# New Paint Job...Blistering, Cracking, Peeling...



## 4ThGeneration (May 3, 2009)

awluter said:


> My house was constructed in the 1930s/40s. When I purchased the house the original wood siding was covered with vinyl siding. I had a reputable painter remove the vinyl siding; then repair, prep., and paint the original wood siding. He seemed to do a very thorough job of prep (sanding, primer, caulk, etc.). He completed the job about 1-1.5 months ago. Over the past couple of days, we have had some heavy rain and I am starting to notice some severe blistering and cracking. The blisters are filled with water and occur at seemingly random spots on all sides of the house; they are not relegated to areas around windows, joints, trim, ends, etc. When the blisters are removed, the bare wood is visible underneath.
> 
> I'm having trouble diagnosing where the moisture is originating. They seem to have developed as a result of the rain, so I don't think it is an interior condensation problem. However, it has rained several times before, and I have not noticed any problems.
> 
> ...



Answer these questions and I can help.

How hot was it when he coated your home?

Was the home completely dry before application( like did it rain that night before he coated and it was still damp?)

Was the home properly cleaned with the right detergents to remove any dirt, algae and other pollutants? 


He did not just remove the vinyl and paint away did they?

When he applied the paint, did he try over applying a regular thin film house paint?

Did you come in with an unrealistic price that may have caused them to freak and they just gave it the once over and bolted?

It looks like they did not bring the prep to bare wood before application.


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## awluter (Jul 28, 2009)

*How hot was it when he coated your home?*
It was hot, but nothing out of the ordinary for the area...probably 85-90 degrees.

*Was the home completely dry before application (like did it rain that night before he coated and it was still damp?)*
It rained off and on the week they were doing prep., but I believe it had been dry for several days by the time they coated it.

*Was the home properly cleaned with the right detergents to remove any dirt, algae and other pollutants?
*The house was pressure washed...I'm not sure what type of detergent was used.

*He did not just remove the vinyl and paint away did they?*
No...I believe they did a thorough job of preparation. I took 3-4 people 1 week+ to wash, scrape, sand, and repair the siding.

*When he applied the paint, did he try over applying a regular thin film house paint?*
I'm not sure what you are asking...He used SW Superpaint with the recommended primer.

*Did you come in with an unrealistic price that may have caused them to freak and they just gave it the once over and bolted?*
No...I believe the price was fair...it certainly wasn't the lowest estimate I received. The painter is meeting with me to review the problems tomorrow.

*It looks like they did not bring the prep to bare wood before application.
*As I said, to my untrained eye, it looked as if they did a thorough job of prep.


If I don't get any answers from the painter, would it be worth asking a SW rep. to take a look at it?


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

You will need to pop some of those blisters and see if it is the top coat not sticking to the primer underneath, not sticking to the old paint if he only spot primed, or if the primer is not sticking to the wood. My guess is that it is the top coat failing. Without seeing the priming being done and without seeing into the blisters, my best guess would be that the wood dried out too much being under the siding all those years and cause the primer to soak in too far no leaving anything for the paint to bite into but that would be strictly a guess. Or it could be that that he only spot primed the wood and the spots that are blistering is from the top coat not sticking to the years old paint that had deteriorated from being under the siding all that time or the old paint could have been oil and he just put latex right over it.


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## 4ThGeneration (May 3, 2009)

Let me ask the obvious. What primer and finish did he buy it from?


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I have seen this many times. It is moisture getting in behind the new paint jobs somehow. Did your painter completely caulk the lap siding, as in underneath?:no:I cannot tell from the pics.If so, then that would,could be the problem. As matthew stated, being under the vinyl and drying out would not help bt the bubbles are caused br moisture and if the painter caulked the undrneath of the siding, then you have a problem It can be fixed but not necessairly cheaply.


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## 4ThGeneration (May 3, 2009)

If he did caulk the underneath of all the lap boards they sure did a pizz poor job because it looks like it was not caulked great, if anything.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

4ThGeneration said:


> Let me ask the obvious. What primer and finish and where did he buy it from?


you mean kilz2 primer and behr paint wasn't a good choice? lol

DM


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## awluter (Jul 28, 2009)

*Definite Moisture Problem...*

I met with the painter this morning; he mentioned that it could possibly be that the mud/spackling that was applied to the siding was not completely dry before the paint was applied. The basis for this theory is that the majority of the blisters are on the front side of the house which is where the mud/spackling was used. Does it make sense that this would show up 1-1.5 months after completion? Also, is it just a coincidence that all of these issues developed after a heavy rain?

