bubble on stucco wall after raining

Posted by norminn@earthlink.net on October 14, 2009, 6:14 pm

clipped

>
> I cut one of the bubbles open, it was water inside. I am going to try
> to see how much paint I can peel off tonight from this area.. This
> would give me some indication of how good it is sticking to the wall.
>
> Raymond

Your descriptions get confusing - does the paint rub off by hand? It
would be normal for paint to come off if scratched with something sharp!
If the blisters have water in them now, it MAY BE possible that
moisture was driven through the paint film by high wind, now expands
with heat of day. IF the surface was wet when it was painted - you
think "maybe" they painted day of pressure washing? - seems the blisters
should have appeared before now.

Depending on how large an area is involved, it might be adviseable to
poke each with a sharp point to allow water to escape. As said before,
if the rest of the paint film is intact, the blisters will shrink and
not show.

You don't SAND stucco to remove loose paint - pressure washing
(experienced, using correct pressure) is the method.

Whether the storm could have driven water through the paint film would
be a good question to ask of the paint co. before you discuss any
corrective measures with the painter. Latex paint is commonly used on
masonry because it allows more moisture to move than does alkyd paint,
and masonry always has some moisture in it.

Priming/painting should not have begun until 3 days of dry weather. It
should not have been painted in the hot sun - painting should proceed
around a building so to avoid hot sun.

Posted by Raymond on October 15, 2009, 8:35 pm

wrote:

> Your descriptions get confusing - does the paint rub off by hand? =A0It
> would be normal for paint to come off if scratched with something sharp!

No it does not rub off by hand...

> =A0 If the blisters have water in them now, it MAY BE possible that
> moisture was driven through the paint film by high wind, now expands
> with heat of day. =A0IF the surface was wet when it was painted - you

Ok, the heavy rain hit on Tue. The weather was cool during the day.
Very windy. I noticed the bubble after the rain finally stopped around
5pm (it has been raining for 12+ hours). Your explanation seems to
make sense. If the film for that wall is not as thick as it should be,
then perhaps the rain has driven moisture through it? (is it
possible?)

Wed was a sort of sunny. After I got home last night I can still see
the bubble. Perhaps it was a bit smaller but I didn't look at it too
closely.

This morning (Thu), I was ready to cut open those bubbles because I
don't want to wait to hear from my painter. I went out side, and they
were all gone. The wall looks completely normal now. Damn it. I can't
even seem to find the one I cut open! I think the water must've
somehow evaporated.

Yesterday I called Kelly Moore asking them about the bubble, and they
told me to call their expert line. Spoke to someone there, and he said
that I need to find out where water is getting through, and fix that.
I asked him whether elastomeric paint is the wrong paint for stucco,
and he said it can be used for stucco (ie, not the wrong paint), and
claimed he sells thousands of gallons of it for stucco everyday. I
asked him about stucco breathing, he claims it allows breathing (but
not when water is somehow getting behind I guess).. So talking to him
made me feel a tiny bit better, that I didn't mess up my house by
using the wrong kind of paint.

> think "maybe" they painted day of pressure washing? - seems the blisters
> should have appeared before now.

No. That wall was the last thing they painted, definitely not the same
day power washed. It looked perfectly normal, with no blisting or
chipping paint, until the rain hit.

> Depending on how large an area is involved, it might be adviseable to
> poke each with a sharp point to allow water to escape. =A0As said before,
> if the rest of the paint film is intact, the blisters will shrink and
> not show.

That's exactly what happened before I get a chance to cut them open...

> You don't SAND stucco to remove loose paint - pressure washing
> (experienced, using correct pressure) is the method.
> Whether the storm could have driven water through the paint film would
> be a good question to ask of the paint co. before you discuss any
> corrective measures with the painter. =A0Latex paint is commonly used on
> masonry because it allows more moisture to move than does alkyd paint,
> and masonry always has some moisture in it.

Now that the bubble have disappeared. Will simply repainting it be
enough? Will power wash get rid of the paint where the bubble was?
What's the proper way for power washing?

Thanks to everyone who have been helping out!

Posted by ransley on October 15, 2009, 8:38 am

> > If new paint scratched off that was your warning something was done
> > wrong. What you are I think saying is it didnt bond to the old finish
> > and is comming right off. If thats the case then a simple repainting
> > wont do anything to fix the issue, removal of all loose paint is
> > needed. The reason has to be figured out. I would call the store that
> > sold you the paint, the paint co, and of course the painter who will
> > deny its his fault. Does Elastomeric paint breath?, is it recomended
> > for stucco?. For about 50$ you should get yourself a moisture meter,
> > everyone is going to say its your problem, you have water in the
> > stucco. But if it peeled off from day one id suspect its poor
> > aplication, as in it was put on a sun heated damp-wet surface- from
> > washing, and possibly it was the wrong product to use from a
> > breathability standpoint, [ breath ability] of the product would havbe
> > a tested rating by kelly moore. I will bet the stucco was wet from
> > powerwashing, the sun heated it just after it was painted, or the
> > surface was hot from the sun and it never bonded at all, and a
> > moisture reading now wont be excessive after a big rain.

