Facilities Check List
Practical, step-by-step guides for the busy FM
February 2001
PAINT DON’T FAIL ME NOW
Bleeding, blistering, alligatoring, yellowing, wrinkling.
No, this isn’t a check list of what can happen to your toes during a long hike. It’s a few examples of what can happen ifyour building’s paint isn’t applied and maintained properly.
Paint can have a significant impact on the appearance of your facilities and can impress (or depress) those in them. So,before you even begin—or hire out—a paint job, review this primer on some of the most common paint failures and how toprevent them.
Types of Paint Failure
Alligatoring: Applying finish coats of paint before undercoats or primers are completely dry may cause crackingof the finish coat, called alligatoring. To prevent alligatoring, allow primers and undercoats to dry completely beforepainting.
Bleeding: Knots and resinous woods, creosote, asphalt, or color that is soluble in oil (such as penetrating stain)will release stains that bleed into new paint surfaces. Surfaces should be cleaned of all excess material on the surface and thencovered with a sealer specially designed for exterior or interior areas, such as lacquers, shellac, or specially formulatedprimer-sealers.
Blistering: Blistering is caused by moisture pressure under the paint film. This pressure may be developed bymoisture from unseasoned wet wood, structural defects, accidental spillage, and humidity in the building. Take steps to lowermoisture levels on and around a surface before painting.
Chalking: When chalking or powdering is uniform over the surface of a paint, it is a normal condition andeventually presents a clean surface that is excellent for repainting. Excessive and spotty chalking is not normal, and is usuallycaused by application of one coat over a poor surface without priming. Proper priming will eliminate chalking.
Chipping (Flaking): Chipping occurs when the paint is completely broken away from the surface. It is usuallycaused by lack of surface preparation. Cleaning, dusting, and sanding hard glossy surfaces will prevent this condition.
Crawling and Creeping: Crawling and creeping develop when the paint draws up into beads and does not wetthe surface. Applying paint on a hard, glossy surface in dry weather will bring about this condition. It can be eliminated bysanding and then wiping the surface with surface preparation. Very few paints are designed to adhere to glossy surfaces.
Efflorescence: Efflorescence is a saltlike deposit, usually caused by moisture in masonry (both painted andunpainted). It looks like frost and must be removed before paint is applied. Wire brushing and then washing the surface usuallyremoves efflorescence. If any efflorescent salts remain, wash the surface with a solution of one pint of industrial gradehydrochloric acid in one gallon of water. Be sure to wear protective glasses and clothing. Rinse off the solution and let thesurface dry completely. When thoroughly dry, apply surface conditioner to the treated area.
Lack of Covering or Hiding: Lack of covering (where the old color shows through the new coat) is commonlycaused by not stirring the paint or enamel properly. Always stir paint with an up and down or spiral motion to attain propermixing. If possible, have paint mixed on a motor driven shaker.
Loss of Gloss: To avoid loss of gloss or “flatting” of fresh paint films on exterior surfaces, prime properly, avoidunnecessary thinning, clean surfaces thoroughly, and paint in good weather with air temperature above 50°F (10°C).
Mildew: Mildew thrives on paint films that have not been formulated to resist such growth. Mildew ischaracterized by black spots resembling fly specks in long, stringlike fibers. Wash the surface clean with a solution of threeheaping tablespoons of trisodium phosphate per gallon of water. If mildew is heavy, include 1 1/2 cups of a hypochloritehousehold bleach. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and allow to dry before painting.
Spalling: Spalling is when pieces of masonry, concrete, or brick split and flake off. Minute cracks in concrete,brick, or mortar joints, if not filled properly with paint, will allow moisture to enter. In winter, this moisture freezes and swells,splitting off small pieces of masonry. In some cases, reinforcing steel may be exposed to the weather, a potentially dangerouscondition. Proper priming and the use of surface conditioner before priming will help avoid this condition.
Tackiness and Slow Drying: Tackiness and slow drying are usually the result of applying paint over surfaces notproperly cleaned, or from not providing adequate ventilation during the drying period. When cleaning a surface, do not usesoap, as the fatty or oily residue from it will prevent proper drying. The application of paint in damp weather or cold weatherbelow 50°F (10°C) will also cause slow drying. To avoid slow drying, paint only in good weather on a thoroughly preparedand cleaned surface, free of all wax, oil, and dirt.
Wrinkling: When a coat of paint is applied too heavily, it dries on the surface and remains soft underneath. Thetop of the film dries and swells, causing wrinkling. Wrinkled surfaces should be allowed to harden, then be sanded and recoatedproperly. If paint is too heavy, thin it with a small amount of the recommended thinner and brush evenly to avoid wrinkling.
Yellowing: There are several factors that can contribute to yellowing, including sunlight, moisture, heat, or fumes.Where a surface is subjected to such conditions, only paint recommended for that particular environment should be used.
This installment of FM Check List is adapted from BOMI Institute’s Building Design and Maintenance(www.bomi-edu.org/12061.html), a course in BOMI Institute’s Systems Maintenance Administrator (SMA)program.
