Maintaining and Repairing Damaged Interior Paint

There are many events in daily life that can damage the beauty of a home’s interior paint.  Following is a list of some of the most frequent types of interior painting flaws, along with their causes, how they can be repaired and the supplies required for each instance of damage.

Peeling Paint

The peeling paint woe is a very common one.  It normally occurs because of moisture underneath the paint.  Moisture causes the paint to lose its adhesive quality, allowing the surface paint to crack and peel.

The peeling paint phenomenon is usually found in rooms where there is high humidity, such as the bathroom, kitchen or basement.  Leaky flashing around a chimney or exterior wall can also cause water to seep into the home’s interior.  This makes the plaster beneath the paint wet, causing the paint to separate from the wall.

Repairing damaged interior paint due to moisture begins with eradicating the cause.  The high humidity spaces should be ventilated with an exhaust fan to remove the moisture and expel it to the outside.

The home’s roof, walls and soffits on the exterior need to be properly ventilated as well.  Damaged or missing flashing around the chimney or any wall-roof connection need to be repaired.  Once the source of the moisture is found and eliminated, the interior painting can proceed.

To prepare the painting surface, all peeling paint must be scraped off and the affected areas sanded.  Once smoothed, a primer coat should be applied to the sanded areas.  When the primer is dry, a new coat of paint matching the existing wall paint can be brushed or rolled on.  These procedures, properly executed, will stop all further incidences of peeling paint.

The supplies required to accomplish this repair are sandpaper, primer, paint, and paintbrush or paint roller.

Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew is usually associated with a home’s exterior, but the interior of the home can be affected as well.  Mildew is a fungus and appears as splotches on the paint surface in colors of grey, brown, green or black.

It, too, is caused by moisture and poor ventilation.  It can also be caused by painting over a surface that was improperly cleaned of previous mildew. Additionally, the use of low-quality, non-mildew-proof paint can be the culprit.

The treatment that solves the mildew problem involves scrubbing the affected area with a bleach solution of one part bleach to three parts water.  The solution must remain on the surface for 10 to 15 minutes, and should then be rinsed with plain, clean water.  The area is then washed again with a detergent and water solution followed by a thorough water rinse.  Once the surface is completely dry, it is painted with a quality interior paint.

The necessary supplies for successful mildew treatment are simple:  bleach, detergent, high-quality paint, and paintbrush or paint roller.

These problems, caused by excessive moisture and poor ventilation, are especially prevalent in areas with heavy rain and snowfall that may last for months.  The New England states are prime examples of these climatic conditions.  Homeowners in the states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire should turn to the professionals at United Home Experts for their home remodeling needs whether for repairing damaged interior or exterior paint and many other home remodeling and maintenance projects.

Sagging or Running Paint

This damage gives the painted surface a droopy, uneven look.  The cause can be a too-heavy application of paint, paint overly thinned, or painting in an overly humid environment.  It can also be due to a lack of primer coat being applied and a dirty surface at the time it is painted.

To recover from this problem, should the paint still be wet, the paint can be redistributed using a brush or roller to smooth the droops.  Once the sagging paint has dried, it must be sanded to a dull finish so that the new paint will adhere.  Another fix is to apply a primer coat and repaint.

To avoid this problem altogether, the paint should be applied in two thin coats rather than one heavy one.  The necessary supplies for this repair are sandpaper, paintbrush and/or paint roller, primer and paint.

Of course, everyday accidents can cause paint removal in areas hit hard by moving furniture, or hit with force by any heavy object.  Anything constantly rubbing against a painted surface will eventually wear off the paint.  In all of these cases, the affected areas need to be sanded smooth and repainted.

Regardless of the extent or cause, repairing damaged interior paint can be successfully accomplished.  No homeowner, particularly those living in regions of extreme climatic conditions, need live with damaged interior painted walls.