Causes:

1. Applying an oil-based (alkyd based) paint directly over a latex paint, without a conversion primer.
2. Painting a wet, damp, dirty or hot surface.
3. Moisture seeping into the home through the exterior walls.
4. Exposing latex paint to moisture shortly after the paint has dried.
5. Improper surface preparation.

Solutions:

1. If the blisters do not go all the way down to the substrate, remove them by scraping and sanding. Once the problem area has a smooth finish, coat it with primer before applying a quality acrylic latex interior paint.
2. If the blisters go down to the substrate, you will need to remove the source of moisture, if possible.

Causes:

1. Insufficient time is allowed for the paint to cure before closing doors or windows.
2. Using low-quality semi-gloss or gloss paints.

Solutions:

1. Use top-quality 100% acrylic latex or alkyd semi-gloss, gloss paint. Low-quality latex paints can have poor block resistance, especially in warm, damp conditions.
2. Follow paint label instructions regarding dry times.
3. Doors and windows should be adjusted to open and close properly.

Causes:

1. Frequent washing and spot cleaning painted walls and surfaces, especially with an abrasive cleanser.
2. Using flat paint or paint with low stain and scrub resistance in high-traffic areas.
3. Objects rubbing against the paint (furniture, for example.)

Solutions:

1. Paint heavy-wear areas that require regular cleaning (doors, window sills, and trim) with a top-quality semi-gloss or gloss latex paint, which is more durable and easy to clean. Choose a satin or semi-gloss rather than a flat sheen on walls in high-traffic areas.
2. Prevent furniture and other objects from rubbing against the painted surface
3. For maximum durability, wait at least two weeks after painting before washing the surface.
4. Clean painted surfaces with a soft cloth or sponge and non-abrasive cleansers, and rinse with clean water.
5. To remove penetrating stains and marks, carefully use an abrasive cleaner and water, or wash with a diluted solution of household bleach, and then rinse with clean water.

Causes:

1. Using a low-quality or the wrong type of caulk for a particular application. An example of this would be using latex or vinyl caulk in areas where there is prolonged contact with water or considerable movement of the caulked surfaces.
2. Not properly preparing or priming the surface prior to caulking.
3. Applying too thin a bead of caulk.

Solutions:

1. Caulks and sealants have different properties. Select the proper product for the job and follow manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Use a top-quality water-based, all-acrylic, or siliconized acrylic caulk if you do not anticipate prolonged contact with water. These caulks are flexible enough to adapt to minor fluctuations in the substrate. They also adhere to a wide range of interior building materials, including wood, ceramic tile, concrete, glass, plaster, bare aluminum, brick, and plastic— even in areas where moisture is present.
3. Proper surface preparation. Caulk requires a clean surface to perform effectively; remove all surface contamination, old, cracked or brittle caulk, loose or peeling paint.
4. In most cases, the surface should be primed to give the caulk a good bond and to prevent the substrate from absorbing the liquid out of the caulk, which may cause improper drying and poor performance.
5. Silicone caulking should not be painted.

Causes:

1. The use of low-quality paint, resulting in inadequate adhesion and flexibility.
2. Oil-based paint applied over latex paint.
3. Paint was spread too thin during application.
4. Poor surface preparation, especially when the paint is applied to bare wood without priming.
5. Paint drying too fast due to environmental conditions.
6. Paint becoming brittle with age, failing to expand and contract with temperature and humidity changes.
7. Extreme cracking, sometimes called “alligatoring,” caused when a second or third coat of paint is applied before the previous coat dries completely, or when the undercoat is incompatible with the finish coat.

Solutions:

1. If the cracking does not go down to the substrate, remove the loose or flaking paint with a scraper or wire brush, sand the area to feather the edges, prime any bare spots, and repaint the surface.
2. If the flaking occurs in multiple layers of paint, you may need to use a filler.
3. If the cracking goes down to the substrate, remove all of the paint by scraping or using a heat gun, sand the surface until smooth and even, prime, and repaint with a quality latex paint.

Causes:

1. Shaking a partially filled can of paint.
2. Using low-quality latex paint, or paint that is old.
3. Applying (especially rolling) paint too rapidly.
4. Using a roller cover with the wrong nap length.
5. Excessively rolling or brushing the paint.
6. Applying a gloss or semi-gloss paint over a painted surface without first priming.

Solutions:

1. Avoid excessive rolling or brushing.
2. Avoid using paint that is more than a year old.
3. Prime porous surfaces before applying paint.
4. If applying gloss or semi-gloss paints, prime before painting and use a short nap roller.
5. Avoid vigorous shaking or the paint can or swirling the brush in the paint.
6. Sand problem areas before repainting.

