Surface coating, which shrinks very much when dry, cracks the surface of the silk or paper support and causes it to lift up or separate from the backing paper layer. One is loss of the primary support which happens when it is separated or de-laminated from the backing support as I have described above. The second is when the primary support is constantly rubbed against the back side of the scroll when it is rolled, which is a form of abrasion. This happens particularly on the areas which are higher than the rest of the surface such as the joints of each part of the scroll. Patches from the back side are another example.
Japanese scrolls have rough kozo paper with calcium carbonate in it.
Chinese scrolls normally have a smoother or more burnished surface. Deterioration of the animal gelatin medium causes the adhesive power to loosen and the paint to flake off or to becomes chalky. Pigment or paint layers which have an animal binding medium often become stiff and less flexible. When a scroll is rolled the paint layers do not curve as easily as the silk or paper support does. Paint layers expand at different rates from the paper or silk support in humid conditions.