Understanding Paint Overlapping: Causes and Solutions

Sometimes it may happen that the paint job you just did may not look so even because of the lap marks that have come up. These marks may be an indication of the following:

• Painting at a higher temperature than the normal temperature.
• Use of cheap quality paint
• Omission to maintain a “wet edge”
• Inappropriate thinning
• Painting in sections rather than rolling up the full height at a time.

You can overcome lap marks by painting in an appropriate manner and just keeping these easy yet helpful tips in mind:

• Do not paint at a temperature higher than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. You must not plan your paint job when the temperature is higher than the usual temperature as it may result in lap marks in your paint job. Do not even plan for a cloudy or rainy day.
• Always use quality products for your paint job. It is a long time investment so we recommend you to use good quality products. Remember, cheap paints can also be a reason for those lap marks on your wall.
• Always remember that you have to maintain a “wet edge” in your paint job. Do not let your paint be partly dry before you roll up the paint over it. You need to apply paint from wet to a dry area and this will help you to have an even look in your paint job.
• While thinning your paint, you must make sure that the paint passes the funnel test and if it is still thick you need to add on the water until it becomes perfectly thin to be applied over the walls. You need to apply the paint in a small area first to ensure that it has already been prepared well to be used for the paint job.
• Paint the full height of the wall at a time. This will ensure evenness in your paint job and will avoid the lap marks over your wall. If you paint in small sections chances are that the paint will dry too quickly (especially if the paint used is latex enamel paints) and this will result in overlapping of the paint which will give rise to the lap marks over the walls.

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