By J. A. Young
Before you head for the hammock or get lost in a good book, you had better go back and check your painting handiwork. Even after painting is complete, there are a host of problems that can typically arise to keep you in those old painting duds. The following article describes some common problems that occur in the first days or weeks after the paint job is complete and ways to get them corrected.
Drips and runs will drive the perfectionist painter mad. They occur when too much paint was used for a vertical surface. The way to fix these drips is to sand them away and then repaint the localized area.
Rain, rain, go away - but it didn’t! When rain falls on paint that’s still wet or hasn’t quite finished drying, it can be a very big problem. You will need to sand the frustrated areas. In very bad cases, you will need to strip to the bare surface and paint all over again.
Wrinkling is a relatively common problem that occurs when the painter wasn’t patient enough to let that initial coat dry completely and used a solvent-based paint over it. This is one of those lessons that will force you to do it right the next time because you’ll have to strip to a bare surface and repaint the whole thing, or at least the area in question.
It’s not easy (and seldom managed) to accomplish a perfect exterior paint job. A strong wind will come along and blow dust or dirt right across your fresh coat of paint. If an area really takes a beating from the grit or even some unfortunate insects, you will need to sand back and repaint. With the insects, if you let the paint dry and then carefully remove them, you might actually find that the paint is unharmed.
If you’ve not applied primer to the wood or given too few coats, you are likely to have a poor coverage issue with your surface. If you have not primed, you will have to strip down and prime your surface. If you have primed, you may simply need another coat or two of paint.
Bubbling occurs when moisture or an air pocket is trapped beneath the paint. Typically this happens to wood surfaces. To remedy, strip the area and repaint. Sometimes this occurs when the surface as not been properly prepared.
As you can see, most of these problems require a strip and a repaint. It’s enough to spoil your afternoon, but to really make your effort pay off and to see the job done correctly, it will have to be done. Only, be sure to treat yourself to your favorite drink and a great meal when the job’s finally done!
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