How to Fix Peeling Paint the Right Way

Peeling paint on the outside of your home is more than an eyesore. When paint lifts, water gets into the wood, brick, or stucco below. Over time, that water causes rot, mold, and costly repairs.

Painting over peeling paint will not fix it. New paint only sticks as well as what is under it. The real fix is good prep and the right products.

Why paint peels

Paint peels when it stops sticking to the surface. Here are the most common reasons we see:

• Water gets behind the paint from leaky gutters, old caulk, or damp air inside the home
• Poor prep, like painting over dirt, mildew, chalky spots, or shiny surfaces
• The wrong paint, like latex put over old oil paint with no primer in between
• Age, as old paint dries out and cracks through hot summers and cold winters

If you don't fix the cause, the new paint will peel too.

How our crews fix peeling paint

1. Check the surface

First, we look at how much paint is peeling and why. This tells us if we need to remove some of the paint or all of it. The type of surface, like wood, brick, or stucco, tells us which steps and products to use.

Many homes in our area were built before 1978 and may have lead paint. Our work is led by an EPA-certified Lead Renovator, so we follow lead-safe steps when we scrape and sand.

2. Wash

We power wash to remove dirt, mildew, and loose paint. If power washing could harm the surface, we clean it by hand instead.

3. Scrape and sand

We scrape off all loose paint. Where good paint stays, we sand the edges smooth so the old and new paint blend together.

4. Prime

This step keeps the peeling from coming back. We use a strong bonding primer that seals bare spots and locks down the old paint. We pick the primer based on the surface, like Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond for slick wood and Loxon for brick and stucco.

5. Paint

We finish with top-quality outdoor paint made to stand up to sun, rain, and freezing weather. We use Sherwin-Williams Duration or Emerald and put on 2 full coats so the color lasts.

Good prep makes paint last

Most of the work on a peeling home is prep, not painting. That is what makes a paint job last. Skipping steps may save a few days now, but it can mean painting again in 2 or 3 years.

We stand behind our work with a 2-year workmanship warranty.

Free consultations

If your home has peeling paint, the first step is finding out why. Our consultations and estimates are free. We will walk around your home with you, explain what we see, and suggest the right prep and products.