What is causing the paint on your San Antonio home to peel?
Even if the paint was applied recently in your San Antonio, TX home, it can peel off interior or exterior surfaces for all sorts of reasons. Here are a few common reasons for painting peels, and a few tips on how you can fix it.
Poor Surface Preparation
Whenever the paint doesn’t adhere to the surface beneath properly, it peels off. It may have happened because the wall was not properly cleaned of any mildew, oils, dust, or dirt or well primed before painting.
If you’re painting over a gloss finish, you’ll need to use an abrasive cleaner to clean it and dull it to make it easier to stick. Paint primer is also recommended to be used on the surface, which provides a better bond with the paint and provides better adhesion for a longer time.
Added Moisture
If the surface is damp, the paint won’t dry correctly, and it may peel soon after it’s applied. It is best to wait for dry weather before starting any exterior paint jobs. You may need to allow your walls a few days to dry out if there has been any rain or sprinkles at your home. Also, contractors should be aware of when wet weather is likely to arrive and be prepared to avoid it.
Poorly Suited Paint
When painting over an existing painting, you should select the same type of paint. Paints that are oil-based, water-based, or latex are not incompatible with each other. While you can paint over latex with oil-based paint, latex doesn’t adhere to oil-based paints very well and will eventually peel.
Bad Paint
If the paint is old and possibly gone bad it will also peel. It starts smelling stronger and leaves a rough finish that tends to peel easily. Alkyd or oil-based paints sealed in an airtight container can last more than 15 years. Unopened water-based acrylic and latex paints last about ten years. The solid components eventually settle to the bottom of the can and become hard and cannot be mixed back into liquid.
Poor Quality of Paint
It is possible that cheaper paints will fail and peel sooner than more expensive paints.
New wood
New wood contains oils that can cause paint to peel off no matter how dry the wood appears. Cedar is especially prone to this. Wood that is not properly cured can also have too much moisture which will cause the paint to peel.
How to Fix Peeling Paint
You can fix your peeling paint problem if the paint is peeling off your walls. You should do so because peeling paint increases your home’s susceptibility to mold and mildew. Check out these steps to fix peeling paint.
Chipped paint needs to be removed.
The first step is to remove the paint that is chipping. This can be done by using a putty knife or a paint scraper carefully along the loose edges. Wearing a face mask will help to prevent inhaling paint flecks.
Patching Compound
You will find that the wall is not entirely flat after removing the chipped paint. If the surface looks rough, you can apply a patching compound with a putty knife to smooth it out. This will need to dry overnight.
Sand and Prime
Once the patches are dry, you can sand them to remove any ridges. Next, use an oil-based primer to prevent the walls from peeling again.
Repaint
You can repaint your walls in any color once the primer is dry.
Superior Painting and Remodeling helps San Antonio homeowners figure out how to fix peeling paint. Give us a call today, and we will take care of all your painting needs!
