The paint's still not dry

Monte Leeper

Q. I’m hoping you can help me understand a mystery. The interior of my home was repainted in 2008 with quality latex paint. Before work began, I shared with the painter the story of peeling woodwork in my mom’s home. The painter assured me that peeling would not be a problem; he would sand and prime first. Three years later, the woodwork is now tacky to the touch. Recently, while wiping away fingerprints on an interior door, I wiped away paint as well. What went wrong, and what’s the remedy?

A. Mistake one: never clean fingerprints from painted surfaces. Never wash the floor, clean windows, do laundry … houses are meant to be maintenance-free, are they not? Put in a beautiful kitchen and make reservations to eat out; build a garage and load it with stuff. I have no instant answer to your question, although I suspect a few causes. Paint shouldn’t be tacky three years later, and why didn’t you notice it was tacky sooner? Although this is one of those problems I usually have to investigate in person, I’ll explain what I look for.

I look at the overall conditions surrounding the problem, such as the condition of the surface, its location relative to the weather (windows, possibly poorly insulated outside walls, radiators), and moisture contributors, including stoves, sinks, refrigerators, humidifiers, potted plants, etc. I also look at orientation such as north versus south sunlight exposure. If the surface was originally painted with oil-based paint, surface preparation is critical. How the surface was sanded is important. Fine sanding is not enough to create the “teeth” on the surface, and thoroughness counts as well. If the paint revealed under the coat of paint you wiped off is shiny, then the sanding or other surface preparation was inadequate. If your home is subjected to high humidity, temperature swings or both because you had the windows open on a winter day when the paint was applied, the paint may have actually had small ice crystals in it, and these form pockets separating from the surface. A thin layer of condensation from excessive humidity can cause paint not to adhere.

Over the years I’ve seen many mysteries, and solved most of them. Some had hidden causes that were strange. Like the structural problem caused by using lids of old cigar boxes to hold cut-through wall studs together. Even during the heavy rains we just had, I was helping friends bail the water out of their basement and went to look for the cause during the downpour. Soaking wet, I found the problem and did a temporary fix so that at least the basement was not refilling while we were using wet-dry vacuums. With mysteries like yours, in-person review is much better than throwing out suggestions. Sometimes the most annoying problem can have a simple cause, but I can’t imagine your doctor doing a diagnosis without seeing you first. Good luck!