If your interior paint has cracked, something wasn't done right when the paint was applied. Knowing what caused the paint to crack will help you to prevent making the same error when you repaint the room.

Causes of Cracked Interior Paint

Improper Primer

Primer is used to remove the surface moisture from the walls and help provide the paint with what it needs to adhere to the surface for years. If the primer wasn't mixed well, wasn't used or wasn't of good quality, it could cause the paint to crack soon after it has dried.

Rushed Process

Trying to hurry through each step of painting could result in cracked paint. You must wait for the primer to dry before applying paint over it and you cannot apply a second coat of paint before the first has completely dried. Rushing the process will result in cracked paint.

Wrong Paint

If you have latex paint on the wall and you attempt to paint over it with oil based paint, it will crack. If you want to cover latex with oil, you must apply a special type of primer over the paint before the new paint can be applied.

Tip – If you are unsure of the type of paint on the wall, use a cotton ball with a bit of fingernail polish remover on it to rub the surface. IF the paint has come off onto the cotton ball, the paint is latex based.

Fixing the Cracked Paint

You want to first remove the cracked paint. Do this using a wire brush, sandpaper and a putty knife. Just be sure to use gentle pressure to avoid damaging the surface of the wall under the paint.

After the paint has been removed, sand it smooth. If the wall was accidentally damaged during the removal, skim a coat of joint compound over the area, let it dry and sand it smooth. Then, apply a coat of primer to the area.

Wait until you have a day with low humidity levels before you attempt to paint the room. Excessive moisture will cause the paint to bubble and crack. If your area is high in humidity, run a dehumidifier in the room for a day or two before you paint.

If you are uncomfortable completing this project on your own, talk with your local painting contractor for assistance. He or she will be able to get the job done right and you won't have to worry about the cracked paint reoccurring this time around. Contact a team of painting contractors, such as LaPlace And Eagan LLC, for more information. 

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