Causes:

1. Failure to maintain a “wet edge” when painting.

Solutions:

1. To avoid making lap marks, do not paint sections of large surfaces from top to bottom completely. Instead, paint walls and other surfaces in sections small enough to allow you to maintain a wet edge.
2. Add paint conditioner to product to keep longer open/dry times.
3. To cover lap marks, spread another coat of paint on top of your previous coat, taking care to spread it uniformly. If the finish is transparent or the surface is overly porous, you may need to apply a second coat or a primer coat.
4. Avoid painting on hot, windy days, as this will accelerate the drying time of paint.

Causes:

1. Mold and mildew thrive in warm, damp, or humid areas that receive little or no air circulation, areas that have high condensation, and areas that get little direct sunlight, such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and basements.
2. Mold and mildew exude a musty odor.
3. Molds come in a wide range of colors (black, green, white, brown, gray, or orange) and textures (slimy, furry, or powdery.)
4. Test for mildew by applying a few drops of household bleach to the discolored area. If the discolorations disappear, they are probably mildew.

Solutions:

1. Properly prime the surface before painting
2. Use a high-quality latex paint. Consider using a mildew-resistant paint, such as Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC Aura® Bath and Spa paint. It’s a low-odor interior paint containing additives to inhibit mildew growth on the paint’s surface.
3. Take steps to reduce the humidity and increase air circulation in the room
4. If mildew already exists, scrub the surface with one part household bleach and three parts water. Wait 10 minutes, then rinse the area with water. Let the area dry thoroughly. If necessary, repeat the procedure until all traces of mildew are gone.

Causes:

1. Mud cracking can result if you try to make one heavy coat of paint do the job of two regular coats. To avoid mud cracks on your surface, don’t apply paint too thickly. This will allow for proper drying and curing.

Solutions:

1. Remove the affected coating by scraping and sanding. Sand the area smooth and wipe it clean.
2. Apply primer and repaint using a premium latex paint, which is more flexible than alkyd paint. A top-quality latex paint with a high-solids content will provide good coverage, so you don’t have to apply an excessively heavy coat.

Causes:

1. Heavier or lighter application of the paint when cutting in corners, trim, and ceiling areas.
2. Spraying versus brushing paint in tight areas.
3. Using a roller cover nap that is too long, which will produce a heavy texture.
4. Not maintaining a wet edge while painting.
5. Improperly mixing paint, causing it to not be uniform.

Solutions:

1. Prime the drywall before painting.
2. Paint the corners and edges of one wall or section at a time, not the entire room, so that those areas will still be wet when you use a roller on the larger areas.
3. Cut in as narrow an area as needed with your brush, usually 1″ to 2″, and get your roller as close to the corners as possible.
4. Use the feather-edge brushing technique in corners or along edges.
5. For smooth surfaces such as drywall, use roller covers with naps ranging from ¼-inch to ½-inch, depending on the sheen of your finish coat.

Causes:

1. Poor-quality paint is the leading cause of this problem.
2. Using improper or low-quality brushes or roller covers.
3. Brushing or rolling more frequently than necessary.
4. Touching up, re-brushing or re-rolling dried or partially dried areas.
5. Painting a warm or porous surface, which makes paint dry faster.

Solutions:

1. Top-quality latex paints are generally formulated with ingredients that enhance paint flow. Brush and roller marks thus tend to “flow out” and form a smooth film.
2. When using a roller, be sure to use a cover with the recommended nap length for the application.
3. Use a high-quality brush. Using an inferior paint brush can result in bad flow and leveling with any paint.

Causes:

1. Using low-quality paint
2. Spreading paint too thinly or unevenly
3. Thinning or diluting paint
4. Use of an improper combination of tinting base and tinting color
5. Poor flow and leveling
6. Using incorrect or poor-quality tools
7. Use of a paint that is much lighter in color than the substrate, or that primarily contains low-hiding organic pigments
8. Application of paint at a higher spread rate than recommended
9. Inadequately mixed paint

Solutions:

1. Choose high-quality paints with high-hide capability, like our Aura® paints
2. Avoid thinning your paint. Most paints are designed to be applied without thinners.
3. If the substrate is significantly darker or is a patterned wallpaper, it should be primed before applying a top coat.
4. If using tinted paint, use the correct tinting base. Where a low-hiding organic color must be used, apply a tinted primer first.
5. Use high-quality brushes, rollers and other tools designed specifically for the job. If rolling, use the recommended roller nap.
6. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations on spread rate.
7. Allow proper drying time between coats.
8. Certain paint colors-such as yellows, reds, and oranges-inherently offer weaker color hiding. Follow the steps above to achieve the best paint hiding results.

Causes:

1. Choosing the wrong sheen for the painted surface.
2. Using low-quality paint.
3. Overly-aggressive scrubbing or abrasive cleansers.
4. Washing painted surface before the paint has cured.

