A Few Common Exterior Paint Problems

The coat of paint on the exterior of your home is very important. A fresh coat of paint will raise the curb appeal and the value of your home, as well as protect your house from damaging elements. The three main causes of wood failure on the exterior of your home are water, sunlight, and mold damage.

Yearly Inspection

The most important thing you can do to protect the outside of your home is to conduct a yearly inspection of the perimeter of your building. As with illnesses involved with your body, early detection is the key to prevent major dilemmas in the future.

So what exactly should you be looking for during your inspection of the exterior of your home? You want to look for any imperfections, blemishes, or other flaws that may show on the top layer of paint. Check all the painted surfaces on the outside of your house such as cracking, chipping or blistering.

Common areas where these problems occur first are places where there are high levels of direct sunlight, water collection, or other highly exposed areas of your home. Some of these areas include corners, window sills, door sills, edges, rooflines, etc.

Common Symptoms of Aging or Failing Paint

Fading Paint

Probably the most common problem occurring with aging paint is fading. Constant direct sunlight changes the chemical composition of the paint, leading to a lack of sufficient protection of your home. Highly faded paint can lead to other problems such as cracking or warping of wood. Applying a fresh coat of paint is the only way to fix this problem. Fading or poor color retention can also be a result of chalking of the coating.

Blistering Paint

Blistering paint is one of the many symptoms caused by water penetration or extremely high humidity levels. Blistering paint appears as just that: small to medium bubbles or blisters under the paint film, usually occurring on wood materials.

Blistering paint may also be caused by the paint being applied to a hot surface. If a coat of paint is applied to a surface when it is too warm, such as heated by direct sunlight, the vapors from the paint may become trapped under the paint film as the paint dries too quickly for it to escape. Similarly, if paint is applied to damp or wet wood, the moisture may become trapped in the same manner. Dew, rain, high humidity, and low quality paint or insufficient preparatory work will also contribute to paint blistering.