6 Signs Of A Bad Interior Paint Job
Interior painting is one of the great ways to freshen your home and give it a brand-new look. A fresh coat of paint can change your home’s vibe and feel, even making 88% of homeowners want to stay in their houses more. The same resource also states that interior painting was among the most tried home service projects in 2021.
Although you have the choice to paint your home yourself, hiring professional painters will ensure that they can complete the painting project with fewer mistakes and quality work.
But what if the painters did a bad interior paint job?
You’ve probably heard horror stories about your neighbors or friends who got poor interior painting results from “bad painters” they hired. A bad interior paint job can be disappointing on many levels, considering that you invested money and paid over USD$20 per hour for these people who turned out to be not as good as they claimed to be.
Thus, when hiring an interior painting company, you must ensure it generally receives positive reviews from previous clients or is a strong reference from satisfied customers. It’s also vital that the company shows proof or portfolio of how superior its previous interior paint jobs were.
What are the common signs of a bad interior paint job?
It’s often easy to spot if an interior paint job is done poorly when you know the signs on your walls. Poor interior painting results can happen, especially when the painters decide to skip some steps to maximize their profit, compromising the quality of the results. This article will break down the most common signs of bad interior paint job so that you can bring up the concerns immediately and find ways to fix a bad interior paint job.
No prep work was done
Typically, before any painting starts, the painters must do their prep work first, which may include:
⦁ Moving furniture away from the walls or covering them with old clothes or newspapers
⦁ Thorough cleaning of the walls to remove old paint, stains, and dust
⦁ Repairing cracks, holes, and dents
⦁ Removing flaking paints
⦁ Deglossing glossy paint
The more time painters spend preparing the room and the walls for the paint job, the more you ensure that this painting project will end well. Otherwise, if you see them skipping one or all the steps of the prep of the work, it’s a huge red flag, and you must call them out immediately before it’s too late.
Stains or old paint are still visible
Another sign of a poor interior paint job is when stains or old paint are still visible in spite of being covered with a new coat of paint. This happens when the painters either apply too little primer or none at all. The paint primer covers the stains and provides a stable base surface to ensure the coat of paint stays locked onto the surface. It also helps guarantee greater longevity and a smoother finish of the interior paint job.
In contrast, if the painters only applied very little or no primer, you can expect the old paint to show through. The texture of the wall will also show small dots due to the rough surface.
The new paint appears blistered or blemished
A well-done interior paint job is expected to look neat, uniform, and smooth. However, if all you see is a newly painted wall with blisters and blemishes, then you’ve been provided with a poor paint job. Flaws like these happen when the painters brush a new coat of paint on a dirty or wet wall. When not fixed immediately, the new paint will start peeling over time, forcing you to hire another painting company for a second painting job.
The paint is chalking
Have you ever tried touching a newly-painted wall only to see some powder on your hands? Generally, chalking happens to old walls exposed to the sun for so long (e.g., interior walls exposed to the sun through the window). It’s termed “chalky” because of its white and powdery characteristics. However, if it happens very soon after a paint job, it means the walls weren’t cleaned well before painting, or the paint was thinned too much.
No second coat
Another way some painters cut corners with their job that could compromise the quality of the paint results is by skipping the second coat. Using only one coat of paint will not offer full-color coverage, causing the base color to bleed through the new paint. As a result, you’ll need to spend more money to have this mistake fixed by another painting company. Using two coats of paint will make the color last longer and your walls look much better.
The paint is wrinkling, cracking, or smudged
Suppose the painters applied a second coat of paint. However, the new paint still has wrinkling, cracking, and smudges. This can happen when the painters laid the second coat before the first coat is totally dry. They may do this if they’re trying to speed up the painting project.
Generally, the second coat should be applied depending on the paint type used and the room’s humidity level. Some paint types may dry fast, allowing the painters to apply the second coat after four to six hours. Meanwhile, some paint types will need to dry for 24 hours before being applied with a second coat. Skilled and expert painters know the type of paint they’re using, so you know this won’t happen after their painting project.
Key Takeaway
You might have saved money by hiring affordable painting companies. However, in the long run, fixing a bad interior paint job will cost you even more time, money, and energy.
Identifying an excellent paint job from a bad one can help you make smart choices when hiring painters in the future. So, to avoid costly paint repairs and disappointing results, it’s best to hire the most reputable painting company in your local area.
MIT Citations
Pete, O. (2023, January 4).
10 FACTS ABOUT HOUSE PAINTING – STATISTICS AND DATA IN 2023. House Grail
Retrieved January 9, 2023, from
https://housegrail.com/house-painting-statistics/
Evan, H. (2023, January 3).
10 Common Exterior Paint Problems and How to Fix Them. Labor Statistics
Retrieved January 9, 2023, from
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/painters-construction-and-maintenance.htm
Chris, T. (2020, April 8).
THE INITIAL SIGNS OF A BAD INTERIOR PAINT JOB. Bear Mountain Painting
Retrieved January 9, 2023, from
https://bearmountainpainting.com/the-initial-signs-of-a-bad-interior-paint-job/
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