Peeling paint has been a common issue in most households. Paint peeling from walls and ceiling affects the aesthetics of your house which as a home-owner a big headache. Apart from the mere aspect of beauty, peeling paint is a sign of poor waterproofing and weak structure.
Paint job, apart from being an expensive affair, involves an emotional investment of a home-owner. The owner chooses different shades and designs to express emotions.
Deterioration of such a well-chosen thing definitely causes quite a discomfort among homeowners.
Hence protection of walls and prevention of any peel-off is crucial. We will talk about the major reason for wall peel-offs along with the mitigation strategy for such mishaps.
1. Moisture in the soil:
If the moisture content in the soil at the construction site is high, chances are that this water moisture will travel from the soil to your structure via capillary action. As they rise through the wall, dampness accumulates inside.
This dampness will result in weakening of the bond between the paint layer and wall plaster. Hence your paint will peel off.
Best way to counter moisture rise from the soil is to either treat your soil (which is not easy) or apply a bituminous coating layer between walls and foundation. Obviously, this method is for a new structure. What if my structure is already built?
For existing buildings, the use of cementitious compounds is recommended. Check here to know more or contact us directly here.
2. Water seeping from exterior walls due to rain:
Rain is the number one enemy of waterproofing. During rain, water drops hit the exterior of the house. These drops will slowly seep via tini-tiny cracks in your wall.
Long-time exposure to such an onslaught will result in the dampness of the wall and ceiling. This dampness will result in weakening of the bond between the paint layer and wall plaster. Hence your paint will peel off.
To protect your wall from rain, use high-quality acrylic paint or polyurethane paint which makes your exterior wall impregnable. Check here for a detailed guide on exterior protection or talk to our Expert Waterproofer here.
3. Leakage from Adjacent bathroom:
Bathroom and Kitchen are two areas where water flows freely. If any lapse in plumbing or poor waterproofing leads to an unnecessary flow of dampness from a bathroom to adjacent walls.
First thing to check is the health of your bathroom plumbing. Arrest any leakages in pipes or taps. Also, check if there is any prolonged water logging in your bathroom.
Next thing is to check the health of the waterproofing in bathrooms. We have written a comprehensive article on bathroom waterproofing here, you may sneak a peak.
4. Exposure to sunlight:
Most exterior paints are designed to restrain the sun quite effectively. So, peeling of exterior paint is of no question. If your exterior paint is peeling off, then it can be due to aging or poor paint quality.
Many times, by mistake sections of interior walls, get exposed to direct sunlight. In such cases, peeling may happen as interior paints aren't UV or Sunproof.
Check if there is any unwanted exposure. Cover it if possible.
5. Improper paint application:
If primer is not used as per instructions, then the grab between the paint layer and surface will be weak and this lead to peeling.
If a painter did not use a dilution ratio as per recommendation, it may result in a poor grab of paint to walls.
If a painter has not cleaned the surface from dust or grease, then paint may peel off later.
If painting is done on an already painted wall, then the old paint layer may fail to give proper stickiness to the new paint layer. While painting an old wall, make sure to remove the older paint layer completely via wire brush and sand/glass paper.
The above 5 points cover more or less every major reason for the paint peel-off issue.
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