Drips, peeling or flaking paint, bubbles in the paint, uneven edges, and other visible flaws should never happen with a professional painter. If you can see visible flaws like these once the paint has dried, you know you have received a bad paint job.
How to tell if its gone bad seems to be to simply smell it when you first open the can. Good paint will have more of a chemical smell and bad paint will smell a little putrid, even when still wet and will also have less of a magic marker smell. Bad paint will never cure all the way, even when/if it stops smelling.
Look for imperfections... bubbles, fisheyes (bubble that has popped), chips, uneven coloring, drips, ripples, etc. Was inside the door jams painted? Inside the fenders? All of these are clues.
Take Your Case to Civil Court or Arbitration.
If all else fails, you can seek legal recourse in court. If the amount in dispute is below a certain value, your case will go to a small claims court specializing in handling minor disputes. Unlike personal injury cases, bad-paint-job cases often fall into this category.
There are some common signs of a bad auto body paint job. These include overspray, uneven textures, and tape line. You should also look for imperfections such as orange peel or sanding marks. To ensure the quality of the paint job, you should take your time and inspect the work thoroughly.
Blistering and bubbling paint failure
Blistering is the appearance of bubbles on the painted surface. They are usually caused by moisture which can come from several sources.
One of the best ways to tell if your stored paint has gone bad is to test it on a piece of board or timber. If lumping occurs it could be that chunky sized bits of paint have formed despite a vigorous stir. Extreme bad smell like rotten eggs might be highly concentrated.
If the paint has gone bad, it will look curdled like cottage cheese or overly thick like a pudding. If you dig out an old can of paint and you have either of these, it's best not to use the paint and dispose of it properly.
To “thin” paint, an exterior painter will add water to the paint bucket, increasing the paint's workability and slowing down the speed with which it dries. This is especially helpful in hot climates, including summers in the Sun Belt.
In conclusion, recognizing a bad paint job involves identifying signs such as air holes, cracking or peeling, and blisters on the walls. Issues with an exterior paint job can stem from watered-down paint, shady business practices, and insufficient prep work.
A polite approach is always best, but be firm in your demand that the problems be addressed. If your initial request isn't met with any response from the company, visit their offices and follow up on your initial concerns.
Common painting defects encompass issues such as blistering, cracking, peeling, and uneven coverage, each presenting unique challenges to the longevity and visual appeal of painted surfaces.
Check for overspray paint on the windows, window blinds headrails, doorframes, and baseboards. You should be able to hold a white rag against any of those surfaces and see nothing but a clean, white one. If the rag is covered with paint, the painter didn't do a good job.
The easy answer is around 10 years for interior paint and 5-7 years for exterior paint. But the more accurate answer is that the longevity of your new paint job depends on a variety of factors such as paint quality, the environment the paint is in and the preparation and professionalism during the painting project.
Just like rotten food in your refrigerator, there's usually a harsh smell that accompanies an old can of paint that has gone bad. Physical changes. You might notice the consistency of your paint has changed. There may be a “skin” on the surface or lumps that won't stir out.
Without primer, the paint absorbs into the surface unevenly, leaving an inconsistent finish with patched areas showing through the final coat of paint.
Texture: Bad paint tends to become lumpy, and when it's applied to a surface, it will be hard to get a smooth finish. It smells: When paint starts to go bad, bacteria grow, creating a sour smell.
If you are finding uneven lines and you can tell paint was accidentally brushed onto a surface, it is a bad paint job, and that's putting it nicely! Uneven lines and messy areas are an eye-sore. After seeing them once, you can't help but notice them every time you look at them.
Beginning clearcoat failure is where the clearcoat is going to start looking faded, opaque and whitish. The next thing after the "appearance" charges is it starts flaking off like the paint has a rash.
Sags/Runs – These are the most common auto paint job errors. Having sags, drips, and dried streaks in professional painting is inexcusable. You can tell poor brush or roller technique by the shadows forming around and under them.
You Get What You Pay For
By the time it's all said and done, expect it to cost $1,000 or more. In fact, for quality work, expect to pay $1,000 or more. Custom paint jobs can exceed $4,000. It is rare to find a shop that will do a high-quality job for under $1,000.