The newly painted house gives a sense of freshness, newness, cleanliness and most importantly it gives ‘sense of completion’. It makes our surrounding more attractive and livelier. However, if the painting is not done properly, several paint defects like blistering, chalking, bittiness, etc. may get appeared either on the walls or ceilings. These painting defects may appear before or after the paint application. Among them, paint cracking is the most commonly observed paint defect on the painted surface after the paint application.
What is Paint Cracking?
Paint cracking is technically defined as the splitting of paint film due to the cracks developing throughout the entire painting system and extending right down to the original surface. It is often visible on both exterior and interior surfaces. Paint cracking also occurs due to inadequate surface preparation, using a low quality of paint, etc. We have already discussed detailed explanation on causes of cracking defect in our recently published article.
To stop this paint defect, you need to take certain precautions and find the ways, how to repair cracked paint. Therefore, here we have discussed the precaution and how to repair cracked paint.
Precautions to Prevent Paint Cracking
Precautions to prevent paint Cracking Painted Surface:
- Do not paint in direct sunlight.
- Before the paint application, ensure that the surface is completely clean and dry.
- If you are using low-quality paint, it will result in inadequate adhesion and flexibility.
- To avoid paint cracking, do not paint on exterior and interior surface when the surrounding atmosphere is too cold.
- It is not recommended to paint in the late afternoon in unheated areas as the temperature will continue to decrease and prevent proper paint film formation.
- Before you start applying the second coat of paint, make sure that the first coat is completely dry. Give proper drying time, preferably 1 full day and minimum 8 to 12 hours.
- Always make sure that you have the right paint for the job.e. metallic paint is for metal surface, floor paint is for flooring, etc. Similarly, interior paint for interior surfaces and vice versa.
Repair Cracked Paint
Tips for How to Repair Cracked Paint:
01. If the paint cracking doesn’t go down to the underlying surface
- First, remove the loose paint with a scraper or wire brush.
- Sand it to feather the edges.
- Then prime any bare spots and repaint it.
02. If paint cracking goes down to the underlying surface
- Remove all the paint by scraping, sanding and/or using a stream of heat by machine.
- Then prime it with a suitable primer.
- After applying the primer coat, repaint with good quality paint.
03. To repair cracked paint over the plywood surface
- Only regular scraping, repriming and recoating will solve the problem. Use latex paint to fill plywood cracks rather than to use oil-based paint as latex paint is more suitable for plywood.
This paint defect can drastically spoil the look of your house. So, before it gets worse, make sure that you have taken actions to repair cracked paint. If the affected area is large or the cracks are too deep, it would be better to contact professional painting contractor who can easily solve your problem.
Also Read:
What is Blushing & Blooming in Painting?
Tips to Maintain Paint Consistency During the Paint Job!
Precautions & Repairs for Common Home Painting Defects
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