How To Deal With The Problems Of Peeling Paint

One of the issues property owners sometimes deal with is peeling paint either in the interior or exterior part of a building. Peeling paint does not only lower the appeal of a building. It can also pose a health risk to the occupants if it happens in the interior parts of the building (walls and ceiling). Peeling paint usually occurs when there is poor adhesion between the paint and the surface to which it is applied. Some common causes of peeling paint include;

Prolonged exposure to water- this can be as a result of water penetrating through the coats of paint due to a leak in the roof, gutters, or soffits.
Exposure to an environment with high humidity/excessive condensation- this can occur when there is poor ventilation and moisture begins to build upon the walls and ceilings.
Poor compatibility between the paint and the surface
Lack of proper surface preparation (dirty surface) before painting
Extreme temperatures and sunlight
Poor quality paint job (wrong paint, wrong primer, poor application methods, lack of expertise and proper equipment)
Aged and old paint (expired paint)
Corrosive substances containing strong acids or bases
An extremely dry environment

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Table of Contents

How to Handle Peeling Paint

Find and fix the underlying cause – a good way to ensure that you do not have to deal with peeling paint in the future is to determine the underlying cause and fix them now. Check your building thoroughly to ensure that there are no leaky spots in your roof, gutters, pipes, and soffits. You should only proceed to make repairs once you are sure that the underlying cause has been resolved.

In the case of peeling paint on uPVC doors and windows, if you are satisfied with the condition of the material underneath the paint, it’s advisable to simply get the windows and doors resprayed rather than incur the cost of having them totally replaced.

Purge/remove all loose paint – once you have identified and eliminated the underlying cause of the peeling paint, the next step is to carefully scrape and remove all the peeling paint from the walls and ceiling. Ensure that you protect yourself by wearing goggles and a face mask so tiny particles of paint won’t get in your eyes or lungs. Also, place a floor covering to protect your floors and catch any of the refuse coming down.

Prep the surface by applying a good-quality filler- this is to fill up all the cracks and holes left behind after you scrape off the peeling paint. Once the cracks and holes are filled up, allow the filler to dry well, then proceed to use a fine-grit sandpaper to remove any irregularity/roughness and make the area even with the surrounding surface. Ensure that you properly follow the manufacturer’s instructions while applying the filler. You can also wash the wall and let it dry completely before applying the primer and new coat of paint. This will ensure that peeling doesn’t occur in the future.

Another alternative is to make use of a special pre-painting cleaning solution to prep the surface. These solutions will aid strong adhesion between the surface and the paint and also improve the recoating of an already painted surface.

Prime the surface properly- although some paints now come with built-in primers, it is recommended that you still go the extra mile by using an oil-based primer that has stain-blocking properties. This will protect against humidity, watermarks, and mildew.

Repaint- once the primer you applied is properly dried, you can proceed to repaint the surface. You can use a sponge brush or a roller (a roller is preferred for larger areas). Allow for adequate ventilation and drying of the paint.

Hire a Pro to Do it For You

Handling peeling paint requires precision and adequate care, so your walls don’t end up looking worse than they did before. A better option would be to hire professional uPVC Spray Painters with the proper experience to do the job for you.

Conclusion:

Peeling paint is a serious problem that will only get worse if adequate measures aren’t taken. So if you’re dealing with the problems of peeling paint in certain areas of your home, it is important to first determine and fix the underlying causes and then proceed to repair and repaint.