paint work

[poppie]

can anyone help my parents have an old stone house in spain and the internal walls are cement which they have problems with the paint sticking too. The paint bubbles and flakes off within a day of painting is there anything they can treat the walls with first.

[snook]

PVA adhesive, diluted about 5 to 1 with water. That should give the walls a waterproof coat and allow paint to stick okay.

[Consie]

They may need to use a special lime based paint. BEFORE sealing with PVA check this out as the walls may need to breathe - a PVA coating could, in the long term, present even bigger problems. If 'stanleyman' or 'buildersmate' see your question they will give you a very professional answer. They are both excellent.

[parkesquay]

I used to live in Spain and damp is a common problem because there won't be a damp course. By any chance does the outside have a higher level of ground against the outside of the wall than the inside?.

A more drastic step would be to remove the render in the area of trouble and have a look at what is going on.