Basically, paint is applied for two purposes: Decoration and Protection. It gives a feeling of newness and sense of completeness in our house. However, after spending money on it, it is important it won’t show any defect. Paint defects like chalking, blistering, blushing, blooming, flaking, etc. arise due to several reasons, before or after the paint application. Among them, blushing and blooming in paint are the most common defect observed on the painted surface.
Blushing and Blooming in paint are usually described as the appearance of a whitish substance on a surface of varnish or enamel. Blooming or leaching is different from blushing up to some extent. They are two different processes.
Causes of Blushing in Paint:
Blushing is a defect in the paint film. It occurs during the curing process because of condensation of moisture occurring on a coating surface and visible as water spot. Usually, this moisture originates from within the porous substrate.
- Blushing in paint generally occurs due to rapid evaporation of the solvent or the presence of excessive moisture during painting. In the presence of excessive moisture in the air will cause water droplets to condense on the paint surface as it dries and become quite evident and appear as white patches like water spot or milky, hazy effect on the topcoat.
- Cellulose-based paints and other fast evaporating solvents (e.g. acetone, toluene) are more susceptible to blushing.
Causes of Blooming in Paint:
- Blooming is different from blushing to some extent. When topcoat of a painted surface dries out and develops haziness called blooming in paint.
- Blooming in paint occurs due to the amount of liquid collected after condensation causes water-soluble compounds to migrate from the body of the paint film to coated surface. When migrated water compound evaporates from the surface, then it will appear as sticky deposits on the top coat.
- Moreover, when sticky deposits dry out, it appears as milky and hazy spots on the topcoat.
When severe blush or bloom occurs, it causes significant surface irregularities and sometimes might result in more whitened appearance. After the painting work is completed, maintain the painted surface so that your house looks good.
Also Read:
Blushing and Blooming in Paint: Precautions and Repairs
15 common Home Painting Defects
