When a painting job is all done and over with and you are sitting on your nice sofa admiring the beautiful blues, yellows, and whites, the last thing you expect to see is some cracks, nicks, and dings. Not on your freshly painted wall.
Paints may crack and peel. You may also notice some bubbles on the surface – one more sign that the house painting job is not done right. What may go wrong, you wonder! Lots of things. But not anything that cannot be prevented so that the results will not only be impressive but also long-lasting without bubbles and cracks around the corner. The usual culprits? Let’s discover them.
Poor prep before painting
One thing painters must do before they even consider primers and colors is prep the surface. Depending on the material and the environment, surfaces must be rough enough for the paints to adhere and smooth enough to give this perfect flawless look. Still, this is basics. Most surfaces – mainly walls, have considerable damage and bruises, especially in the corners, around windows, due to nails. And that’s considered normal damage compared to water damage which is often the reason for home painting.
When the surface is not fixed, smoothened – well-prepped, the paint will shortly crack or bubble. But all that can be prevented with drywall repair, hole patching, crack filling and all sorts of prep tasks, removing dirt and dust included.
Bad quality paints
Paints expire too. Or they may be of bad quality. Either way, the results of the interior wall painting, for example, will be bad. For sure, the paint won’t last for long. Paints peel easier and faster. Also, they may not adhere well and so there’ll be some cracks here and there. If you choose paints, make sure they are of the finest quality. That’s half the story of having the home painted properly.
Inappropriate paints
Choosing the wrong paint is another story. First of all, you need to consider if this is an exterior or interior painting job. Even if we are talking about the interior, you need to consider the level of humidity in the house. That’s actually a factor (humidity) you must pay a lot of attention to if you are about to paint the basement or the bathroom.
Paints often crack when the surface is damp too. That may be a sign of leakage. Or that a prior water-related problem hasn’t been fixed.
Naturally, when it comes to exterior painting jobs, you need to remember that this is the exterior. In other words, the outdoor environment which is constantly under attack by nature and all elements that come along. There’s a reason why there are paints especially designed for exterior applications. Use them.
One more thing related to inappropriate paints. Focus on the surface in terms of its material. Not all paints are suitable for all materials. If the paint is wrong, it will peel, crack, and bubble and will do so fast. It may be wrong in terms of the previous paint too – try applying oil-based paints over latex paint and you will see.
Painting done all wrong
Never underestimate the skills of the home painters. After all, they often bring the paints. And they are responsible for the prep work. That’s all if you don’t plan a DIY painting and want to hire pros but are not sure whether you can trust them or not.
One of the most common paint failures is when the application of the coatings is not done in the right way. Too thick and the paint will swell and bubble or crack. Too thin the paint and it will look bad or won’t adhere as it should.
Some paint failures also happen when the second hand is applied before the first paint dried.
Having the home painted is the easy way to transform, refresh, and beautify it. But you can easily end up doing the very opposite. So, take our advice and pay attention to all aspects of painting.