Why Is My Paint Peeling? Causes and Fixes, Inside and Out

Why paint peels and blisters

Indoors, paint blisters and flakes when moisture or dirt is trapped under it. Outside, blisters come from painting on a hot day or over damp wood. On new plaster, the topcoat can blister and peel when no mist coat went on first.

The two tables below match what you can see to its cause and fix, one for inside the house and one for outside.

Paint peeling off walls, ceilings and radiators

Wrinkling, cracking and mould are among the paint problems met most often indoors, and each has a different fix from blistered or flaking paint.

What you see	Cause	Fix
Blistered, bubbling or flaking paint	Moisture or dirt trapped under the paint	Sand away the blistered paint, prime and repaint
Mould	Mould growing on the paint	A fungicidal wash, then repaint
Wrinkled paint	Paint put on too thickly, or too little time left between coats	Once it is fully dry, sand, clean and repaint
Cracks	The plaster cracking under the paint, particularly in new homes	Fill, sand and repaint
A stain showing through	A stain under a light colour	Extra primer over the stain before painting
Radiator paint cracking, flaking or discolouring	Ordinary paint expanding and shrinking with the heat	Radiator primer, then radiator paint
Roller marks and a messy finish	Rolling in one direction and letting the edges dry	Keep a wet edge as you roll

Paint peeling in a bathroom

Bathroom paint that blisters or flakes has the same cause as in any other room, moisture or dirt trapped under it, and the same fix of sanding it away, priming and repainting. Where mould is growing on the paint, a fungicidal wash goes on before the repaint.

Paint peeling off new plaster

New plaster is porous, and without a mist coat first it soaks up the water in the topcoat, which can make the topcoat blister and peel. Plaster that starts pulling away as the roller goes over it was not dry, which is why new plaster has to dry fully before its mist coat.

Flaking paint on a textured or Artex ceiling

Asbestos may be part of any home built or refurbished before 2000, and textured decorative coatings, commonly called Artex, are among the materials that can contain it. Artex put up before 1985 will most probably contain asbestos, and for Artex added between 1985 and 2000 a professional survey is the way to find out, since online test kits are less accurate.

The HSE’s advice is not to repair or remove asbestos materials yourself without training for non-licensed asbestos work, and an environmental health officer at your local council can advise.

Paint peeling off outside wood and walls

Outside, paint blisters when it goes on during a hot day or over damp wood, which is why a blistered wooden window frame or door gets its repaint on a cool, dry day. Outside walls can also show white deposits or chalky paint.

What you see	Cause	Fix
Blistered paint	Painting on a hot day, or over damp wood	Sand, prime and repaint on a cool, dry day
White deposits on masonry (efflorescence)	Salts in the masonry	Repair where moisture gets in, remove the deposits and flakes, treat with trisodium phosphate and repaint
Chalky paint (chalking)	Poor quality paint or poor application	Scrub off the chalk, treat with trisodium phosphate and repaint

The outside of a house needs repainting every 5 to 10 years, depending on the weather and the quality of the paint, and the walls take a weather-resistant masonry paint. If yours was last painted longer ago than that, the whole outside is due anyway, and an exterior repaint costs more the larger the wall area. Painting outside in winter is possible, but wind and low temperatures affect the drying time.

How to fix peeling or blistered paint

Blistered or flaking paint is sanded away, then primed and repainted, and any mould, damp or dirt is dealt with before new paint goes on. Work through these checks before you repaint a patch.

Getting a decorator to fix peeling paint

Among the Nottingham decorators ranked on their memberships, guarantees and years in the trade, Leon Shaw Painting & Decorating takes on insurance claim work after water, smoke or fire damage. Outside, Whites Decorators repaints timber windows, soffits and fascias, and Waters Colours Decorating Services paints render, brick and sash windows.

When you ask for a quote, tell the decorator what the paint is doing, where it is and what is under it, including the age of the house and whether a ceiling is textured.