any part of the tear if possible. If the layer of paint that's still on the wall seems thick by comparison, you can rub a piece of sandpaper on it to smooth out the edges.
2. Prime the now paint-free spot on the wall using your choice of water-based primer. Apply primer just as you would paint, either with a roller or paintbrush. Coat the wall evenly and completely.
3. Apply the first coat of your paint at least one or two hours after you apply the primer but no more than 24 hours later; otherwise, it will lose its adhesiveness. Apply subsequent costs as necessary. Now that your paint is properly adhered to your wall, you should not experience any more cracks.
