Why Does Paint Peel, Blister, or Bubble? 

There’s nothing more frustrating than spending your hard-earned weekends painting the interior or exterior of your home only to find that the surface you spent so much care in painting has started to peel, blister, or bubble a few months later. 

Was it the paint? 

Was it the weather? 

Did the painter do something wrong? 

These are often questions that rush to mind as we try to grapple with a paint project that has gone horribly wrong. Let’s examine what are the most likely causes of peeling, bubbling, or blistering paint. 

Getting to the Root of the Problem

While these paint issues are fairly routine to solve by scraping, repriming, and repainting in the primary color, no one wants to do that once they spend their time painting, to begin with. The process of fixing a paint mistake can be very frustrating for do-it-yourselfers who are looking to save a little money by doing the painting on their own. 

Painting failures usually occur for several reasons: lack of preparation to the surface, lack of adhesion, or uneven painting. 

Lack of Surface Preparation 

DIYers tend to forget one of the more important parts of painting projects – the preparation of the surfaces. This includes wiping down the surface with soap and water, drying it, filling in holes, and sanding so the surface is even and smooth. 

Without this step in the process, the paint may begin to lift from the surface. Dirt, grime, grease, and other debris can cause the paint to detach from the wall or ceiling thus causing it to appear to peel, bubble, or blister. 

Lack of Adhesion

Adhesion refers to the bond between the paint and the surface being painted. Adhesion is one of the more critical parts of the painting process. 

Paint will not properly adhere to a surface if there is dirt, debris, oils, or grime on it. This is why we discussed the importance of wall and surface cleaning preparation. 

Paint may also not adhere well if a primer is not used. A primer’s main mission is to create a uniform surface for the paint to stick to along with covering imperfections in the surface. Priming may seem to take extra time as it is an extra step, but in the end, it may save you from having to repair or fix your paint mistakes.

Uneven Painting & Paint Application

Yet another mistake DIY painters make is not using the proper amount of paint for their project. Overloading a brush or roller can result in a glob of paint that will eventually begin to peel or bubble up because it has not adhered well to the wall surface. 

A thin coat of paint is needed to adhere properly. A thick coat or globs of paint will not dry well and may start to look like a blemish within months. 

Blistering, bubbling and peeling don’t need to be common mistakes. If you are having difficulty with your paint project or don’t want to go it alone, talk to our team about scheduling a free estimate for your paint project. 

Categorised in: Jerry Enos, Painting Challenges