A house or a building cannot be considered as finished one without good painting. Perfect painting can provide additional beauty to your beautiful house/building; at the same time, some issues in wall painting can ruin its existing beauty. Let's see what are the common problems in wall painting and their preventive measures.
Blistering:
If you are seeing small to medium sized bubbles formation in the paint film, it means there is blistering.
If the paint is applied in direct sunlight or hot surface, the solvent vapour will be trapped inside the paint film, which create bubbles and the paint will get dried quickly. Poor quality latex paints can also cause this problem in humid climate. Due to improper ventilation, house moisture will get trapped inside the walls and leads to blistering.
To fix this issue, scrape out the blistered paint, sand the wall, prime the surface and repaint using high quality paint in non-direct sunlight and non-humid condition. To prevent blistering, provide proper ventilation to the house walls, roofs and bathrooms etc.
Chalking:
If the fine chalky powder clings in your hand while touching the paint surface, it is because of Chalking. Chalking is nothing but the paint pigments being released by the paint binders that are broken due to weather conditions.
Usage of cheaper quality paint containing high levels of pigment extenders, applying interior paint for an exterior application and applying over-thinned paint can cause chalking.
To prevent and fix this issue, remove the chalking by power washing. Let the surface dry and paint it with a suitable high quality latex paint.
Fungus growth / Mildew:
If you find gray or green coloured dark and black splotchy spots on wall surface, it is due to fungus growth.
There are a lot of reasons for fungus growth. Moisture, poor ventilation & lack of direct sunlight will create an environment where fungus can grow. If paint is applied over a surface which has dew, it can lead to fungus growth. Painting on a non-primed surface and using poor quality paint may also cause fungus growth.
To prevent and fix this issue, scrub the surface with house hold bleach solution (1 part bleach to 3 parts of water) and let the solution set on the surface for 10-15 minutes. Wash the area with detergent solution and rinse with clean water. Let dry the surface and paint it with high quality latex house paint.
Cracking:
If crack patterns are visible on a painted surface, it is called as Cracking.
If the second coat of paint is applied prematurely before the first coat of primer/base paint is dried fully, it will lead to Cracking because of inadequate adhesion and flexibility.
To prevent and fix this issue, remove the old paint from the surface, sand the wall properly, prime and repaint the surface with high quality flexible latex based paints.
Peeling:
If the existing paint layer is separating from an earlier paint layer leaving some paint behind, it is called as peeling.
Peeling may occur due to poor adhesion or moisture. Applying paint over a dirty, wet or shiny surface, applying oil-based paint over a wet surface, leaks in the roof or wall systems and high humidity areas like bathrooms, wet basement areas may cause peeling.
To fix this issue, scrape the old-peeling paint, sand and prime the affected areas then repaint the surface with high quality paint. To prevent this issue, eliminate the source of moisture by installing exhaust fans, dehumidifiers, fans etc. and ensure proper ventilation.
