It’s natural for homeowners to take pride in their homes. After all, a home is generally considered one of the most significant purchases of a person’s life. So, when a house starts showing signs of disrepair such as bubbling, peeling, or cracking paint either on the interior or exterior, it’s a good idea to find out how to care for these issues as well as how to prevent them going forward.
Let’s examine what conditions can cause these paint failures and how they can be prevented as you start your summer projects.
Causes of Paint Issues
Most paint issues like the bubbling, peeling back of color, and cracking seen around windows and joints, can be traced back to issues with heat, humidity, and unclean surfaces.
New England is known for having wild fluctuations in temperatures throughout the summer and winter months. While this is fine for the hardy New England natives, it can cause low-quality paint to fail in the form of heat bubbles or paint that detaches from the surface. The humidity can also be a factor as the higher the humidity, the less adhesive paint can be.
Another main cause of paint failure is painting on surfaces that were dirty, to begin with. Grease, grime, dirt, salty brine from the ocean, and chemicals from landscaping activities can make the surface incompatible with proper paint adhesion.
Avoiding Painting Failures
Homeowners can take action to prevent their homes from having premature paint issues. These steps can not only improve the lifespan of their paint project but make it aesthetically pleasing as well.
Clean Surfaces Before Painting
It may seem like a tedious task before you pick up your roller or brush, but cleaning the surface of wherever you are painting (inside or out) is an important part of the painting process. Wiping down the surface should include getting into each nook and cranny of the woodwork and trim. Dirt tends to collect in the corners and can cause peeling later on down the line if not cleaned thoroughly.
Use A Primer
Paint that is detaching from a surface is often not applied correctly in the first place. Many homeowners skip the step of priming a surface and start to see the consequences of that decision just a few months after painting when the surface has peeled or blistered.
Using a primer will help the paint adhere properly to the surface and create a smooth, even surface for the color to be applied evenly.
Check the Weather Before Painting
New England summers can get hot and humid. Find out what your local meteorologist is saying about the timeframe when you plan to paint. If the relative humidity is going to be high and the temperatures are scorching, consider holding off until the temp and humidity come down.
Let the Paint Dry Between Coats
A mistake that many DIYers make is attempting to get a second coat on the surface before the first coat has completely cured or dried. A second coat on a tacky surface can spell disaster as the paint needs time to harder and properly stick to the surface one layer at a time.
Painting may look easy but knowing the tricks of the trade can mean the difference between a clean transformative paint project and one that looks like an amateur did it. Let our team of professionals take care of your next exterior or interior paint project. Contact us on our website.