Home painting is one of the most convenient, economical and foolproof tool known for transforming the entire look and feel of the place where you reside in. But at the same time, when a home painting project is not aligned perfectly, it can have serious after effects like, paint cracking, peeling and bubble creation that potentially ruins the aesthetics completely. Well! Apart from a bad paint job, paint quality, leakages, poorly prepared walls and more are responsible for such after effects.

Being a well-known painting contractor in Jersey for home & commercial painting, we now also serve the Delran area with multiple successful projects under our belt. Being in the business for over a decade, with our experience we have also observed that home painting is a popular DIY project preferred by homeowners to save on cost. Unfortunately, there are high chances of this DIY task not working out that well, due to lack of knowledge, experience, and preparation.

Check out in detail, reasons that make paint crack, peel & form bubbles. We are sharing this long list of reasons to help understand the possible errors to be avoided during the next home painting project.

What Causes Peeling, Bubbles or Blisters in Paint?

Have you ever come across paint bubbles on freshly painted walls? If yes, the points mentioned below will help you understand the reasons behind your paint bubbling, and how to avoid bubbling and blistering paint on your next project.

• Paint application over wet, dirty or hot wall surfaces – This tends to be the main reason for getting paint blisters or bubbles on a wall or ceiling. Be sure that you are working on a surface that has been properly cleaned, and has fully dried. Often, people want to skip the process of cleaning their walls before painting, but this can be a crucial step to avoiding bubbling paint. Often, contaminants on the surface of a wall will not allow the paint to stick properly, causing bubbling. Sometimes it is also advisable to wait for proper weather conditions as well. Painting a hot, humid and dirty basement wall will definitely result in bubbling or blistering of the paint.
• Applying oil-based paint over a wall previously painted with latex paint also creates the same issue. You can do a small cotton ball test to check the old paint type if you are unsure what the previous paint was. If you want to go with an oil-based paint and still paint on top of the previous latex coat, you will have to apply a latex primer before painting with the oil-based paint. The difference between the oil-based paint going directly on the previous paint, or going on a latex primer first is simply the difference between the paint bubbling and the paint sticking.
• Moisture is another cause for these paint bubbles. So, before you begin the painting process, never forget to check the surface and the wall behind it for moisture. This can be a common issue with basement painting.
• Termites can sometimes cause paint bubbles. If bubbles appear in your paint and you don’t find the cause, try inspecting your home for pests. Signs of termites in your home are never a good thing, and they can have a detrimental effect on your home’s infrastructure.
• Improper surface preparation – it is critical that you properly sand and prime a surface before painting.  While it may be tempting to skip these initial steps and get right to painting, you are running the risk of having to deal with bubbling and blisters down the road. It’s worth it to take the extra time and effort, and have your walls painted right the first time around. The preparation that you put into a painting job will save you money in the long run, because that same preparation that ensures a quality paint job will allow the paint to last longer, avoiding any necessary repainting anytime soon after a project.
  
• Paint peeling happens due to similar reasons that cause paint blisters or cracks. Again, we’re talking about damp, unprepared wall surfaces, and dirt/dust/contaminants on walls during paint application. Exterior wood ideally is more prone to such an effect.

Paint Cracking

It’s far from rocket science to understand why paint cracks. The following reasons will allow you to better understand why your paint might be cracking, and how to avoid cracking on a future painting project. Different types of cracking can happen due to the following reasons –

Causes of Mud Cracks

• Extra thick coats of paint
• Dirty surface

Causes of Hairline Cracks

• Over-spread application
• Poor paint quality –with low adhesion & flexibility

Causes of Alligator Cracks

Alligator cracking is when the paint cracks in a pattern that resembles the scales of an alligator. If this sounds a little silly, trust us when we say “you’ll know it when you see it”.

• Application of paint over wet walls or a greasy finish
• Stiff coating

How Can I Fix Cracked, Bubbling, or Blisters in Paint?

The only real way to fix these issues in a paint job is to sand down the area, prime it, and paint again. The paint did not adhere to the surface well the first time, and there’s nothing you can do to change that. The only option you would have is to get a bucket of paint of matched color, and re-paint the areas as needed.

Pro Tip: Preparation is key when it comes to any painting job. The best solution to preventing and avoiding cracked paint, peeling & paint bubbles is to get the preparation right. Well surfaced & clean walls with conscious inspection of water damages, leakages, and good quality paint, experienced & professional painting contractors can solve it all.