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)
• Alkali Burning / Discoloration
• Alligatoring
• Blistering
• Brush or Roller Marks (Poor Flow/Leveling) Flow and Leveling
• Bubbling (Foaming/Cratering)
• Burnishing (Shiny Area)
• Caulk Failure
• Caulk - Paint Cracking or Crawling
• Chalking (Powdering)
• Cracking
• Cracking - Plywood Checking
• Cracking - Stained Rough-Strewn Siding
• Darkening/Decaying of Wood
• Dirty/Soiled
• Efflorescence (White Crystal Deposits)
• Fading
• Fisheyes
• Flaking
• Flow and Leveling (Poor)
• Frosting
• Hiding (Poor)
• Lapping
• Mildew
• Mudcracking
• Obvious Repair (Touch-Up)
• Peeling - Concrete Floors
• Peeling - Due to Moisture (Inside)
• Peeling - Due to Moisture (Outside)
• Peeling - From Galvanized Metal
• Peeling - Intercoat Peeling in Protected Areas
• Peeling - Over Hard, Slick Surfaces
• Peeling - Plaster
• Peeling - Under Eaves
• Picture Framing/Hatbanding
• Poor Scrub Resistance
• Print Resistance (Poor)
• Roller Marks/Stippling
• Roller Splattering
• Rust
• Sagging
• Scrubbability
• Stain Resistance
• Staining - Water, Smoke, Etc.
• Surfactant Leaching
• Tannin Staining
• Transparent (Poor Hiding)
• Uneven Gloss (Flashing)
• Vinyl Siding Warping
• Washability
• Wax Bleed
• Wrinkling
• Yellowing