All my rehab experts - Can this really happen?

Question

Hi, I need some help with a rehab. I had a foreclosure that I had rehab'ed and it was rented for a year. Now I am trying to get it re-rented and the crew noted that the ceiling paint which was just redone last year, is peeling again. I had a painting crew come who said it was because of moisture from poor ventilation in the attic. I had them redo the whole ceiling. They sent pictures of the finished job. Then today they said they went back and said there are again "a dozen spots" where it is peeling. I asked him how this could be. He stated "There is no water leaks. Just condensation for the roof/attic having no ventilation at all." and then said "We think it could be this. Something is causing the mud to not adhere to the drywall from the attic area."

Can condensation really cause this in a mater of days?

This is the ceiling during the repair

This is today

Can condensation really cause this in a mater of days?This is the ceiling during the repair

This is today

Scott M. · Answer

If the crew told you it was because of moisture from poor ventilation in the attic then why did you tell them to repaint it?  Why not deal with the issue that the crew pointed out?

Time to listen to the crew you hired and sort out the root problem.

Jim K. · Answer

This is texturing done with drywall joint compound over a bare drywall ceiling, as evidences by the mud visible in the second photo under the failed patch. The people who textured the ceiling apparently didn't skim coat the drywall before they textured the ceiling. They probably also used the wrong kind of joint compound to do the texturing. Every time you paint this ceiling, the moisture you're adding in the paint causes more of the drywall mud that was used in the texturing to pop, or patches to fail, in different places

Attic condensation and a lack of ventilation may also be playing a role here, but you have to check this first.

The way to be sure that this is going on is to get up there with a ladder and spray a section with water in a spray bottle to the point where it's just starting to drip. Wait five minutes. Then try to scrape off the textured coating in that section with a narrow, thin scraper, like a 2-incher or better yet a flexible 3/4 little guy. If the finish comes off in whole strips down to the bare drywall, then I'm right.

Bjorn Ahlblad · Answer

What a mess!! I would get a moisture meter right away just to check that out. Look into the primer type or lack thereof. The attic needs to be vented regardless. Good luck!

Joe Splitrock · Answer

@Douglas Curtiss you shouldn't need to prime drywall before texturing, but given the adhesion problems you experienced, they should have done that in this situation. They should scrape off any loose texture, prime the surface, texture, then prime over the texture. Adhesion issues could be due to moisture or possibly something on the surface of the drywall. Paint will not adhere to any surface if it has contaminants like cigarette tar, vaping residue, grease from cooking, etc. I would assume that is not the case with new drywall. I would also be surprised if attic venting alone was the issue, but it could be due to temperature difference between the ceiling and the room. If there is no insulation above the drywall, the ceiling could be getting really hot. If could also cause the texture to dry too fast, without soaking into and bonding to the drywall.

Have you been up in the attic to check insulation and venting? Start there and see what you find.

Paul M Feehan · Answer

I've never seen this before, but for attic ventilation, it could be as simple as installing baffles over the soffit vents.  You do this from inside the attic, make sure you peel away any insulation that is covering the soffit vents...then you staple the baffles to the rafters.  Doing this allows air to enter into the attic via the soffit vents that would otherwise be clogged by insulation.  You can buy the baffles at Home Depot.  Otherwise, you could also install an attic fan.

Douglas Curtiss · Answer

@Scott M. They didn’t say anything until they had finished and it started peeling.

Marian Smith · Answer

@Douglas Curtiss  I would call zinser maker of peel stop primer.  They have a tech line that might be able to help.  Maybe after you buy a moisture meter and get a reading, but it also may be that if you paint over a poorly adhered coat of paint the second and third coats only adhere as well as the first coat does...or only adhere to the problematic first coat, which is prone to peeling.

Shanna Vataj · Answer

It looks like it was never primed at all. Very strange.

I would vent the attic (which should have been done already), scrape and peel all paint off, patch the issues and use a thick peeling paint primer like Zinsser.

Douglas Curtiss · Answer

@Michael Plante as i mentioned in response above, no one said anything before the job or as started. Current crew blamed it on poor workmanship of previous crew. Once they were done and noticed it peeling again, that is when they brought up possible attic ventilation / moisture. My whole point in this post was it doesn’t seem like moisture would do this in 3 days. 3 months, definitely but not 3 days.

All my rehab experts - Can this really happen?

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