Ahh, it’s the holiday season once again and you thought your room needs a revamp. You scanned through the area and tried to imagine what color you’d want to repaint it with and which posters you want to hang on the walls. Suddenly, your eyes caught a not so pleasant sight as it reaches the window sill – there are cracks on the wall! Oh no! You can panic or you may want to read on to know what it is, why it appeared, and how you can fix it. No worries, DIYer. We got you.
Paint Cracking
This problem appears as hairline cracks when it first invades your painted walls. Although when left unfixed, the cracks might turn to flakes and damage the entire wall. When you discover the cracks, immediately identify the source and find out what you need to do. Determine whether the cracks are just on the coating or the surface. If it’s the latter, it’s much better to ask for professional help. If it’s the former though, good news, you can easily fix it using your scraper!
Common Causes of Paint Cracking
But before that, you need to know why it’s there. Here we’ve gathered the most common causes of wall cracks:
1. Inadequate surface preparation
As it is with the past articles about solving or preventing common painting problems, proper surface preparation is still the biggest factor to help you achieve an excellent paint job. Always spare a few minutes of your time cleaning the surface before proceeding to coating to avoid unnecessary troubles. Watch Boysen Painting 101 for tips.
2. Aging of paint
As paint ages, which is inevitable, it loses the ability to expand and adapt to the changes in the temperature. The film hardens and becomes brittle, and then starts to crack. You would need to repaint after a certain period, which depends on your location and the tolerance of the paint you used. For Boysen paints, the average repainting schedule for interiors would be every 5 years.
3. Overthinning or overspreading of paint
Make sure to apply the necessary amount of paint you need on the surface to prevent problems like overthinning or overspreading that may lead to the cracking of the paint when it dries. One more thing, make it a habit to read the specified painting guide for each product that you will use. Boysen has an app that guides you on how you can maximize the use of the product. Read this article to know more.
4. Use of interior paint on exteriors
We have different paint specifications for each surface, and it’s there for a reason. Exterior paints undergo extreme weather changes therefore its elements must be tougher to resist common painting problems such as peeling, blistering and fading. Interior paints are obviously less tough so you wouldn’t want to use it outside especially if you don’t want to redo the paint job a month later.
5. Using low quality paint
Likewise, using low quality paint affects the overall outcome of the paint job. No matter how good you did on the application, there is still a possibility for it to crack due to poor adhesion of the paint.
Let’s Get Cracking!
Get your scrapers and wire brushes ready and fix those cracks like a pro! If you’re already sure that the cracking hasn’t gone through the surface, scrape it to remove the affected coating, including the nearby areas for loose film up to the point where the remaining paint is intact. Sand the area, prime it and then proceed to repainting. It’s as easy as that!
‘Tis the season to be jolly and get quickly moving on solving your problems on cracking wall paint. Let us help you maintain your cool and the condition of your home. Contact us for urgent painting problems at (02) 363-9738 local 417 to 418.
Happy Holidays!