After thinking about this for a couple of days, I really don't believe that the painter is at fault. I tend to agree with *chrisn*...somehow moisture is getting to the back of the siding. 

The only idea I have about where this moisture could be originating is sometimes during extremely heavy rains the dirt floor in the crawl space will be slightly moist. Could this create water vapor and cause moisture problems on the inside of the siding? Generally, I think of condensation problems happening during the winter.

Can this problem be remedied by improving the ventilation in the crawl space (installing powered crawl space vents/fans) and also installing wedge vents in the siding? Would wedge vents be beneficial even if I can't pinpoint the origin of the moisture?

The painter has offered to scrape and repaint the problem areas, but I have asked him to hold off until I get a better idea about what is causing the moisture issues.

Thanks for reading. Any advice is appreciated.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i tend to think you're right, since paint is sort of like a plastic sheet, and you're getting water inside the blisters, it's obvious to me which direction the moisture is coming from. it just seems like an awful lot of moisture to be a venting problem, but it most likely is the culprit. i believe you're seeing an extreme case here and i agree with you, i do not think the painter is at fault at all here. water inside the blisters.... wow....
adding a moisture barrier to the crawl space may be a good idea too.

DM


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

awluter said:


> I met with the painter this morning; he mentioned that it could possibly be that the mud/spackling that was applied to the siding was not completely dry before the paint was applied.


There is your problem. Spackle really shouldn't be used for smoothing out boards like that. It just doesn't last that long. It is more for nail holes and what not. If you are going to use spackle like that, you really need to prime first, spackle, then prime the spackled spots. Paint applied directly to exterior spackle without primer will do exactly what you are seeing on your house.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

What matthew said and 
Would wedge vents be beneficial even if I can't pinpoint the origin of the moisture?

Absolutly!

http://www.wedgevent.com/


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## framer52 (Jul 17, 2009)

I think we know why there was vinyl siding on the house!!!!!!!!


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## 4ThGeneration (May 3, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> you mean kilz2 primer and behr paint wasn't a good choice? lol
> 
> DM



Maybe you can get a sweet deal from that tire company in Canada lol?


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## 4ThGeneration (May 3, 2009)

Yeah Awluter, Its your fault you homeowner hack lol. Just/kidding. You would not know that kind of thing, but your painter should have. If the boards was that bad he should have replaced them, but this goes back again to budget. He may have just did this to save you money if you gave off vibes of a budget that did not cover that.

They make breathables coatings that will allow vapor to escape.


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## awluter (Jul 28, 2009)

*RE: New Paint Job...Blistering, Crack...*

I appreciate everyone's feedback regarding the spackling; that does appear to be the majority of my problem. I believe the isolated blisters at seemingly random spots across the front of the house are all caused by a failure of the spackling (as you can see in the 1st picture below), which I will address with the painter. However, I still have one or two isolated areas with definite moisture issues; this is where the bare wood is being exposed by the cracking/blistering (see picture 2 below). Any specific thoughts on what is causing this particular condition?

Thanks again for the feedback.


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## framer52 (Jul 17, 2009)

too much moisture in the clapboards.


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## 4ThGeneration (May 3, 2009)

From the top photo, it looks like some white powdery substance which almost looks like drywall powder after it is sanded. I am wanting to know if there was something else done that you have not mentioned because we did not know about the spackling until later?

Moisture is a problem and I am still thinking it may have been damp before the coatings were put down. 

Did he back brush all the claps during the priming stage?

Did he properly clean the house(redundant, but still an option if he does not know how to properly clean)

I always like to use breathable paints to allow moisture to not get in, but allows it to come out.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

The second pictue still looks like spackle failure.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

framer53 said:


> too much moisture in the clapboards.


:thumbsup:


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## angelwaif (Oct 17, 2009)

*new paint job.. blistering,cracking, peeling*

The problem could originate from warm air (inside) moving to the outside and condensing underneath the boards. These bubbles then appear at random and keep on appearing .
Did have this problem and painted for six years to no avail. Was told that the boards were cedar . This apparently contributed to the problem as that material not suitable for painting. 
In colder climates the lack of vapour barrier and insufficient insulation adds its two cents to the problem as well.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

angelwaif said:


> The problem could originate from warm air (inside) moving to the outside and condensing underneath the boards. These bubbles then appear at random and keep on appearing .
> Did have this problem and painted for six years to no avail. Was told that the boards were cedar . This apparently contributed to the problem as that material not suitable for painting.
> In colder climates the lack of vapour barrier and insufficient insulation adds its two cents to the problem as well.


Cedar isn't suitable for painting?


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