Solutions For The Alligatoring of Paint: Vancouver’s Best Painters

Notes From Vancouver’s Best Painters:  Call 604-PAINTER (604-724-6837 or

Toll Free: 1-800-PRO-PAINTER

 Solution for Alligatoring of Paint

Remove all paint completely by scraping and sanding. Removal of large areas can be don quickly by power washing or with the use of a heat gun. Make sure the substrate is properl cleaned to remove dust and oils. Prime with either a high-quality latex or oil primer, an paint with either oil or acrylic latex house paint. Make sure the substrate has the propE moisture content and that the paint is dry before it is exposed to additional moisture (de’ rain, etc.)

BLISTERING

Blisters are raised bubbles in the finish surface.  Blisters can be caused by heat or moisture. Painting in direct sunlight on a surface that i too warm causes heat blistering. The film dries too rapidly and trapped solvents late vaporize, bringing pressure against the topcoat and creating blistering. This is more commo:  when using a dark-color coating, since darker colors absorb the heat more readily than lighte ones.  Blistering can also be caused by moisture, particularly in winter months. Interior moisture in tightly constructed homes is a major cause of exterior paint failures. Moisture build up inside the house escapes through the walls because there is no other place for it to go.   In the summer, the sun heats the siding and the water trapped behind the paint film i vaporized. The resulting pressures cause blistering. (Condensation problems are discussed in greater detail later in the posts that follow.

The use of alkyd or oil paint finishes in extremely humid environments with wide temperature variations can cause blistering. Alkyd finishes are sealer-type finishes that restrict the ability of moisture to vaporize and escape through the siding’s surface film Summer sun will cause moisture escaping from the interior of the home to vaporize faster than the alkyd finish coat will allow moisture to escape through its surface. Eventually, this causes blistering of wood surfaces.

One other cause may be the application of coatings over contaminated substrates. Failure to properly remove soluble chemical salts from the substrate prior to coating may result in blistering at a later date.

 Solution

First, determine which type of blistering exists. Break open one of the bubbles. If bare wood shows, the blister was probably caused by moisture; if another layer of paint shows, a heat blister is the most likely cause. In either case, remove the blisters by scraping and sanding In the latter case, the primer coat is generally not affected; you can repaint, without priming when the sun is not shining directly on the surface.

Rick Anderson

www.vancouversbestpainters.com

www.vancouverindustrialpainting.com

www.604painters.com

local: 604-PAINTER 604-724-6837  Toll Free: 1-800-PRO-PAINTER