Problem Solver
Our visual guide helps you quickly identify the causes of and the recommended solutions for the most common problems for paints, primers and stains.
If you don't find an answer here, be sure to visit your local Sherwin-Williams store or ask your local Sherwin-Williams sales representative for additional expert advice. With more than 130 years of paint and coating experience, we can get you the answers you need - when you need them.
- Adhesion (Blocking)
- Alligatoring
- Blistering
- Brush or Roller Marks (Poor Flow/Leveling)
- Bubbling (Foaming/Cratering)
- Burnishing (Shiny Area)
- Caulk Failure
- Caulk - Paint Cracking or Crawling
- Chalking (Powdering)
- Cracking
- Cracking - Plywood (Checking)
- Cracking - Stained Rough-Sawn Siding
- Darkening/Decaying of Wood
- Dirty/Soiled
- Efflorescence (White Crystal Deposits)
- Fading
- Flaking
- Frosting
- Lapping
- Mildew
- Mudcracking
- Obvious Repair (Touch-Up)
- Peeling
- Peeling - Concrete Floors
- Peeling - Due to Moisture (Inside)
- Peeling - Due to Moisture (Outside)
- Peeling - From Galvanized Metal
- Peeling - Over Hard, Slick Surfaces
- Peeling - Plaster
- Peeling - Under Eaves
- Peeling - Window Sills and Frames
- Poor Scrub Resistance
- Print Resistance (Poor)
- Roller Marks/Stippling
- Roller Splattering
- Rust
- Sagging
- Staining - Water, Smoke, Etc.
- Tannin Staining
- Transparent (Poor Hiding)
- Uneven Color (Picture Framing/Hatbanding)
- Uneven Gloss (Flashing)
- Wax Bleed (Hardboard Siding)
- Wrinkling
- Yellowing
