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Archive for September, 2011

It’s only been two years since you had your home repainted, and there is already noticeable peeling on the interior and exterior of your walls. Though you may initially chalk this up to a flawed job by the painting company, further investigation could lead you to another culprit.

Moisture and exposure to water can negatively affect the longevity and appearance of your paint. The specific causes and solutions vary depending on the location and the extent of peeling; however, it is the loss of adhesion which ultimately causes paint to peel. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to prevent damage to your paint from moisture.

To keep moisture from ruining your paint, read this overview to learn about the different causes of moisture damage and find out what you can do about them.

Interior

Cause

Cooking and showering can produce excessive moisture and cause paint to peel, as can the use of a humidifier, vaporizer or hot tub.
High levels of humidity in the basement or foundation of your home may also be the problem.

Solution

Check the ventilation in your kitchen and bathrooms and make sure it is properly filtering air. Bathrooms with showers should have exhaust fans.
Ventilation inside the walls or in the roof of your home need to release moisture, or it has nowhere else to go. Roof vents and outside wall vents can be installed or checked.
Opening windows is another option to allow moisture to escape, and can also be pleasant on a warm day.

Exterior

Cause

Caulking that is worn out will allow moisture in through joints, corners and openings. The same is true if there is no caulking.
Clogged gutters can cause moisture to build up under your shingles.
Interior moisture can move through the exterior walls, affecting paint on both sides.
A surface that is painted when it is damp will inevitably begin peeling.

Solution

Repair or remove loose and cracked caulking and replace with a quality alternative.
Make sure your gutters properly channel water.
Vents and fans should be installed to reduce moisture in your kitchen and bathrooms.
Always properly prepare your surface when you paint your exterior walls.

For homeowners, it can be disconcerting to see the money and time you put into painting peel right off your walls. With a few adjustments, however, you can prevent it from happening again and give your home the long-lasting coat you intended.

If you are interviewing painting companies or preparing to paint an exterior surface yourself, remember to break down the process into several steps.
The very first step that you will need to take in the process is preparing your yard, patio, landscaping and sidewalks for the project. It is vital that any flower beds, air conditioning units or shrubs planted near the building be draped in tarps to protect them from chemical cleaning agents, paint chips and spills.

Once the site has been tidied and secured, it is time to prepare the surface of the building. This begins with the removal of any shutters, house numbers, mail boxes or decorations affixed to the structure. These accoutrements will also need to be cleaned, repaired and perhaps painted before they are re-affixed to the property.

Surface preparation can be one of the most labor intensive steps; without it, you risk the possibility of poor finished results, which include sub-par pigment adhesion, premature bubbling and cracking. The tools that you will need to prepare the surface of your property include:

• Paint scrapers
• Sandpaper
• Heat gun – optional
• Power washer – optional
• Stiff bristled brushes – heavy nylon or metal depending upon the surface material
• Putty knives

Some do-it-yourselfers like to employ heat guns to help remove thick layers of paint. Others use power washers during the paint removal process. However, aggressive power washing can significantly add to the time it takes to complete your project due to the drying time involved.

All in all, nothing can replace the need for hand scraping. While power washing can make a quick job of attacking loosened, cracked and damaged paint, it cannot always safely remove sun baked resistant paint layers.

If you choose not to power wash, you can also use a trisodium phosphate cleaner. It is imperative to wash the exterior surface and remove any dirt, oils or residues that may prevent the new primer and paint from clinging to the building. Drying time, after the washing has been completed, will be dependent upon the type of paint that is going to be applied and the type of surface that is going to be painted:

• Drying time for latex applications is typically a single day
• Drying time for oil based applications is minimally a single week
• Drying time following the use of a power washer will be dependent upon the amount of moisture that was absorbed by the raw surface

Once the scraping and cleaning has been completed, it is time to seal any gaps and apply caulking wherever it is needed. Then make a thorough inspection of the surface and be sure to pound down any nails that may be sticking up. When all of these steps are completed, you are now prepared to paint.