Starting your painting project

Why does masonry paint peel and crack? A lesson to learn from a pro decorator

There is nothing worse than taking a lot of time and effort decorating a room in your home, or even outside, only for the paint to crack, forcing you to do it again, or even give up and call a tradesman in to do it properly, but WHY does this happen?

Similarly, if you had your house exterior painted recently, or at least during the past year or so, and cracks have appeared, what’s gone wrong?

If only there was a paint that never cracked…..

DIY has certainly fallen in popularity over the past few years, and with the apparent loss of “dad skills“, those tried and trusted words of wisdom passed between generations over the old fella’s toolbox, many people fail miserably with decorating then get negged out and give up.

Well, don’t despair, most DIY mistakes can be rectified with a bit of knowledge and experience so we’re going to tell you briefly why paint cracks, and how you can avoid it happening in the future.

There are many reasons why masonry paint cracks and starts peeling away from a wall

One of the major issues why that decorating job you did a week ago has started to crack is the fact that you possibly did not prepare the surface well enough.

OK, I wasn’t stood behind you personally watching you decorate (which let’s admit, would be a bit creepy!), but I have been in the trade since my teens (I’m 49 now) so honestly, I do know what I’m talking about!

Poor surface preparation is one of the main reasons why paint cracks

In general paint, whether it is emulsion or gloss or whatever, peels away because it is not sticking to the surface underneath; the wall or door that you painted.

If that particular surface wasn’t prepared properly, then THAT is why the paint peeled or cracked.

Typical preparation for painting would be: Cleaning the surface to be painted; rubbing down or removing the old paint, de-greasing the surface, or applying a primer when the paint can clearly says that you should.

Damp and wet weather also causes paint to crack

Although this is linked to the point above insofar as preparing the wall, damp, mould, moisture or mildew will also cause a paint film to fail as it will not stick properly to the thing you are trying to paint.

Painting a room when it’s been raining, or especially painting the outside of a house after or during rain or stormy weather is a recipe for failure.

If water is on the surface to be painted, you MUST wait for it to dry before painting.

If you don’t, and I mean even if you wipe the wall dry with a cloth or something, moisture is till in the air, and possibly inside the wall too, and if you paint it, it won’t adhere correctly and will crack and peel.

Unsuitable uses of paint also causes failure

Now I’m not going to “teach granny to suck eggs” here but as you can imagine there are many different types of paints and coatings and they are each made for a SPECIFIC purpose.

Metal paint is for metal (dur!), UPVC paint is for upvc, floor paint is for flooring, you get where this is going yes?

If you use a paint for something it is not intended for then it is not going to work and it will fail, meaning you have completely wasted your time.

I don’t know about you but I like to make the most of my time, and I would suggest many people also feel the same way?

Always make sure that you have the correct paint for the job.

Ask a member of staff at the hardware store or wherever you are going to buy your paint, just to make sure it is what you need.

Cutting corners with cheap paint will cost you twice as much

This is the same for buying cheap paint; if you are trying to paint with a can of emulsion that has been lying in someone’s shed for 5 years and you bought it for a quid at a car boot sale, don’t be surprised that when you try and use it, it will look terrible.

This is especially true when you open the can for the first time, as the resins and pigments in the paint would have separated inside, leaving a dark brown goo floating on the top, like below.

Masonry paint has a short shelf life so be warned buying cheap, old paint from someone.

Solvent separating in old paint

No amount of hand mixing at home will fix it back up again, so don’t be a skinflint, buy good quality paint, follow the rules and do a good job!

If that is really beyond you, please call a painter and decorator in to do the job properly, especially if you are considering exterior painting, which is MUCH harder than it looks, a topic covered extensively on our home improvement blog.

What is the alternative to paint that cracks?

Well, actually there IS a paint that does not crack, even under extremes of temperatures and after bouts of bad weather.

This of course refers to external decoration, not interior painting, which, if you read the tips above, you could probably cure that problem next time you pick a brush up.

As far as exterior paints go, most have a lifespan of only a couple of years, after all, paint is made by huge corporations who, even if they HAD invented a long life paint, they don’t want you to know about it as they want to sell you MORE PAINT.

Wall coatings can cure this as they do not crack, but what are exterior wall coatings?

Never paint again textured masonry wall coatings do NOT CRACK, as they are special paints, applied by skilled coating installation teams using a high power spray gun.

Once applied to your home exterior, never cracks at all, in fact the company guarantee it for up to 20 years not to crack!

Not only that, it has other features too, such as a resistance to blistering, flaking and peeling, and unlike most ordinary paints, it comes with a full warranty that guarantees the promised longevity.

It is obviously a bit more pricey than normal paint, and of course you need a special spray machine so you can’t apply it yourself, but just imagine the money saved over twenty years in not having to repaint the outside of your property.

For a high performance, wallet friendly external home decorating job, with a paint that does not peel, call the company today for more info on (0800) 970 4928 (UK only) or email them and ask for a free quote for house painting.

Scroll to top