Even professional painters can experience problems during and after a painting project. Problems can leave a paint job looking inferior and sometimes require extra repair. Identifying and solving these issues can make your next paint project smoother. Here are the most common paint problems and how to fix them:
Dirty
Even the most experienced professional painter can face a few problems when painting. Most of these issues come from poor surface preparation in some way, whether it’s damp surfaces, mold, cleaning, or priming. Uneven or blotchy paint often happens because the painters either skipped priming or did not use wall fillers to cover cracks and nail holes before they began painting. The solution is to start over, ensuring the surface is well-primed and set up for success before beginning the new project. Fisheyes are crater-like circular openings that can appear in your paint, usually caused by spraying a layer too heavily or not thinning the paint enough. It also can occur if your surface is contaminated with wax, silicone, or grease before you apply the paint. You can correct this by sanding with 1200-grit paper and respraying. Alternatively, you can use an orange peel remover to clear the problem area. Grit is a problem that appears as solid particles of varying sizes embedded in your painted surface. It can occur when your paint is not strained or stirred correctly, or it could result from humidity during application.
Blistering
Blistering (bubbling) is a paint blemish that causes air or water-filled bubbles to form on the surface. It’s usually caused by either moisture or heat, though sometimes both. It can occur immediately after painting and long after the paint has dried. Moisture-induced blistering typically happens inside, in areas like bathrooms or basements. But it can also occur outside if the paint is applied on a hot, humid day or in direct sunlight. Hiring the right painter for the job can be a costly mistake. Denver Painting Company can fix your problem by removing the paint and then scraping and sanding it down to the bare surface to fix it. They can prime bare spots and then repaint with high-quality interior or exterior paint.
Dripping
One of the most frustrating paint problems is finding drips once your painting project has dried. If you catch a drip while it’s wet, wipe it off with a cloth or brush. After the paint has dried, you may fix it by sanding it down or smoothing it with a razor blade while moving toward the drips to prevent crisscross lines.
Dripping occurs if you paint too quickly or use low-quality paint that can’t withstand moisture or humidity. To prevent this problem:
- Use high-quality paint and follow the recommended application rate.
- Test your colors for adhesion in the room where you’ll be painting. If your paints are not adhering, they may need to be re-primed and repainted.
- Remember that flat paint disguises drips better than glossy paint.
Cracking
Hairline cracks in the paint may not be a big deal and are a common issue that can be fixed easily. They are caused when somebody applies the paint too early before the curing period is complete and result from humidity. This problem may be swiftly fixed by sanding down the surface, priming it, and then repainting it with high-quality paint after removing the damaged portions of the paintwork. Humidity issues can also be minimized by storing the paintings properly and using good ventilation techniques during framing. Uneven or blotchy paint usually means you hadn’t primed the wall before painting or used low-quality paint. High-quality primers and thinning rates are the best way to avoid this problem.