Mistakes can be made on house painting projects, whether you are tackling the paint job yourself or you’ve hired a professional. First, let me state clearly, errors are made by hard working painters and homeowners alike and most can be corrected. Sometimes things are missed because of oversight, other times there are issues that aren’t apparent until the job is done. Here are four of the most common glaring issues.
The lines aren’t straight.
Painting is a skilled trade and I’ve seen painters with 20 years of experience that still haven’t learned to paint a straight line. There’s also an art to taping off. If you’ve ever painted for yourself, you know the frustration of the paint bleeding underneath the tape. The solution is to hire a professional to repaint the straight lines. Choose a company that has a great reputation for clean lines and you won’t be disappointed. The simple act of straightening up the lines can make a night and day difference on how your final product looks.
The paint is peeling.
The three prevalent reasons that paint peels are: inter-coat adhesion failure, moisture, and lack of appropriate prep or primer. Let’s look at these in more depth:
- Inter-coat Adhesion is caused by two paint products not bonding. Most of you have heard that you cannot apply latex paint over oil without the proper prep. If waterborne paint is applied directly to oil-based paint without sanding and/or the correct primer, it will peel. If you apply a low sheen over a glossy paint without sanding, it will peel. When the paint doesn’t bond, it peels off easily. Inter-coat adhesion failure can be time consuming and expensive to fix. Sometimes a light sanding and bonding primer applied with a high-quality paint will correct the issue; however, in the worst case, the paint will need to be completely stripped.
- Moisture; if paint is bubbling and blistering, then moisture is most likely the cause. This is very common with older siding. You may not see moisture, but condensation in the substrate can cause the paint to blister and peel. Also, moisture intrusion in the house or places that are not properly ventilated can create issues with paint. Paint will not fix a moisture problem; the cause of the moisture needs to be addressed. Once you have fixed the root of the problem, then a good primer and two coats of quality paint will take care of the paint failure.
- Lack of appropriate primer can cause problems. You could be dealing with the paint not properly adhering to the substrate, inter-coat adhesion, and/or tannin bleed. Mistakes like applying paint to bare wood will make the paint not stick. Most wood requires an oil-based primer. MDF (medium-density fiberboard) requires an oil-based primer as well. If you prime MDF with a water-based primer, you will have moisture issues because the water in the primer will penetrate the substrate. If you have a glossy surface, then I recommend a bonding primer. Also, cedar and other wood products require an oil-based primer to block the tannins. Tannic acids are the oils that bleed out of certain woods, especially cedar, mahogany, redwood, fir, and pine. They cause a yellowish-brown stain in the paint, more prominent with light colors.
There are paint drips and splatters.
Nothing is more frustrating than cleaning up these from a freshly finished paint job. It doesn’t take long for paint to dry and you may never fully remove the paint, if it lands on certain fabrics and belongings. Once, we were hired to take over a paint job because the previous painters didn’t cover anything and got paint on the homeowner’s antique cello. While painting, mistakes can happen, you should NEVER have paint slopped on your surroundings because someone didn’t take the time to tape off and cover everything. Avoid the worries of having to clean up dried paint by making sure EVERYTHING is covered with plastic, paper and drop cloths. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Lack of prep isn’t pretty.
If the surface you are painting isn’t properly prepped, all sorts of problems can ensue. Prep work includes cleaning the surfaces, sanding, caulking, filling holes, wall repairs, primer, and taping among other various steps required for a fine finish. These can be tedious, time consuming and cost extra labor; or they may cut into your personal time, if you are attacking the project yourself. But, if you are anything like me and appreciate a beautiful paint job that lasts then it’s worth the extra effort or expense to have the job done right the first time. My advice? Mistakes are less likely to happen, if you don’t skimp on prep work!
If you’ve found yourself at the end of a paint job and you aren’t satisfied with the workmanship, you may need a professional opinion. As always, we are only a phone call away!
Happy painting!
Nancy
Thanks for sharing such great information. This is really help to me.
I followed your blog. So please share these types of information in future.
I am glad to read your post! These are fantastic tips to decorate your home.
Great content. This is an eye opening for some painters. Thanks for sharing this.
One small thing can change the whole way your paint job will turn out and how long it will last for. Thanks for sharing this great info with everyone.
Thanks for sharing this post. Just scrolling the internet for material to research,… We have recently started our own home painting business, so I appreciate you taking the time to educate on some of the points above – I am very much still learning the craft myself so thank you! I think I may go back and read some of your old posts as well!
If there are any other blogs or resources for someone new to the industry would love to hear. Have a great day!
Very nice of you to share this kind of content. My husband and I are going to change some rooms with a new look in our house, therefore, those tips are really useful for us. We are residents of Waltham ma, we are blessed with our 2 children! Thank god, hope that we will get over with this new year and home remodel! Just a little nervous about how to decor. Thanks! ~Thomy~
Nancy, thanks for taking the time to put together this helpful article. It’s true that painting is a job that requires more detail than it seems at first – it’s worth hiring a professional who doesn’t skimp. From the perspective of an interior painting and from a consumer’s, this article has so much value.
Hi Nancy! This post was so informative, especially for new business owners such as myself. I appreciate the time you took to put together these tips for painting. It was a very helpful article. Great work!
Thanks for sharing this post. I appreciate all the details inclined in this post that helps me a lot to avoid the common causes that painters make. Great work!
Thanks for sharing this post. I appreciate all the details inclined in this post that helps me a lot to avoid the common causes that painters make. Great work!…………
I really like what you mentioned about lack of appropriate primer can cause problems. Choosing an appropriate primer must be wise and I’d suggest to do the research on the appropriate boston house painters. In my case, my friend in Waltham ma have recommended me to use Sherwin Williams. He said that he has used this paint for over 10 years and never let him down yet.
Preparation might take time but, it will help to create a worthwhile result.
Extremely helpful, thanks for sharing.
Your information is fantastic and I will send future clients to your blog! So many customers don’t understand the importance of high quality prep work. They try to touch up or paint a huge space without proper prep and their result isn’t good. I love serving my clients but if they want to save money and do it themselves they need to understand how to do it right. Your writing on paint peeling is perfect. I’ve had to fix so many walls in my career.
Thank you for bringing professionalism and quality to the industry! I’ll be reading more for sure.
Thanks for sharing. It’s great to know that some painters with 20 years of experience that still haven’t learned to paint a straight line. We recently started our painting company, we are licensed an insured to do exterior and boston house painters, also provide wood staining/resurfacing services around massachusetts area if needed. We have a hard time getting new customers, spend most of my money on marketing with no success. So we really need a professional advice, we will be really appreciated to contact you soon. Thanks for sharing!
It’s great to know that some painters with 20 years of experience that still haven’t learned to paint a straight line. We recently started our boston house painters company, we are licensed an insured to do exterior and interior works, also provide wood staining/resurfacing services around Massachusetts area if needed. We have a hard time getting new customers, spend most of my money on marketing with no success. So we really need a piece of professional advice, we will be really appreciated to contact you soon.
Thank you for educating us! We have had problems also with paint peeling, and we hate to admit it, but there are some of those 3 that you have mentioned that we have done once or twice. Looks like we will need to call back our clients so we don’t get a bad reputation in the painting world! Thanks again for all the advice.