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Invasive Methods to Find Causes of Paint Failures - Paint Failure Indicators InspectAPedia®  -     Invasive methods to diagnose the cause of paint failures on buildings: where to inspect building cavities, what to look for How to diagnose the cause of failing paint on a building exterior or interior Paint failure diagnosis checklists for the building exterior & interior

This article reviews common building exterior & interior painting mistakes, describes how to diagnose paint failures on buildings, and outlines a procedure for diagnostic field inspection & lab testing of failed painted surfaces. We include photographs of paint failures on buildings and more photos of forensic paint laboratory examination of samples of failed paint useful to assist in diagnosing the probable cause of each type of paint failure. Readers should also see Paint Failure Case Photographs-SITE and then Paint Failure Case Photographs-LAB. and see PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR for a guide to the selection and proper application of paints and stains on exterior wood surfaces.

The examples use building exterior paint failures (and remedies), but many interior paint failures are similar their origin and cure, including general information provided by some paint manufacturers, home improvement suppliers, and by National Forest Products Laboratory experts.

The diagnosis and cure of paint failure on buildings, particularly on wood siding and trim, is quite possible if there is a careful and thorough inspection of the building, its history, its surfaces, and the actual points of paint failure. It is diagnostic to compare the same coating on the same type of surface at different locations on a building and in areas of failed and not-failed paint. © Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

FAILURE INDICATORS - Paint Failure Indicators Where Demolition is Allowed

If you are able to use invasive methods such as removing siding or cutting openings into wall cavities from a building interior, the diagnosis of cause of failing paint on building surfaces can be supported by very strong evidence. Here is a list of what to look for when using modest demolition or invasive building diagnostic methods:

• Water sources and water traps in wall construction
• Damage from moisture/water/leaks/insects
• Type and installation details of insulation
• Type and installation details of vapor retarders, air barriers, water barriers. See BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION (tests for air leaks) and see THERMAL TRACKING (signs of air movement) and HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS (vapor or moisture and air barriers).
• Sources of air movement within walls and floors
• Evidence of (failure to apply) back priming of siding and end priming of siding
• Flashing and caulking errors
• Evidence of condensation in building cavities or on surfaces
• Evidence indicating whether moisture is moving from inside of structure out or outside of structure in - for example look for white effloresence blooms (PAINT on STUCCCO, FAILURES) or frost and water damaged paint coatings (EXTERIOR CLUES).
• Evidence indicating if wood clapboards were back primed, and leak stains on cavity side of building materials
• Mapping of failed and not-failed paint on various building areas, overlaid on the above list of possible causes.

Our most exhaustive list of paint failure types is at PAINT FAILURE DICTIONARY.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR
PAINT FALURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION
PAINT FAILURE CHECKLIST
  EXTERIOR CLUES
  INTERIOR CLUES
  SITE HISTORY
  FAILURE INDICATORS
COMMON PAINTING MISTAKES
  BAD SURFACE PREP
  PAINTING SHORTCUT ERRORS
  PAINT OVER MOISTURE
  INCOMPATIBLE PAINTS
  PAINT in SUN or WIND
  PAINT on STUCCCO, FAILURES
PAINT FAILURE DICTIONARY
PAINT FAILURE ANALYSIS LAB PHOTOS
Paint Failure Case Photographs-SITE
Paint Failure Case Photographs-LAB
PAINT LAB SAMPLE PREPARATION

PAINT REFERENCES

• Paint and Surface Coatings, Theory and Practice, R. Lambourne & T.A. Strivens, Ed., Woodhead Publishing Ltd., William Andrew Publishing, 1999 ISBN 1-85573-348 X & 1-884207-73-1 [This is perhaps the leading reference on modern paints and coatings, but is a difficult text to obtain, and is a bit short on field investigation methods - DF]
• Analysis of Modern Paints, Thomas J.S. Learner, Research in Conservation, 2004 ISBN 0-89236-779-2 [Chemistry of modern paints, overview of analytical methods, pyrolysis-gas chromatography signatures of basic modern paints and their constituents, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for paint analysis, direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry, and analysis in practice - technical reference useful for forensic paint science, focused on art works -DF]
• Seeing Through Paintings, Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies, Andrea Kirsh, Rustin S. Levenson, Materials in Fine Arts, 2000 ISBN 99-051835 [ forensic science, technical reference, focused on art works - DF]
• Paint Handbook: testing, selection, application, troubleshooting, surface preparation, etc., Guy E. Weismantel, Ed., McGraw Hill Book Company, 1981 [Excellent but a bit obsolete paint theory and practice, also a bit light on field investigation methods, out of print, available used-DF]
• Art, Biology, and Conservation: Biodeterioration in Works of Art, RObert J. Koestler et als. Eds., Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003, ISBN 1-58839-107-8
• Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF]
• Understanding Ventilation, John Bower, The Healthy House Institute, ISBN 0-9637156-5-8, 1995 [General building science-DF]
• Dampness in Buildings, Diagnosis, Treatment, Instruments, T.A. Oxley & E.G. Gobert, ISBN 0-408-01463-6, Butterworths, 1983-1987 [General building science-DF]
• "Moisture Control in Buildings: Putting Building Science in Green Building," Alex Wilson, Environmental Building News, Vol. 12. No. 5. [Good tutorial, "Moisture 101" outlining the physics of moisture movement in buildings and a good but incomplete list of general suggestions for moisture control - inadequate attention given to exterior conditions such as roof and surface drainage defects which are among the most-common sources of building moisture and water entry.--DJF]
• "Paint Failure Problems and Their Cure," Daniel L. Cassens and William C. Feist, National Forest Products Laboratory, online via Purdue University, http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/NCR/NCR-133.html
• "Why House Paint Fails," Mark Knaebe, US FPL, http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/finlines/knaeb95a.pdf
• "Why Paint Jobs Fail," http://www.bennette.com/pdf/whyfail.pdf
• "Supplemental Guidelines for Removing Paint From Interior and Exterior Wood Surfaces," US General Services Administration, http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/Hptp.nsf/0/40aff5a115b6a9e5852565c50054b4f4?OpenDocument
• "Common Paint Problems," http://www.parkerpaint.com/Common%20Paint%20Problems.html illustrates common paint failures - though their images and text appear to have been stolen from PPG - see http://www.ppg.com/getpaint/etraining/solver/exterior.html which catalogs paint failures and causes
• "Paint problem solver" from Lowes, http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/PntPrbSlv.html&rn=RightNavFiles/no.html
• "Mill Glaze: Myth or Reality," R. Sam Williams, Mark Knaebe, US FPL, http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/finlines/willi01a.pdf
• http://www.paintlab.com/failure.html is a lab offering paint chip failure analysis
• PPG Exterior Failures http://www.ppg.com/getpaint/etraining/solver/exterior.html

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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Exteriors, Landscaping, & Siding - Inspection, Repairs, Product Failures

• Quotes in the opening text of this document are from the encyclopedic but not quite complete paint website: PPG Exterior Failures http://www.ppg.com/getpaint/etraining/solver/exterior.html

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