TL;DR
Alligatoring is a paint failure in which the coating splits into a pattern of rectangular islands like reptile hide, caused by a rigid topcoat applied over a softer or still-soft layer, extreme film buildup from decades of repaints, or age-embrittled oil paint that can no longer flex with the wood. Unlike simple checking, the cracks reach through the film and keep widening.
What it means
Alligatoring is a paint failure in which the coating splits into a pattern of rectangular islands like reptile hide, caused by a rigid topcoat applied over a softer or still-soft layer, extreme film buildup from decades of repaints, or age-embrittled oil paint that can no longer flex with the wood. Unlike simple checking, the cracks reach through the film and keep widening. The only lasting fix is removing the failed paint to bare substrate by scraping, sanding, or chemical stripping, then priming and recoating. On pre-1978 homes that removal triggers EPA lead-safe work practices.
Where it sits in the glossary
Alligatoring is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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