# Holidays and misses

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

Bare or thinly coated spots: large misses are plain to see, while pinholes and small holidays often are not.

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

## Causes

- Application error, mostly on complex shapes with poor access.
- Air bubbles from overmixing that burst and do not close.
- Sags or curtains that leave thin areas above them.

## Prevention

- Stripe coat edges, welds and corners.
- Inspect between coats, and apply a brushed coat at right angles to the previous one.

## How it is assessed

Visual inspection, then holiday testing where specified: low-voltage wet sponge for thin films, high-voltage spark testing for thick ones. Set the spark test voltage from the measured DFT, as NACE SP0188 and ASTM D5162 describe, and test only a cured film.

## Telling it apart

- **[Pinholes](https://coatmentor.com/defects/pinholes/):** Pinholes are a kind of holiday: tiny holes through the film, often in groups. A miss is a larger bare or thin area.
- **[Crawling and cissing](https://coatmentor.com/defects/crawling/):** Crawling also leaves bare spots, but with paint gathered round their edges.

## Repair

Mark, prepare and repair each holiday, then test the repair again. The specification and the coating manufacturer have the final word on the repair procedure.

**100** practice items in the members area mention holidays and misses (CIP 1: 41 · CIP 2: 42 · FROSIO written: 17).

## Related

- **Concepts:** [Holiday (discontinuity) testing](https://coatmentor.com/learn/holiday-testing/) · [Stripe coats](https://coatmentor.com/learn/stripe-coat/)
- **Standards:** [NACE SP0188](https://coatmentor.com/standards/nace-sp0188/) · [ASTM D5162](https://coatmentor.com/standards/astm-d5162/) · [ISO 29601](https://coatmentor.com/standards/iso-29601/)

## 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.