Coating defect

Lifting

Shrivelling, swelling or puckering of a coat soon after the next coat goes on, often in a ring round the edge of a repair.

Lifting: the surface as you see it, and a schematic cross-section.

Causes

Strong solvent in the new coat attacks a weaker, solvent-sensitive coat below.
Recoating before the coat below has cured.
A thermoplastic coat under a crosslinked top coat.

Prevention

Use coats the maker states are compatible.
Test a small area first when overcoating an unknown old coating.

How it is assessed

Visual, during or soon after application.

Telling it apart

Wrinkling: Wrinkling forms in one coat when its surface dries before the body below. Lifting is a coat below swelling under the solvent of the new coat.
Blistering: Blisters are separate domes and can take weeks to appear. Lifting shows within minutes or hours of the new coat.

Repair

Let the film harden, remove the lifted coating, and recoat with a compatible product. The specification and the coating manufacturer have the final word on the repair procedure.

6 practice items in the members area mention lifting (CIP 1: 3 · CIP 2: 2 · FROSIO written: 1).

Try it in an exam-style question. The free readiness check shows the question style, explains every answer and gives you a dated study plan.

Take the free readiness check See the tracks

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. CoatMentor is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with ISO, AMPP, SSPC, NACE International, ASTM or FROSIO.