5 Painting Problems That You Can Fix Without Being Frustrated

Let’s face it, interior paint won’t last forever and goes through lots of wear and tear. It’s common to have painting problems with the walls in your home, but not all of them will need a professional painter to fix.

Whether you don’t like the look of your paint, there is a cosmetic problem or you have mold in your walls, there are DIY solutions to your painting problems. Here are some common issues and how you can fix them. 

Cracking, Flaking And Clumping

Vein-like lines that appear through at least one coat of paint. They can be faint initially but can deepen into jagged flakes over time. This can occur from moisture being trapped beneath the surface of the paint or surface contamination such as dirt, oil and grease. 

To fix these painting problems you will need to remove all loose material back to a firm edge. You can do this with a scraper, or heat gun or other tools, depending on the problem. Then prime the spot and recoat with the appropriate paint. If it is a large area, it is best to totally strip the surface and start again. 

Blistering Or Bubbling

This occurs when paint fails to properly adhere to the surface and lifts off of it in multiple rounded bumps. These painting problems can occur on both interior and exterior surfaces. Often this paint problem occurs with heat or moisture. If the surface was painted in direct sunlight or hot surfaces, blistering and bubbling are bound to occur. Newly dried paint in a humid or rainy climate may also blister.

To fix bubbling paint, pop or burst a few of the bubbles and inspect the backside of the blistered paint to determine what was the culprit of the problem. 

If the blister has several coats of paint and popping them reveals bare substrate, then moisture is the cause of issue.

If blisters are only in the previous coat of paint, then heat is likely the cause of the paint problem. 

You will want to remove blisters and the underlying paint or primer and smooth out the surface. Before you paint again, make sure the surface is below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. When you stir the paint, make sure not to stir too quickly and add bubbles to the paint. When you are rolling the paint onto the surface be sure to use the right speed. If bubbles appear, slow your stroke speed.  

Alligatoring

Similar to its name, this problem resembles reptile skin and the paint starts to wrinkle in wide rectangular cracks. This problem is more common with oil based paints and occurs when paint expands and contracts in response to temperature. If a more flexible coat (latex) is applied over a glossy finish, or not allowing the paint to fully dry before the next coat can cause alligatoring. 

To fix this you will need to remove the scaling with scraping, sanding or chemical removers. Rinse the surface to remove dust and let it dry. Prime, allow to dry and repaint. 

Filler Showing Through Paint

Wall filler is important when covering cracks in your wall, but it can be frustrating when it shows through your paint. These painting problems are easily fixed though.

To fix this paint problem, smooth and sand down the surfaces so they are all level. You will need to prime the filler before repainting so that subsequent layers of paint don’t get absorbed more rapidly than other areas. Use a coat of regular emulsion, that is thinned with clean water. Once it is dry, apply a full coat of emulsion. 

Mold Growth

Having mold growth occurs most often on exterior surfaces and again, is due to moisture. 

To treat mold, you should use a fungicidal wash to rinse the area. Once it is dry and coated with your masonry paint, you can add a weather protection paint to keep the problem from happening again. 

Rosewood Painting

If fixing painting problems in your home seems too daunting, call Rosewood Painting! We help your home to remain comfortable and free of paint problems over time. Painting is relatively inexpensive and is the easiest way to upgrade your home. You can learn more about the services that we offer and our prices by giving us a call today. 
If you are looking for a full remodel, or even just a small remodel in your space, we offer services to help. Wallpaper removal, sheetrock repair and window cleaning, just to name a few.