It can be frustrating to paint your home only to have the paint begin to peel within a few weeks. There are several reasons why this may happen.
1. Damp
Damp and moisture is the most common cause of peeling paint. If the wallboard or plaster is damp, such as from a leak or salt damp creep, then the paint will lose its ability to adhere properly to the walls. It will begin to peel, bubble, and flake off of the areas that are damp. Moisture in the air that has settled on the walls can also affect paint adherence. Make sure walls are dry and run a dehumidifier when painting to ensure the paint adheres properly.
2. Incompatible Paints
Paint may peel if incompatible paints are used. For example, applying latex paint over old oil paint can affect adhesion. Another issue is if you use an oil primer and then latex paint. You must use the same type of paint and primer. If you are unsure what type of paint was used on the wall previously, then choose a primer that is formulated to work well with both oil and latex-based paints. This will prevent any peeling and flaking caused by incompatibility.
3. Poor Prep Work
Improper preparation of the walls prior to painting can lead to poor adhesion and peeling. Dirt, especially oils and grease, prevent the paint from sticking properly. Walls need to be cleaned before they are painted. Then, any damages such as chips or cracks should be plastered over. Once the plaster dries completely, your painter will sand the walls lightly. The slightly roughened surface can help the paint better adhere.
4. Lack of Primer
Primer is one of the most important parts of ensuring a proper paint finish. Primer not only evens out the old colour so that the new paint colour goes on evenly, but it also provides the proper surface for strong paint adhesion. Primer is painted on after all the other prep work is done. It is allowed to dry completely before the colour is painted on.
5. Rushed Drying
It can take 24 hours or longer for the paint to dry completely, and it is really best to wait several days before pushing furniture against walls or doing anything else that could damage fresh paint. If you try to rush the drying process, it is more likely that the paint will suffer scratches or begin to peel.
Contact an interior painter if you have peeling paint that needs to be fixed right away.
After I bought my first home, I did not have a lot of money left over to put into renovating the place, so I decided to just update the paint and wallpaper as an instant facelift. I learned a lot about prepping walls for painting and wallpapering, and that's why I have decided to start this blog. I wish to share tips and techniques that I have learned during my renovation journey. From minimizing sanding dust to easy ways to remove old wallpaper, I hope that my blog posts encourage other homeowners to give their own homes a modernising interior facelift.