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I'm having an issue with paint ripples/bubbles appearing on these drawer fronts that I'm painting.

The paint I'm using is Behr brand chalk spray paint.

My process was as follows: I cleaned the drawer fronts with a degreaser without sanding, allowed any residual water or moisture to dry, then came back to begin painting an hour later. I did not prime. I applied the first coat according to the instructions. Went on nice and smooth, fairly even. Came back right around 24 hours to apply the second coat. Again, went on nice and smooth. After waiting another 24 hours I noticed some spots could use a third coat since this paint goes on fairly thin compared to other chalk paints, so I applied a third coat to just some areas.

What happened with the third coat was that almost immediately as it started to dry, these raised ripples/bubbles started to form in the areas where I applied the third coat. I allowed it to dry for 24 hours and came back to sand it down. I found that the ripples had lifted up all the paint, so removing the ripples simply revealed the base wood and finish underneath. I wiped the areas clean, and repainted over them. Again the ripples formed in the exact same areas, some in the exact same shape. I allowed this to dry for 3 days before sanding large areas down to the base wood and finish, and repainting over them. Again, ripples. How do I fix this?

Image for reference. I know the shadows make it look like cracks from this angle but it's the paint bubbling up in lines/ripples on the surface without breaking or cracking: enter image description here

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  • "I did not prime"? Sounds like you answered your own question. I thought chalk paint was supposed to be very forgiving without primer, but maybe not.
    – popham
    Commented Mar 3 at 20:02
  • Paint usually only mimics the surface under it
    – DIY75
    Commented Mar 3 at 20:14
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    Your picture shows what happens to paint when there is an oily surface contamination. The only option is to sand the paint down, prime with a sealing primer, one that is shellac based and then repaint.
    – RMDman
    Commented Mar 3 at 21:55
  • Why did this not happen during the first or second coat if lack of primer is the culprit? Commented Mar 3 at 22:54

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