The sight can be distracting, blistering paint and bubbles in a newly completed paint job can be very disheartening. Take heart, this can be repaired and avoided by understanding what causes them. The problem can happen with any type of paint, both in interior or exterior painting, but typically happens to latex or acrylic paints.
Blistering
The condition called blistering can occur in newly applied paint or even after a year after the paint job has been completed. It is most common to wood siding and trim. This condition occurs when the adhesion between layers loosen causing the top layer to separate from the underlying layer.
What are the probable causes of blistering paint? The most common cause is painting when the surface is still damp or not completely dried out. This will cause the moisture to be trapped between layers.
Completely dry the surface before applying the primer and final coating. Allow each coat or layer to dry before applying the next coat of painting for maximum adhesion. However, if there are other sources of the moisture build-up, fix the problem first before continuing with the painting.
It is also important to do the painting in the right weather – avoid painting right before a storm if it can be avoided. Exposing the paint to wet condition before it has dried out may cause blister to appear. Listen to the weather station.
On the other hand, applying paint over dirty or greasy surface can also cause blistering. Clean out the surface as part of the paint preparation making sure that no dust is retained on the surface.
Try to stick with one type of paint. Avoid applying oil-based coating over a latex base. Use oil-based products for the primer and paint if the surface has been treated with linseed oil.
Bubbles
Bubbles in a paint job are a result of chemical reaction when paint is applied to a very hot surface or substrate usually against direct sunlight. Since the paint dries too quickly, solvent vapors are trapped. When the solvent vaporizes, the expanding gases put pressure on the top layer causing bubbles to form.
Try to avoid painting in direct sunlight or when it is very hot, or use a paint conditioner like Flotrol or Penitrol to slow down the drying of the paint.
Whatever the case maybe, it is best to plan and prepare properly before undertaking any painting job. Although blistering and bubbles can be repaired, avoiding these problems in the first place can help you avoid a lot of headaches in doing the repair.
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