# Breakthrough Problems



## ProScott

I have recently had a problem with some Breakthrough, and am hoping someone has a solution or insight. I am painting new pre-primed base and casing. I caulked it with Top Gun 400 and then sprayed it with Breakthrough. All of the caulk lines checked or cracked. My first thought was I didn't give the caulk enough time to dry (24 hours). I waited another day and brushed all of the caulk lines and re sprayed. Same checking as before. I then recaulked with Alex Plus in hopes to fill the checking, and repainted. Same thing happened. At this point I think it is the Breakthrough. I treated a couple stains with Kilz spray bomb and the Breakthrough checked on top of those spots. On closer investigation some of the trim and even the wall where there is overspray has very tiny checking. Has anyone ever encountered this? I have been using Breakthrough for years and have never seen this. Luckily I am working on my own house, but want to avoid this in the future. I may have a bad batch of Breakthrough. I am mixing satin and gloss to give me a semi gloss finish. I have done this in other rooms of my house. I usually use Breakthrough for cabinets, railings, and built-ins. Any input?? Thanks


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## Jerr

My first thought is doors should have been primed. But that is not where your issue is. I'd try a brush latex primer like Fresh Start or Pro Block


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## ProScott

The doors were already painted. I installed new base and casing. The doors had original paint on them.


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## Jerr

In your post you said pre primed doors. Pre primer is usually shot by the time of install and is really cheap primer. It is basically only good to seal the door during shipping.


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## PRC

Just did a very similar project for a buddy which was a complete gut remodel and used Pure Performance on the walls and Breakthrough satin on the trim and doors. Everything was caulked with 400. The trim/doors were primed with Seal Grip after caulk and putty which had dried over the weekend. We did not experience anything like you have.

Not sure this really helps you any though. 

I have seen Breakthrough check if recoated to soon. But that has nothing to do with caulking.


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## Epoxy Pro

We used Breakthrough once and this happened so we switched to Advanced. Our rep said it may have been a bad batch of caulking and not so much the paint. Since then we only use Tower Tech II or Big Stretch.

A home we painted a few rooms in had Breakthrough used on the trim, maybe a year ago it was done by another company. It looked great when we were there. 2 weeks ago I got a call from the GC and they said all the trim has separated from the walls, caulking failure. I went down and checked it out. Sure enough not only was the old work's caulking letting go so was out Big Stretch. Right now it looks like someone attempted poorly at caulking this place up. Without calling a rep down I am guessing it has to do with the cold outside and the way these people keep their heat set at 82 degrees is the actual cause but that's my guess at this point.


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## ProScott

Thanks for the replys. I am pretty sure the problem is the Breakthrough. I brushed all of the caulk joints about 4 more times and the checking has filled in good enough. I taped the base off and caulked it to paint the walls. The wall paint (HI Hide Eggshell) had no issues over the caulk. If my sales rep would return my call I might be able to get more info, but he probably knows nothing.


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## PACman

ProScott said:


> Thanks for the replys. I am pretty sure the problem is the Breakthrough. I brushed all of the caulk joints about 4 more times and the checking has filled in good enough. I taped the base off and caulked it to paint the walls. The wall paint (HI Hide Eggshell) had no issues over the caulk. If my sales rep would return my call I might be able to get more info, but he probably knows nothing.


I'll put $50 on "knows nothing".


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## ridesarize

For what its worth, I find it best to prime over caulking and prep before topcoats. I have also heard breakthrough dries down so tight that it can pull off previous coatings, or maybe itself in this case causing cracking or checking.


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## RandyKing

I just recently got to the bottom third of a gallon of white satin breakthrough and found that some of the surfaces I was painting on were cracking like this. I used zinsser bin primer and let it set up for about 24 hours. I think the reason is that this particular gallon of PPG was quite old - maybe 8 years, and it had lost some of its pigments. So it seemed to actually get the primer wet and cause the primer to peel up off of the raw wood surface. I am sanding down the affected areas, because some of the areas are solid and well adhered, and then I'm going to try again with brand-new breakthrough.


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## Redux

Aside from the material being expired, and having stated this before, high pH acrylics such as Breakthrough can emulsify & dissolve shellac, particularly if the acrylic top coats remain wet for too long. Many shellac coatings will dissolve at a pH of 7.2 and nearly all acrylics have a pH > 8 due to polymer instability at a pH of < 7.5. Cracking/crazing can sometimes result due to shellac being alkaline intolerable. Several finish manufacturers “do not” recommend the use of shellac under acrylics specifically for this reason. 

There was an earlier thread about Breakthrough crackling when applied over BIN....“Breakthrough and BIN don't appear to be compatible”


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## RandyKing

Interestingly, a "fresher" can of Breakthrough had no problems when applied over BIN (I typically use 123-Plus) over the last year. And then I did see the posts about incompatibility. I completed sanding down of the affected areas and applied brand-new Breakthrough yesterday and there are no problems whatsoever now that it's dry. In this case, I suspect old, watery Breakthrough as the culprit. I used BIN primarily to block the bleed-through of oak oils that make the white cabinets and trim look dirty. That was a rude call-back about 3 years ago.


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## Packard

I applied Breakthrough VOC 250 over Sealcoat. It cracked and crazed too. 



I was told that it was because I painted too soon. I tried it again waiting 72 hours after the Sealcoat and the same result.


I often use Sealcoat on raw wood to prevent raising the grain with water based finishes. 



I applied the Breakthrough over raw wood and no problems. 



Breakthrough is the only finish I have used that did not adhere well to shellac.


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## Rbriggs82

I've been using the v50 and v51 breakthrough over BIN for years and never had an issue. Breakthrough, in general, is a fickle product. It likes to pull stains out, can be a pain to spray, among other idiosyncrasies. That said the dry time, finish, and durability of it is almost impossible to beat. I think the negatives are worth the positives until something better comes along anyway.


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## Redux

Packard said:


> I applied Breakthrough VOC 250 over Sealcoat. It cracked and crazed too.
> 
> 
> 
> I was told that it was because I painted too soon. I tried it again waiting 72 hours after the Sealcoat and the same result.
> 
> 
> I often use Sealcoat on raw wood to prevent raising the grain with water based finishes.
> 
> 
> 
> I applied the Breakthrough over raw wood and no problems.
> 
> 
> 
> Breakthrough is the only finish I have used that did not adhere well to shellac.


Breakthrough contains a very high percentage of 2-butoxyethanol which can attack and dissolve coatings including shellac, contributing to crazing.


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