> Not familiar with moisture meter. Is this what you are talking about?
> I use it to measure moisture trapped inside the stucco?
> Sonin 50218 Digital Moisture Meterhttp://www.amazon.com/Sonin-50218-Digit=

al-Moisture-Meter/dp/B001OC6CH...

> The paint didn't peel off (day one or now). In fact everything looked
> fine until yesterday. No cracks or peels. I didn't buy the paint, the
> painter got the paint. This was painted back in July, where it's
> pretty dry and warm here (~80 during the day, 60 at night). I recall
> they power washed in day 1, caulked all the cracks, etc. day 2 was
> prep, put plastic over windows, etc, and start painting. day 3
> finished painting. I don't remember exactly whether they started
> painting at end of day 1 or day 2, but the troubled wall was
> definitely painted in day2 afternoon. so it should be dry, but it
> might be hot from the sun.
> At the time I felt like they did a pretty professional job. All the
> prep work, painting and clean up afterwards is pretty good. No peeling
> or cracking what so ever until the bubble on the southern wall
> yesterday.
> They used a spray gun, and possibily roller. One thing I noticed was
> they got some water from the yard when they were painting. I wasn't
> sure if it was for washing the supplies, or did they add water to the
> mix. When they were wrapping up the job I did saw a bucket of dirty
> water which they washed things.. IF they had mixed water into the
> elastomeric paint before spraying, could that have caused it not to
> stick as well?
> What I meant was. I feel the elastomeric paint is a like a rubber
> layer. using a sharp object, I feel like I can almost scrap it off.
> This is different from regular paint, where I feel I would scrap off
> the stucco instead of the paint if I tried. (My wife has put a metal
> patio chair next to the wall, and it actually came in touch with the
> wall when we were using it. Afterward I noticed where the back of the
> chair touched the wall, the paint was damaged a tiny bit. I didn't
> actually try to see if I can scrap it off with a screw driver or
> such....)
> I called them, they said they'll come out and take a look. Most likely
> need to sand it off and re-paint...
> I cut one of the bubbles open, it was water inside. I am going to try
> to see how much paint I can peel off tonight from this area.. This
> would give me some indication of how good it is sticking to the wall.
> Raymond- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -

A moisture meter needs 2 metal probes to stick in what you are
measuring, I didnt see any so check. You now indicate it didnt scrape
off? if water is behind bubble you have a building issue not a
aplication issue. Water behind the bubble happened recently from a
defect of your home, wherever its comming in you need to find and fix
the issue, a moisture meter sure will help alot in finding leaks. ,
ive used one for years, its the best thing you could get but it needs
probes that penetrate wood at least 1/4".

Posted by dadiOH on October 14, 2009, 9:55 am

Raymond wrote:

> After painting a few month ago, I realized the paint feels different.
> Before, if I scratch something against the wall, I see a mark. After
> painting, it scratches off the paint. I thought it was the properties
> of the elastomeric paint, feels like a thin plastic layer

Elastomeric paint should feel rubbery. If you can scratch it off easily,
something seems to be amiss.
__________

> I am going to call the company tomorrow to see what they say.

Good plan. I'd also be calling the contractor.
___________

> But my question is, is
> elastomeric the wrong choice for stucco wall (doesn't allow it to
> breath,

Elastomeric paint is *meant* to breathe. Breathe and stretch. It is
applied very heavily - 1 gallon per 90 sq.ft. or less - and usually two
coats.
______________

> or did the painter simply didn't do as good of a job, and let
> water get behind it?

Quien sabe?
____________

> Will re-prime, and re-paint fix the problem? or simply re-paint with
> more elastomeric paint? or just regular acryllic paint?

I seem to recall that elastomeric paint should not be repainted with regular
acrylic for around a year.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Posted by norminn@earthlink.net on October 14, 2009, 11:19 am

clipped

>
> Will re-prime, and re-paint fix the problem? or simply re-paint with
> more elastomeric paint? or just regular acryllic paint?
>
> Thanks again.

Nobody can answer those questions without knowing the specifics of what
kind of surface (stucco on what), the product (not just the brand), the
preparation, the conditions when the paint was applied, the old finish,
etc. Do you not have some left-over paint so you can find the exact
product? If not, call the painter. It should have been stated on the
contract when you hired the contractor.

For starters, call the contractor and advise him of the problems, esp.
the fact that the paint rubbed off. Follow up by writing to him,
stating clearly the problems occurring and when they appeared.

Kelly Moore has a website with some general descriptions of their
products and intended uses, here:
http://www.kellymoore.com/site/systemselectionguide

If the paint rubs off, which you did not state in your original post, it
is highly likely that the surface was chalky and/or mildewy when the
paint was applied. If moisture was the original problem, you should
have seen blistering sooner, it seems.

There is a "contact us" link on the page for KM. Let us know how it goes.

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bubble on stucco wall after raining - Page 2