# Crawling and cissing

Source: https://coatmentor.com/defects/crawling/ · Updated 2026-10-14

The wet paint pulls back from spots on the surface and leaves bare or thin areas, sometimes with a speck of contamination in the middle.

*Figure: Crawling and cissing: the surface as you see it, and a schematic cross-section.*

## Causes

- Oil, grease, silicone or wax on the surface.
- The liquid paint has a higher surface tension than the surface it is on; waterborne paints are the most prone.

## Prevention

- Solvent clean before other surface preparation (SSPC-SP 1).
- Keep silicone products away from the work.

## How it is assessed

Visual. Cissing spots are small and round; crawling is the severe form, with paint gathered into beads.

## Telling it apart

- **[Cratering (fish eyes)](https://coatmentor.com/defects/cratering/):** Craters are separate round spots with a rim. Crawling pulls the paint back over a wider area into beads or islands.
- **[Holidays and misses](https://coatmentor.com/defects/holidays/):** A miss from application leaves bare steel without beads of paint round it. Crawling leaves paint gathered at the edges of the bare spot.

## Repair

Remove the affected paint, clean the surface thoroughly, and recoat. The specification and the coating manufacturer have the final word on the repair procedure.

**1** practice item in the members area mentions crawling and cissing (CIP 2: 1).

## Related

- **Concepts:** [Surface cleanliness grades](https://coatmentor.com/learn/surface-cleanliness/)
- **Standards:** [SSPC-SP, NACE No. and WJ](https://coatmentor.com/standards/sspc-surface-preparation/)

## About this page

Written from coating practice and the published rating standards, in our own words; the drawing is schematic. Checked on 2026-10-14; errors go in the [corrections log](https://coatmentor.com/method/). CoatMentor is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with ISO, AMPP, SSPC, NACE International, ASTM or FROSIO.