Peeling paint? How professional painters fix it fast
Okay so if you’re reading I’m going to take an educated guess and say you’re having trouble with peeling paint. It always starts as a tiny little patch that is somewhat easy to ignore but once is begins to grow and grow it starts to get hard to ignore.
Companies like Pro Painting Works see this constantly, probably the most common problem they deal with actually.
You really cant just paint over the top of it and hope for the best. Once paint starts peeling, moisture gets behind it and makes everything worse fast.
And if you live by the ocean, then this process happens even faster, as you will probably be familiar with seat salt damage. The sea salt will speed up that peeling faster than you want.
Why it peels
Now paint doesn’t just peel for no reason.
Moisture is usually the main culprit. Water getting behind the paint film makes it lose adhesion and bubble up. Happens heaps on exterior walls with no vapour barrier, or bathrooms and kitchens where humidity’s high.
If your walls aren’t properly prepped by your painters before they paint then it can cause peeling faster than you think. It may look nice for six months or a year but then it starts letting go. That’s why paint that lasts long, cost more.
Incompatible paint layers cause dramas too. Oil based over latex without proper prep, wrong primer between coats. Paint chemistry matters more than people think.
UV also causes damage to your paint job too. The constant thermal expansion causes stress on the paint and it eventually cracks. If you live in Perth then you know just how intense the summer sun can get, so having UV resistant paint can help alot.
What pros actually do
Fixing peeling paint isn’t the most glamorous job. Painters won’t rush it because they know if it’s not done right it’ll peel again in six months and they’re back dealing with warranty claims or unhappy customers.
Assessment first always. Why is it peeling, not just where. Is moisture coming from inside the wall? Substrate damaged? Multiple old paint layers that need stripping? This detective work determines everything.
Then scraping and removal. All loose peeling paint comes off completely. Not just obvious bits but everything not properly stuck needs to go. Scrapers, wire brushes, sometimes pressure washers or heat guns depending. Tedious dusty work but critical.
Surface prep next. Sanding smooth, filling gaps or cracks, cleaning off dust and debris. Exteriors usually need pressure washing to get rid of dirt, mould, loose stuff. You have to make sure the area is sold and dry before you start.
Put it in your phone calendar with reminders. “Book pest inspection” in August. “Clean gutters” in May and November. “Air con service” in September. Whatever works for you but having reminders means it actually happens. Not just an afterthought that gets forgotten about until its too late.
Interior vs exterior
Bit different depending on inside or outside, causes tend to differ too.
Pelling that happens inside is normally to do with moisture issues. Bathrooms, kitchens, laundries all have humidity issues. Sometimes from the condensation around windows too.
Ceiling paint peeling is particularly annoying and it’s often roof leaks or bathroom steam.
Exterior’s a whole different beast. All different elements are flying at your paint. UV, weather, temperature swings, seat salt damage or humidity.
Timber weatherboards peel more than rendered brick, north facing walls cop more sun damage. You have to do prep work for intensive because surface has degraded more.
Timing matters for exterior. You need it to be warm enough to cure and also it cant be raining for obvious reasons.
Exterior paints have to be sealed with stronger sealants to protect it from the outside elements. Make sure your painters prep and seal properly.
Moisture problem
Coming back to moisture because it’s such a common cause and not always obvious where it’s from. You might think it’s just paint adhesion when actually it’s a building envelope problem.
Rising damp from ground is one source. No proper damp proofing or it’s failed, moisture comes up through walls and pushes paint off from behind. More common with older houses.
Condensation inside walls is sneakier. No vapour barrier plus temperature difference between inside and outside, moisture from your house condenses in wall cavity. Pushes paint off from inside out and you might not realise there’s moisture until you investigate the peeling.
Point is, fixing peeling without addressing moisture source is pointless. You’ll just repaint every couple years. Good painters look for these issues and tell you honestly if there’s moisture problems needing fixing before they paint.
How long it takes
People always want to know timeframes which is fair because having painters in isn’t convenient.
Single interior room with peeling – probably 2-4 days depending on damage extent. Includes prep, repair, priming, painting. Moisture damage needing drying time, add more.
Exterior takes longer. Full house exterior addressing peeling on multiple walls might be 1-2 weeks. Weather can extend this if you hit rainy period.
Some of that time’s just waiting for things to dry. Can’t rush primer or paint curing without compromising the job. Pros know this and factor it in but means job takes as long as it takes.
Prep work’s usually most time-consuming. Actually putting paint on is quick compared to scraping, sanding, filling, priming. Why cheap quotes cutting corners on prep are false economy.
Getting it done right
When you get a paint job done, ask for warranty. That way if anything happens youre covered for that amount of time. This also makes sure that your painters know you mean business and will come after them if they don’t deliver the best result or it starts to peel after a few months.
Find a painter that knows what they’re doing. You want someone with experience.
You’ll still have unexpected repairs sometimes. Accidents happen, age catches up with things despite maintenance. But frequency drops heaps and severity drops too because you’re catching things early.
Reality is fixing peeling paint properly isn’t quick or cheap but worth doing right.