Solutions:

1. High-traffic areas or areas that need frequent cleaning require the higher-quality scrub resistance of a semi-gloss or gloss paint rather than a flat paint.
2. Allow adequate drying time, as scrub resistance will not fully develop until the paint is thoroughly cured. Typically, this takes about a week.
3. Test the surface by washing with the least abrasive material and mildest detergent first.

Causes:

1. Unevenly spreading the paint as you apply it.
2. Failing to maintain a wet edge, which can lead to lapping.
3. Not properly priming a porous surface, or a surface with variable porosity.

Solutions:

1. New substrates should be primed and sealed before applying the top coat to ensure a uniformly smooth surface. Without the use of a primer or sealer, a second coat of paint will more likely be needed to produce a uniform sheen.
2. Make sure to apply paint from “wet to dry” to prevent lapping.
3. Applying an additional coat of paint will even out sheen irregularities.

Causes:

1. Using low-quality, porous paint
2. Application of paint to unprimed substrate

Solutions:

1. High-quality latex paints contain more binders, which help prevent stains from penetrating the painted surface. This makes cleaning easier.
2. Properly priming surfaces provides maximum film thickness for paint and helps make it more stain-resistant.
3. Eggshell and satin paints are generally more stain-resistant than flat paints.

Causes:

1. Roller marks can result if the paint is applied using an incorrect or low-quality roller cover. Using an incorrect technique can also lead to this condition.
2. Finally, lower grades of paint are more prone to having roller marks appear.

Solutions:

1. When applying paint, make sure you use the proper roller cover. Avoid too long a nap for the paint and substrate. Use quality rollers to ensure adequate film thickness and uniformity.
2. High-quality paints tend to roll on more evenly due to their higher solids’ content and leveling properties.
3. Pre-dampen roller covers used with latex paint and shake out any excess water. Begin rolling at a corner near the ceiling and work down the wall in three-foot-square sections. Spread the paint in a zigzag “M” or “W” pattern, beginning with an upward stroke to minimize spatter. Then, without lifting the roller from the surface, fill in the zigzag pattern with even, parallel strokes.
4. Do not let paint build up at roller ends

Causes:

1. One obvious cause of roller spattering is overloading the roller or overworking the paint once it is applied.
2. Roller spattering also tends to occur when an exterior paint is used on an interior surface or if lower grades of latex paint are used.

Solutions:

1. Higher-quality paints are formulated to minimize spattering. Using high-quality rollers that have proper resiliency further reduces spattering.
2. In some cases, a quality wall paint may be preferred for ceiling work, to ensure maximum spattering resistance.
3. Working in three-foot-square sections, apply the paint in a zigzag “M” or “W” pattern and then fill in the pattern, which will also lessen the likelihood of spattering.

Causes:

1. Applying paint too thickly.
2. Applying paint in cold or humid weather.
3. Paint that is over-thinned.
4. Airless spray painting with the wrong tip or the gun held too close to the surface.

Solutions:

1. Sand glossy surfaces before application
2. If you notice thick patches of paint while it is still wet, brush or roll it out to distribute it evenly
3. If the sagging paint has dried, sand the surface and repaint
4. Do not thin the paint
5. Avoid applying paint in cool or humid conditions
6. Two coats of paint at the recommended spread rate are better than one heavy coat
7. If you plan on painting doors, consider removing them so you can paint horizontally.

Causes:

1. Cool, humid conditions can draw the surfactants to the surface before the paint thoroughly dries.
2. Surfactant leaching is common on outdoor surfaces, as well as in bathrooms, where moisture condenses on walls.
3. Tinted colors are more prone to surfactant leaching, due to the extra surfactants and glycols in the added colorant.

Solutions:

1. Rinse the surface with water or wipe with a damp cloth as soon as you notice stains. You may have to clean the area periodically as leaching occurs over time.
2. On exterior surfaces, normal weathering will usually remove surfactant stains naturally. Stains can accumulate, however, on surfaces shielded from the elements.
3. Stains must be removed before you repaint.

Causes:

1. Wrinkling can occur is you apply paint too thickly (more likely when using alkyd or oil-based paints). 
   Painting during extremely hot weather or cool damp weather causes the paint film to dry faster on top than on the bottom, which can lead to wrinkling. Uncured paint that is exposed to high humidity levels is also susceptible to wrinkling.
2. Another possible cause of wrinkling is applying a top coat of paint to insufficiently cured primer.
3. Finally, painting over contaminated surface (e.g., dirt or wax) may also lead to this condition.

Solutions:

1. Scrape or sand substrate to remove wrinkled coating.
2. If using a primer, allow it to dry completely before applying top coat.
3. Repaint the area (avoiding temperature or humidity extremes), applying an even coat of top quality exterior paint.