How to Cover Cracked and Peeling Paint

Peeling and cracking of paint may be caused by both the conditions around the painted area and by improper painting techniques. Peeling may be caused by moisture stemming from leaks or seepage, by painting on a dirty, slick or glossy surface or by using paint with inadequate adhesive properties. Cracking may be caused if paint doesn't have appropriate adhesive and flexibility properties, if it is painted too thinly or too thickly or if the surface is not properly prepared prior to painting. To fix these problems, it is necessary to remove the old paint and replace it with new one while being careful to avoid making the same mistakes.

Things You'll Need

• Scraper
• Wire brush
• Spackling compound
• Sander
• Paint
• Painting utensils
• Caulk
• Caulking gun

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Remove or take care of the source of the moisture to avoid future peeling, if the peeling is caused by moisture,

   • 2

     Remove the paint that has cracked or peeled using a scraper or a wire brush. Also, remove any old caulk around the area of the peeled or cracked paint.

   • 3

     Sand the area to make the surface even. You may also need to use spackling compound to smooth the surface if you've removed more than one coat of paint.

   • 4

     Prime and paint the surface where the paint was removed. Put a compatible color and type of caulking compound in the caulking gun and caulk the areas where the old caulk was removed.