Exterior Painting: Moisture as a Cause of Paint Failure

[Eieio]

Paint failure occurs for many reasons, but moisture is a common cause. It is important for a homeowner to not only notice moisture problems, but to hire a competent painting contractor who can identify their causes and make the necessary corrections. Moisture as a source of paint failure falls into three general categories: systemic moisture, structurally caused moisture, and moisture caused by human error.


A dwelling is a system of interrelated parts that function in sync, much like an automobile. One of these parts is the ventilation system. Functioning properly, this system manages the pass-through of air and moisture between the interior and exterior of the dwelling (its "breathing"). Aspects of this system include insulation, vapor barriers, ducts, soffit and ridge vents, etc. If any of these aspects are missing, damaged, or otherwise impeded, the dwelling has difficulty breathing and moisture is no longer under control.

A simple example of systemic moisture would be an area of seemingly inexplicable paint failure on exterior wood siding. It would not be a coincidence that the interior side of that area is the family bathroom, which lacks ceiling ventilation. This example is realistic and fairly common, but it does not show how widespread and destructive moisture can be when the whole system is unbalanced.

Homeowners dealing with mildew, mold, condensation, variations in house temperature, ice dams, attic moisture, etc., can learn about structural ventilation here. A certified home inspector can help to determine if and what problems exist and can issue a report on these findings.



Full article (http://buildipedia.com/at-home/item/1285-exterior-painting-moisture-as-a-cause-of-paint-failure)

[ModernStyle]

I have seen that alot when Handymen paint things

[-TQC-]

". This is why it is important for painting contractors to do annual inspections and touch-ups of their customers' homes between full repaints."

Do you painters do that?

[fez-head]

I have seen that alot when Handymen paint things

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[WarnerConstInc.]

I have seen that alot when Handymen paint things

Ughhhh, I still can't figure anything out for my house other then wedges.

I am not taking the plaster down.

[Allrounder]

In my experience, the two things that cause almost every paint failure are poor prep and moisture.

[Ireland32]

Sometimes when you use a roller, the painting job is obviously faster, but the smoothing process is a bit jangled because of tiny air bubbles forming inside the paint. And if the surface was wet in certain areas, the moisture would be housed in these air pockets, thus making the paint more susceptible to cracking later on.

[RCP]

Paint contractors need to be responsible for knowing the substrates and the potential issues that could arise, here is more on that. (http://bloggingpainters.com/2011/10/05/who-is-responsible-for-paint-failure/)

[ModernStyle]

I think all my subs are straight