Does your house have a couple of trim pieces that appear to have a bit of mold or rot? You may be planning to paint over them. A lot of homeowners believe this method is an easy and quick solution.  

Unfortunately, though it may take care of the visual elements, it won’t tackle the actual underlying problems. The truth is that you may even make the issue worse.  

Keep in mind that the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality is not the ideal way to handle structural damage to your house. If you don’t know what to do, you can always hire a professional paint contractor for help. The type of professional company would be like Bastrop Paint Pro, they are one of the best painters Bastrop TX residents can utilize for both interior and exterior paint projects.

A couple of people will probably tell you that it’s fine to paint over rotted wood. However, neglecting the problems can have huge consequences down the line. Today, we’re going to share with you a couple of reasons why you should avoid painting over rotted wood.  

Mold 

If you allow moisture to sit in a single area for a long period, it will start to grow into mold. For those who don’t know, mold can have severe health consequences if you do not remove and take care of it properly. Houses with mold issues can be a cause of allergies, lung irritation, and a lot of other issues. 

Because of that, you should not paint over rotted wood since it might have mold. If you do, it will only agitate the spores. If this happens, the mold will find another area in your home to grow.  

Moisture 

Moisture can quickly cause splitting and rotting in wood. A new paint coat won’t do anything to fix the issue. If moisture begins to soak into the wood, it can lead to the expansion of the wood. Eventually, the wood will swell and deteriorate. Thus, painting over the issue will not fix the problem. It will simply make the problem worse. The paint will not be able to stick to the damaged and wet wood. Thus, it will not look appealing when you paint over it.  

Though paint can help protect your house from moisture, it will not fix the issue if the water has soaked in already.  

There is a huge possibility that you’ve got a leak in your home if you’ve got moisture rot in the wood of your house. Before painting that area, you’ll have to ensure you fix the leak so that the problem will not happen again in the future.  

Termites 

Are you noticing damaged or cracked wood on or around your house? If so, it can be an indication of a termite infestation. Termites can damage and eat wood. They can drastically lower your home’s structural integrity if you ignore them for a long period.  

Painting over termite damage is simply not ideal. On several occasions, it might also be a legal issue. If you’re fixing termite damage through painting because you want to sell your house, an inspector will easily find the damage. It can make your house barred for sale until you fix the damage.