In This Issue:
Exterior House Painting
Exterior painting is more complicated and labor intensive than interior painting. Exposure to sunlight, rain, cold and heat is very stressing on the paint coating. Because of the extreme conditions exterior surfaces require specific preparation procedure, priming and a durable paint coating to ensure a lasting finish.
In addition to proper preparation, exterior surface will have to be in good repair before they are painted. If there are any break in exterior surfaces such as peeling paint, cracks or rotting wood, water will certainly penetrate these and ruin the new paint finish. See the article on repairing rotted wood at this link for help with rotting wood and for help with cracks use the caulking techinques described at this link to fill them before painting. Treating peeling paint and other preparation procedures are covered below.
Peeling paint is the biggest problem with most exterior paint jobs. Paint will always peel if there are any contaminants between the painted surface and the paint film. Contaminantion on exterior surfaces comes from a number of sources. Probably the most common is water but dust, rust, algae, smoke and air polutants can also cause exterior paint to peel.
Moisture affecting exterior painted surfaces can come from within or it may be saturating the surface from the outside as with rain or an overflowing gutter. In either case the water source must be remedied before any prep and painting can begin. Water from within a wall usually will be coming from a leaky pipe or rain water may backup in the gutter and run down the inside of the house siding.
Gutters are usually easily restored by cleaning leaves and other debris from them and the downspouts running to the ground. The downspouts will usually be harder to clean than the gutter requiring some disassembly at the bottom to clear them. After you've done this once you will likely want to avoid it again by adding gutter covers that will block more debris from collecting. Some gutter covers work better than others so if you can afford it, you should go the extra mile and get a high quality system that works well and will do so for years to come.
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Start your exterior painting preparation by scraping all loose and peeling paint, putty and caulk from the surface. Slip a putty knife under to lift off loose material and use a pull scraper to remove paint, etc. that looks loose but doesn't come free easily. Lightly sand the edges of any bare spots created by the scraping with 120 grit sandpaper for latex paint and 80 grit for harder, oil and alkyd–based paints. To determine the type of paint you're working with try sanding it lightly with 120 paper. If you create dust by sanding the paint, it's oil or alkyd. If the paint balls up or flakes come away from the surface, it's latex paint. Because of this tearing away of the paint coat, don't sand too hard on latex paint, it will create a rough edge around bare spots, encouraging peeling.
In addition to sanding to remove debris, you should also rough up any shiny paint like semi or high–gloss with a quick pass of the sandpaper. This will help the new paint bond better than it otherwise would to the slick finish. After all the scraping and sanding has been done, wash the surface to be painted. Use a garden hose to rinse all the dust off the siding and then scrub it with a nylon brush or broom dipped in a cleaning solution of laundry detergent and warm water. If you have a mildew problem add a cup or two of household bleach to the solution before scrubing. Rinse the siding and let it dry completely before proceeding.
With your clean, dry exterior surface you're ready to do any necessary priming, caulking and repairs. Prime before you caulk or patch to ensure a good bond. There's no need to prime existing paint that is still in good condition. Primer is only needed to bond to bare spots and block stains or water damage. Let the primer dry overnight before proceeding but don't let it stay exposed for more than two weeks before finishing. Use a top grade exterior primer. Choose a latex primer if your exterior is in a dry climate that doesn't suffer from prolonged rain or damp conditions. If you're in a damp climate use an alkyd–based primer to be sure your new paint won't peel.
Use an exterior grade latex caulk for cracks and let it cure overnight before applying your new paint coat. Be sure to caulk all cracks and wood joints and around all trim like door and window frames. While you're at it, caulk any cracks in trim moldings around the door and window casings. Use an exterior spackle for minor repairs to wood trim and siding, and an auto body filler for severely damaged and rotted wood. Let the patch material set according to the label directions and then sand it smooth. Spot prime the patches and any bare wood on all surfaces to be painted.
When all the prep and priming is done it's time to apply the finish paint to the siding. After the siding is done you can then move to painting the trim. The type of siding you have will determine the painting technique to use. For most houses some type of horizontal siding will be the case. This can include old lap type siding where boards are nailed, one overlapping the one below, horizontally across the side of a house. It can also include new aluminum and vinyl siding that is molded to look like old lap siding. These surfaces are best painted using a wide brush about 2½ inches or wider, to coat the horizontal runs. This will produce a nice, smooth paint finish if done right.
Start at the top of the siding and brush the horizontal boards, a few at a time, all the way across the side of the house. Use an extension ladder with rags or rubber bumpers wrapped over the end to protect the siding from marks and gouges. Set the ladder just under the last board you intend to paint on the first pass. Brush the siding as far as you can reach from the ladder and then move it over a little to do the next section. Work across the house, a little at a time, until you reach the next corner and complete the run. Work quickly when moving the ladder so the paint doesn't dry before you can joint it with the new section. When you've completed the run to the next corner, move back to your starting point, lower the ladder a little and paint another few boards across the house. Follow this porcedure to paint all the siding on one side of the house, down to the bottom before moving to the next side.
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A second, not as common type of siding is plywood siding, T–111 siding is one of these. These are sheets of exterior grade plywood with a vertical groove cut into the surface. This type of siding is usually finished with an oil stain or sealer. This coating can sometimes be sprayed on if the existing finish is in good condition to start with. If the plywood is bare or the old finish is damaged or degraded however, the new coating will have to be rolled and brushed on to ensure good penetration.
Do a manageable 3 or 4 foot swath of siding at a time and work from the top to the bottom of the house before moving on to the next swath. Roll the finish coating on with a thick roller and then brush it in if necessary to get good coverage. Some oil stains may require wiping with a rag just after rolling or spraying to remove excess coating and create a consistent color in the finish.
With the siding done it's time to paint the trim moldings. This includes the doors, windows, overhangs, shutters, gables and other architectural features that are usually done in an accent color to compliment the siding color. Make sure the siding is dry before setting your ladders against it. Be sure to pad the end of the ladder where it contacts the house to prevent damage to the new paint.
Start at the top and work your way down. Use a brush to coat your overhangs using the same technique of moving the ladder across the siding as with painting horizontal siding described above. Paint a section of the overhang as far as you can reach and then move the ladder to do the next section. Paint the whole overhang from one corner to the next corner before stopping to ensure a smooth paint coat. While you're up there do any gutters and down spouts that you plan to paint at the same time.
With the overhang done, move down to the next piece of trim, usually second story windows. With the second story trim done move down to the first floor windows. If you're doing shutters, try to remove them for preping and painting and then hang them back when dry. When all the windows are done you can paint all the doors and any porch trim and floors.
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