Peeling Paint Problems? Here’s How to Deal With Them

Peeling paint isn’t just an eyesore—it’s a warning sign that your home or business might be at risk of bigger problems, like wood rot or structural damage. When paint starts to crack, peel, and fall off, your surfaces are exposed to moisture, temperature changes, and wear, which can lead to costly repairs if left untreated.

With over 25 years of experience and thousands of projects under our belt at Roe Painting, we’ve seen and solved every kind of peeling paint issue. Our expertise in surface preparation and the use of specialized primers ensures that your paint job is protected and stands the test of time.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the common causes of peeling paint, how to prevent it, and what to do if it’s already happening. Plus, we’ll share our go-to products and tips for ensuring your paint stays put for years.

We'll cover: 

• What Causes Peeling Paint
• What Can Be Done to Prevent Peeling Paint
• What to Do If Your Paint is Already Peeling
• What Specialized Primers to Use

What Causes Peeling Paint?

Peeling paint can be a frustrating problem, but understanding the root cause is the first step toward preventing it from happening again. While it might seem like an issue with the paint itself, peeling is often the result of underlying conditions that weaken the bond between the paint and the surface. Let’s explore some of the most common reasons paint begins to peel and what to watch out for when maintaining your home or business.

Common Causes of Peeling Paint:

• Moisture Intrusion: One of the biggest culprits behind peeling paint is moisture. Water can seep into the wood through uncaulked joints, cracks, or leaks in the roof or walls. This constant exposure to moisture causes the wood to expand and contract, which weakens the paint film, leading to cracking and peeling over time.
• Poor Surface Preparation: Paint needs a clean, smooth surface to adhere properly. If dirt, dust, grease, or old, loose paint isn’t thoroughly removed before applying a new coat, the new paint will struggle to bond. Skipping necessary prep steps, like sanding and priming, often results in peeling paint down the road.
• Low-Quality Paint: Not all paints are created equal. Using low-quality or improper paint for the surface can significantly shorten the lifespan of your paint job. Cheaper paints may lack the flexibility to expand and contract with wood during temperature changes, leading to cracks and peeling.
• Excessive Vegetation: Trees, shrubs, and other vegetation growing too close to your home can trap moisture near wood siding. This excess moisture can infiltrate the wood, causing swelling and loosening the paint. Keeping plant growth away from painted surfaces helps maintain their integrity.
• Painting Damp Wood: Paint should never be applied to damp wood. If the wood isn’t completely dry, the moisture trapped beneath the paint will eventually cause it to lift, blister, and peel. Proper drying times after power-washing or rain exposure are critical.
• Inadequate Drying After Power-Washing: Power-washing is a great way to clean surfaces before painting, but it can backfire if the wood isn’t allowed to dry completely. Painting over wet or slightly damp surfaces creates conditions makes peeling almost inevitable.
• Painting Surfaces Too Close to the Ground: Wooden siding or boards placed too close to the ground are more susceptible to absorbing moisture from the soil. Over time, this weakens paint adhesion, causing peeling at the base of walls or structures.

What Can Be Done to Prevent Paint from Peeling?

Preventing paint from peeling comes down to moisture management, surface preparation, and regular maintenance. Since moisture is a leading cause of peeling, sealing any potential entry points where water can get in is crucial.

This includes caulking and sealing joints around windows, doors, and siding, and ensuring that your roof and walls are free from leaks. Consistently checking these areas and reapplying caulking when needed helps keep moisture out and your paint job intact.

Proper surface preparation is equally important. This means thoroughly cleaning and sanding surfaces to remove dirt, grease, and old, flaking paint before applying a new coat. Priming is another crucial step. Using a high-quality primer designed for your painting surface ensures better adhesion and a smoother finish, helping the paint bond more effectively.

Lastly, investing in high-quality paint is essential for longevity. Choose a paint that resists UV damage, fading, and cracking, and remains flexible enough to expand and contract with the wood as it reacts to temperature changes. This flexibility helps prevent cracks from forming, which are often the starting point for peeling.

What Do I Do if My Paint is Already Peeling?

While we all wish we had the time to keep up with proper maintenance, life happens, and before you know it, your paint is starting to peel, and the surfaces that are supposed to be sealed and protected are now exposed and open to damage. Maybe you have purchased a property, and the previous owner clearly wasn’t concerned about proper maintenance. Now, there is peeling paint everywhere.

Here are the steps to address peeling paint:

• Remove all loose paint through mechanical means by scraping, sanding, or wire brushing to what we call “a sound substrate” that will be ready to receive new paint.
• Once the bulk of the loose paint is removed, feather sand the areas to minimize the transition from the removed paint to the remaining paint. This will help eliminate hard edges that will be prone to future peeling. This will also make the final appearance much better, as you won’t have paint voids where one layer of paint steps down to another. Be aware that feather sanding is labor-intensive and can affect the cost of your paint job if you are hiring a contractor to do the work.
• Prime all areas where loose paint was removed with a specialized primer that is made to resist future peeling and lock down paint edges.
• Follow the primer with two coats of high-quality acrylic latex paint that withstands UV exposure and remains flexible enough to move with the wood surfaces.

What Are the Specialized Primers I Should Use?

Many brands on the market can specifically help with peeling paint. Here are the top three, in our opinion, and all of them perform well:

1. Peel Stop by Rust-Oleum/Zinsser
   • Binds cracking, chalking, and peeling paint
   • Extend the life of problem surfaces
   • Glues down cracks and gaps under the edges of old paint
   • Interior & exterior water-based
2. High Build Peel Bonding Primer by Insl-X
   • A water-based acrylic primer designed to smooth, seal, and extend the life of weathered surfaces. It applies as a milky white color for ease during application and top coating. High Build Peel Bonding Primer glues down peeling, cracking, or chalking paint, reducing surface preparation. It provides a mildew-resistant coating and effectively blocks stains from rust and mild tannin bleed. It is recommended that it be top-coated with water-based paint.
3. PrimeRx by Sherwin-Williams
   • PrimeRx Peel Bonding Primer saves time and effort from sanding and scraping old paint and helps even out those less-than-perfect surfaces before you paint, giving you a smoother, complete finish.

Specialized Primers for Peeling Paint Comparison Table

Do You Have to Use a Specialized Primer to Address Peeling Paint?

No, but why wouldn’t you? There is virtually no cost difference between a multipurpose primer and these specialized primers. However, only one of them will help prevent future peeling paint while improving the appearance of the finished paint job.

Don’t Let Peeling Paint Be a Recurring Problem

Peeling paint can feel like an ongoing battle, but with the proper preparation and specialized primers, it doesn’t have to be. By understanding the causes and following the steps to fix peeling paint correctly, you can protect your surfaces from further damage and ensure your paint job lasts for years. Remember, using high-quality primers and paint is vital to preventing future issues.

At Roe Painting, we’ve spent years perfecting our process to guarantee long-lasting results for your home or business. Whether you need help with peeling paint or want a fresh new look, our team has the expertise and tools to get the job done right.

If, after reading this article, you’ve realized that all of this surface prep and product choosing is simply too much, we’re always here to help. Contact us for a free consultation, and we will take that peeling paint right off your plate.