Is This a Bad Paint Job?

Questions & AnswersIs This a Bad Paint Job?
Anonymous asked 10 years ago

The painter says that I have bad siding with too much moisture in it and that is why the paint job looks the way it does. The painter did wash the house before painting.

3 Answers
Crowder Painting answered.

The painter tried to apply two coats in one pass of the sprayer. Each coat of paint must have time to set-up before more can be applied. Most of the runs would have happened quickly on the cool sides and could have sagged during the night on the warm sides if sprayed late in the day.

The bubbled and cracked paint was caused by cool night temperatures and excessive water under the siding. This was caused by improper pressure washing, not bad siding.

After pressure washing the house needed time to dry. During humid times a house can take 2 or more days to fully dry. If the pressure washer wand was tilted up during the washing water can be injected under the siding. This moisture will cause problems and can take several days to leave. I suspect some improper washing techniques were used without enough time to dry.

The pictures provided tell the whole story of this bad paint job. Your siding is fine, it's the paint job. Bad siding is split, warped or rotten. I see none of this in the photos.

You indicated Lowes brand paint was used. I have nothing against Lowes, but paint should be purchased from a paint manufacture (from a paint store). The quality is much better. If the painters supplied the paint as part of the contract and purchased it from Lowes then they are not painters. House painting is a business that requires quality suppliers that back up their products. Lowes can't do this. Quality paint costs money. This can't be avoided.

The only questions I have are; How did you find this painter and did you choose based on price (the cheap bid)? A quality paint job always cost more but is worth every penny. When a house is painted correctly the paint job will last for 8-10 years or more and look good doing it. If these painters promised quality and charged for it then they must fix your house and correct their bad paint job.

You have two options to fix this bad paint job, sanding the paint smooth or replacing the siding.

Anonymous answered.

How could this be fixed? Please explain the different methods that could be used.

Crowder Painting answered.

The adverse effects of the bad paint job on your house are runs, sags and bubbled paint. It has been my experience that you have two options to fix this problem, sanding the paint smooth or replacing the siding. The best choice depends on the extent of the damage. Unfortunately, there isn't a quick and easy way to fix this paint job.

Sanding is a very good option but with problems. The main problem with sanding latex paint is it gums up the sand paper very quickly, especially fresh latex paints. Plus it is difficult to sand a surface truly flat without leaving behind waves on the surface.

You need a good painter with the right tools and the skill to use them. The tools needed are a palm sander and random orbital sander. Other types can be used but these are the easiest to control. The grit of the sand paper is also important. I recommend starting with very course grit sandpaper, 36 grit, to rip through the bad areas quickly then finishing with finer paper, like 80 or 120 grit.

This will take a lot of sanding paper or disks and patience. The amount of time this will take depends on the bad areas that must be sanded and how the paint reacts to the sanding. The key to properly sanding your house is feathering the sanded areas into adjacent good surfaces without leaving any waves on the siding.

After the sanding is over the dust needs to be removed with water. Low pressure with a power washer or use a garden hose with a power nozzle. No need for high pressure or an intense washing, just remove the dust.

Now the house can be primed were the sanding took place and painted. Two coats of high quality 100% acrylic paint should be applied. This time, make sure the correct painting procedures are followed.

As you can imagine sanding off all the runs, sags and excessively heavy paint can be time consuming and difficult. It is possible that it will be cheaper to replace some siding if the cost of sanding exceeds the cost of new siding.

Never underestimate the cost to fix a bad paint job. It?s much cheaper to have the painting done right from the beginning than fix it later.