How to Solve Paint Problems

Paint problems can be found with newly applied paint or on previously painted surfaces. Problems can range from efflorescence and chalking on exterior surfaces to hat-banding and blistering on interior surfaces. Understanding the cause of the problem will help find the right solution. Before you repaint, check out these helpful tips.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Common Interior Paint Problems

1. Remove flaking paint with a scraper and sand the area lightly, using a feathering technique. You may need to use drywall mud or patch if the crack goes through more than one layer of paint. Use wood filler for bare wood if needed, and apply a primer. Flaking and cracking of paint can occur from thinning the paint too much or spreading it too thin or by using excessive amounts of alkyd paint. Painting bare wood without a primer can also cause cracking.

2. Remove paint blisters by sanding lightly and repaint with a good quality latex paint, which rarely blisters. If you must sand all the way down to the surface, remember to apply primer before repainting. Blistering of the paint is caused by too much moisture when oil-based or alkyd paint was applied, causing poor adhesion. This can happen if the wall was being washed or if there is a moisture problem in the home. If moisture is a problem, use dehumidifiers, vents and fans to remove it.

3. Keep a "wet" edge to avoid lap marks. Keeping a wet edge is done by finishing the stroke from the dry into the wet paint. If you must stop while painting, paint to a place where edges are least likely to show when you begin again. Brushing or rolling paint incorrectly can cause lap marks or brush marks, which will show stop and start points and be uneven in color.

4. Feather the edges out towards the wall to avoid hat-banding, feathering the paint to the same thickness the paint will be when it's rolled. Hat-banding, also known as picture framing, can also occur if the nap of the roller is too long. Hatbanding occurs when the cut-in areas of corners, tops and bottoms of walls are much darker in color than the rest of the wall.

Common Exterior Paint Problems

5. Use a pressure washer or a stiff bristle brush to remove chalking, then rinse. If the chalking remains after it has dried, use a high-quality primer or sealer before repainting. To remove chalking from stone or brick, use a pressure cleaner and an acid cleaner if necessary. Chalking is a fine powder on the painted surface. Some chalking is normal in paint as it ages, but excessive chalking will age the paint prematurely. Chalking can also discolor brick, stone or a different color paint that is below the chalking paint. Using interior-grade, economy or highly pigmented paint will cause chalking.

6. Remove mottling thoroughly using either a stiff brush or pressure washer, and wait until the surface is totally dry. Apply a high-quality sealer to the concrete or masonry then a high-quality exterior paint. Mottling or efflorescence is the appearance of white salty deposits on masonry or concrete. It can occur because of moisture leaching from the inside to the outside or if the previous paint was applied to the surface without good preparation work.

7. Wash off as much rust from nail-heads as possible, then countersink the nails if possible. Apply silicone-based acrylic caulk before priming and painting each nail-head showing through. Rusting nail-heads showing through paint is another common problem and is usually caused from not using galvanized nails during construction.

8. Sand out all wrinkles and apply new paint. Make sure you apply paint only to thoroughly dry surfaces and at the rate recommended by the manufacturer. Wrinkling causes the appearance of a "skin" to form on paint and is usually caused by applying paint too thickly or applying paint in the hot sun. Moisture from fog or dampness, as well as applying another coat of paint before the previous one is dry, will also cause wrinkling.

Resources

• Benjamin Moore Paints has much more help with paint problems.