Another fabulous tip from my good friend, Perry Martin, professional painter in Orange County, California. Here he gives you a full rundown on “blistering”:

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Here’s something you’ve probably seen, or even experienced yourself when trying your hand at painting – -  blistering.  That’s where the paint looks like it has bubbles or blisters in it.  This is usually caused by heat or moisture.

CAUSES:

• It can sometimes be caused by painting in direct sunlight or applying paint to a surface that is too hot.
• If you’re using oil-based paint over a damp or wet surface it will also blister.
• Exposure of fresh paint to high humidity, dew or rain.
• Possibly moisture coming through interior walls from areas such as kitchens, bathrooms or laundries.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT?

There are two different ways to handle this problem depending on whether it’s caused by heat or moisture.  So, the first thing you will need to do is determine which of the above is the culprit.  You do this by peeling off and examining the backside and the surface of the blistered paint.  If only the most recent coat of paint is blistered then it’s most likely that heat is the reason.  If the peeled blister contains several coats of paint, and you’ve peeled down to the bare surface, it’s probably moisture related.

BLISTERING DUE TO HEAT:

Scrape and/or sand the blisters down to the underlying, sound coats of paint or primer.

Repaint the surface with a high-quality paint, in the desired finish (see Volume 2 for advice on types of sheen) and make sure the surface temperature is below 90 degrees.

BLISTERING DUE TO MOISTURE:

Do what you can to improve the room ventilation if it tends to be a moisture trap.  Re-caulk any areas you suspect moisture may be entering from, as necessary, to prevent future moisture from getting in.

Scrape and/or sand the blisters down to the bare surface.

Prime and repaint with desired finish.

Voila! That should pretty much handle it!

Once again, I hope this information has been helpful and I look forward to sending you more painting tips.

Perry Martin
Professional Painter – Orange County,  California
Perry’s email: perry801@hotmail.com