What Causes a House Ceiling to Keep Peeling?

Wintertime Troubles

• Frosty winter weather spells trouble for the ceiling of your home. During winter, houses are shut tightly to keep heat inside, saving money and keeping things toasty. However, this practice also traps excess moisturize indoors, and when the thermostat climbs higher, so does the moisture content in the air. This moist, humid air causes paint to peel away from ceilings. The problem may be worse in areas with excess water use, such as bathrooms.

Dryer Issues

• Appliances that have little do with the ceiling still have the ability to damage paint and cause it to peel. Clothes dryers produce a lot of moisture as they make wet clothes dry, according to Hallco Painting, releasing humidity into the air. If the room housing the dryer lacks proper ventilation, this dampness becomes trapped and seeps into ceilings, causing paint to peel. Ventilation pipes, which draw moisture outside of the house, keep things dry and protects paint.

Calcimine

• Sometimes peeling ceiling paint has nothing to do with the environment of a home, but substances contained within the paint itself. Calcimine paint was used starting in the 19th century up until the 1930s, when it was used to cover stains caused by coal and wood fires, according to Plaster Lord. Still found in older homes, calcimine paint lacks binders, making it difficult for new coats of modern paint to adhere to it. The result is peeling, flaking paint requiring the thorough stripping and removal of calcimine paint.

Dirt and Grime

• Correctly prepping the ceiling for a fresh coat of paint goes a long way in keeping it from peeling off after it dries. Before painting your ceiling, wash it with soap or detergent until it is free of dust, dirt and grime, which otherwise act as a barrier between the surface and the paint, hastening peeling. Latex paint in particular is likely to peel if a ceiling is not thoroughly cleaned before application, according to House Painting Info.