A softening or disturbance of a coating another is coat is applied, especially by brush. With conventional decorative paints, lifting usually due to application before the previous coat is thoroughly dry.

Solution type coatings, such as those based on chlorinated rubber or nitrocellulose, tend to soften when recoated with similar materials and, for this reason, are best applied by spray if large areas are involved.  Coatings of this type may also soften oil based paints, even when these are thoroughly aged and a small scale test to check the resistance of the existing coating is advisable.