For most people, seeing peeling paint on a home is only an eyesore, however if the peeling paint is left in its presence state the problem will only get worse and could result in a very high repair bill for the homeowner. Once the paint on the house begins to peel, moisture will infiltrate the unpainted areas and will accelerate the decay of the wood, which will eventually lead to rotten wood. Once peeling paint is detected on your home, you should take the necessary steps to correct it before it worsens.
While there are numerous causes for peeling paint here are a few of the most common:
Inadequate prep work prior to painting. The proper prep work must be preformed before you paint your home. This involves cleaning, scraping of all loose or flaking paint, priming any bare or exposed wood using a quality oil based exterior primer and caulking all joints, cracks or any other areas where moisture could penetrate. While there are other steps involved in proper exterior paint preparation, failing to do any of these may result in peeling paint.
Using an incompatible paint to paint your home. There are two main types of paint on the market today, latex and oil. While oil paint is rarely used on the exterior these days, there are still many houses that have an oil based paint on their exterior. Using a latex paint over an oil paint will not work and will quickly lead to paint peel because of improper paint adhesion. If you have an oil based paint on the exterior of your house and want to use a latex paint to re-paint your home then the house must be primed first using the correct type of primer.
Using a cheap or inferior paint. Just because one gallon of paint is ten or fifteen dollars cheaper than another does not always mean that you are getting a great value. Having been a professional painting contractor for many years I can attest that all paint is not created equal. Using a high quality, acrylic latex paint on a properly prepared surface will offer you years more service than a bargain priced paint will.
Having numerous coats of paint on your home. Finally, another very common reason for peeling paint that is most commonly found on older homes is when a house has had numerous coats of paint applied to its surface over the years. As the thickness of the paint builds up, the paint looses its flex ability and as a result the paint becomes rigid and is unable to expand and contract with the surface of the house, which leads to peeling.
While many homeowners will experience some type of paint peeling while owning their home, the best thing to do is to correct the problem at the first sign of trouble and call a trusted, fourth generation Pelham Al painting contractor to offer you professional advice and service to remedy the problem.