Painting - The ABC's of Painting a House Exterior

Hi all,

Moved into our house last fall. It's badly in need of a exterior paint job. The south and west exposures are peeling badly in many places, though the east and north are really in pretty good shape. I think there's a name for the siding, but I'm not sure what it is - it's that vertically oriented striped wood - 12 inch centers between the stripes - some sort of composition board, I think. I'm planning on a similar color (slightly darker, but not what I would call "dark" - a gray, or taupe) in a satin finish. Anyway, I've read a lot here, but I wanted to start a thread that pulled all my questions into one area. Here goes!

1. Cleaning - Power washer or garden hose? Cleaner/soap of some kind or just water? There's no apparent mildew and while I'm not exactly sure just what "chalking" looks like, I don't think there's any of that either.

2. Sanding - I've seen a couple of threads where responses by moderators indicated that scraping loose paint is all you HAVE to do, and that if you do choose to sand, to make sure all the dust gets washed off, otherwise you might get adhesion problems. So am I better off not sanding? If I sand, is my Dewalt palm sander good enough, or do I need an orbital?

3. Priming - Only bare wood spots seems to be the consensus. Oil or latex, or is that one of those "everybody has their opinion" questions? :D

4. Metal gutters - not sure if they're steel or aluminum (probably alum), but the paint has peeled badly in many spots down to bare metal. I think where the latex still has good adhesion that no priming is necessary, but what about the bare spots, and can I use the same primer from question #3?

5. Paint quality - A lot of people seem to have a low opinion of the big box store's paint brands. Is Sherwin Williams the safest bet for a long lasting paint job? I'm willing to spend the money if it really makes a difference between 5 years for the paint job and 10+, but obviously I don't want to if I don't need to.

Turned into a long one. Sorry about that! I appreciate the help!

Joe

1. Rent a powerwasher. It will not only clean off the years of dirt/grime, it will also help knock off a good portion of the peeling paint, making the scraping portion a little easier. Make sure to use appropriate tip, you don't want to etch your name in the siding.

2. Scraping removes peeling/loose paint. Sanding only makes those areas that were peeled/scraped blend in better to the rest of the siding. Sometimes sanding near a peeled spot will reveal more loose paint that you might of overlooked by just scraping. A palm sander will work, but I prefer a piece of 80 grit wrapped aroung a 6"-8" piece of 2X4. Yes, dust removal is very important. I keep a dust brush in my back pocket as I prep/scrape/sand. A second powerwash/hosing wouldn't hurt either.

3. Only bare wood is necessary, but hit any other areas that look like they might pose a problem. Mainly, right under a faucet/tap, under an AC window unit, anywhere that might take more than normal abuse. Since you said no mold/moisture issues, go with 100% acrylic.

4. Scrape the loose paint on the gutters, and hit that area/edges thoroughly with a wirebrush. Wipe off dust, and prime with 100% acrylic.

5. The big name paints are your best bet. They became big name for a reason. Sherwin, Ben Moore, Porter, Pittsburgh, Muralo, etc. all have good lines of paint. Top on the list right now is Sherwin's Duration.

You mention spending money to insure a long-lasting paint job, but step 2. is just as if not more critical for a long lasting job. Almost 90% of paint failures lead directly back to missed/improper prep. Do a good job prepping, and the job will last for a long time. (Yeah, good paint helps too)

Thanks for the response, Prowallguy. Just one more question. You say if there are no moisture/mold issues to use acrylic primer. Would I be safer to buy oil in case I missed some trouble areas in my inspection pass that presumably I would catch on the actual painting pass? Is the only benefit to acrylic the easy cleanup, or are there other advantages?

Joe

Oils are harder to use and take longer to dry. They are worse for the enviroment and as you metioned harder to clean. If your wood is badly sun beaten I would use oil though, because it does penetrate a little deeper. As far as topcoats I would go with the SW Duration or Duron Signature Lifetime. Premium paints not only make a difference in the time between repaints, they also cover better, and look nicer. Money well spent.

Acrylics will flex/move with changing temperatures and humidity levels, so less cracking/peeling.
Be aware that latex and 100% acrylic are 2 different products.