Replies

1. 
   bill_1010 | Jun 08, 2003 06:01pm | #1

   http://aittool.com/  Get one of those, set it up with a vacum.  Youll probably have to go HEPA because on that house youre damn near certain to have lead based paint. Wear a respirator.   Lead paint removal with the use of shavers makes dust.    This route is much better then hand scrapping the whole house.  The job will go sooo much faster.

   As for the pain, head to a reliable paint vendor (no the big boxes) you know a store that sells mostly paint. SHerwin williams.  They will set you up with the right paints, primers and brushes.

1. 
   billiam | Jun 08, 2003 07:22pm | #2

   thanks.

   is the hitachi paint shaver what you've used? does it do fascia and soffits as well as clapboard? i realize it's not good on curved surfaces..

   billiam - in rain-soaked danbury ct.

2. 
   chiefclancy | Jun 08, 2003 07:29pm | #3

   regarding ladders, it really depends on the site, i.e. how high, how many obstacles, etc. Since I work largely by myself, I try to avoid having to deal with setting up elaborate scaffolding or ladder jack rigs. So my rig consists of a 28' high-quality aluminum ladder and a couple ladder jacks, which I've found very useful in certain situations. I also use one of those quick-lock standoffs.

   My prep process consists of scraping, followed by sanding to expose fresh grain in the wood and to smooth over the rough areas caused by scaping. Then I treat any bare wood with penetrol, do caulking as necessary with a high-quality poly caulk such as Vulchem, followed by oil priming and two coats of latex top. I've had good luck in my climate (WI) with SW SuperPaint, haven't yet tried the Duration.

   As for longevity, you'll find many different opinions. My attitude has always been that it's all in the prep- make sure you remove as much loose paint as possible, and then follow the steps above. I also try to avoid applying primer or topcoat in direct sunlight if at all possible, so for example I'll paint western exposures in the morning, and southern exposures either later in the evening or ideally, on a cloudy day. Also follow the mfg's recommendations regarding air temperature, if it's too hot the paint will dry out too quickly which shortens the life of the job.

   Good luck,

   Andy

1. 
   billiam | Jun 09, 2003 07:18am | #4

   thank you, andy, for your good advice.

   one question from a novice. can you use ladder jacks with just one ladder?

   also, what is a quick-lock standoff?

   and is SW sherwin-williams?

   penetrol, i assume, is the product made by the flood company..

   bill

1. 
   SAL | Jun 09, 2003 05:50pm | #5

   Bill,

      Great advice from AndyL.  I did my 1850's house three years ago.  Definitely lead paint on the whole thing, so I had it stripped down to bare wood.  Since I don't have the stamina or arm strength to do that, I hired someone else to do the stripping, following lead abatement procedures, then I did the rest.  About 96% of the paint was removed, using carbide blade hand scrapers.  The eves still had paint on them, since it wasn't degraded by the sun.  My paint was breaking, peeling, flaking off for the last 5 years, and I had scraped all of it about 3 years before the paint job, (removed 10-50% of the paint, depending on the side)  all with the idea that the weather could get behind the paint to help lift off more of it in the mean time.  Looked like an abandoned house for about 3 years, but "Fit in with the neighborhood" :), since the economy was bad and the area wasn't much better when I bought the house, so didn't get into too much trouble with it.  But sure got great reviews when I painted it!  :)  

      Back to the details.  I followed the information in a book I bought from the National Forest Products Association.  (Don't have it anymore, the guy that did the scraping borrowed it...permanently)  I scraped to bare wood, sanded the whole thing (especially since some wood had been exposed for a few years), rinsed, dried for a few days then used paintable water seal - read the cans, I think it was a Thompson's product, not all are paintable.  (Not linseed oil- I was going to do that, then found out it is a food source for mildew).  Then oil primer, caulk lots- (ends of the clapboards, around windows and doors, etc., but not the bottoms of the clapboards-they do need to breath) then two coats of finish paint.  The only (maybe) mistake I made was using oil finish paint.  I am not a firm believer in latex paint, since I've seen so may jobs peel off in sheets, but Everyone and their cousin is touting latex's superiority to oil these days... maybe the sheet peeling has been from bad prep, or water vapor migration through the wood siding.  I have a few spots in the eves that are now lifting the old paint (aka peeling), which I understand does happen when new paint is applied over very old paint that is loosing its cohesion.  So will be doing touch-up this summer.  But hope the main paint job will last 10-20 years, as per the info in the Forest Prod. book... I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

      I used a combination of two different height ladders with stand-offs, and pump jack scaffolding.  The scraping was done with the scaffolding, along with the sanding using a pad sander.  Since the pump jack scaffolding was still up on the last wall, it stayed up until the job was done.  It was the easiest side to do, because of the scaffolding.

      On the issue of the lead abatement, research the safety procedures.  There was an article in Fine Home Building, and also Old House Journal on it.  Some points:  proper respirator (not a dust mask), no wind, dropcloths and plastic to catch all the scrapings, shower right after work, wash clothes separately, don't track the dust inside or around the yard, or your neighbors yards.  Consider having a blood lead level test done before and after your work- or partly through, if you want to check that your procedures are protecting you.  And same safety procedures for the teens if you hire them to help prep.  Oh, and no children hanging out watching you.  There will probably be some lead dust released into the air.  I'm not trying to scare you, just give you some ideas on protection.  Do some research though, so you know what to do.  Don't rely on only my info. 

      FYI- I had a lead abatement company abate one half of my duplex (since I wanted it all down to bare wood anyway, to start clean)- cost a fortune and a half, then I did the outside- subbing out the scraping with someone who had done abatement for another company, but was on his own then, so cheaper (much) than the abatement company, then did the other half of the duplex myself.... following procedures, using soy gel paint remover, and taking 6 months to do 5 rooms, 15 hours per week.  Slow, painful at times, with all the hand scraping, but saved $11,000!  Oh, and no elevated lead in my blood at any time.  Yea!

     Best of luck to you.  And always remember safety on the ladders.  I found it very gratifying painting the whole outside of my house myself.

   ~Sal

1. 
   Flathumb | Jun 10, 2003 09:25pm | #9

   I'm also working on my house, restoring the old 2-1/2" bevel siding that had been mangled by an overlay of aluminum maybe 40 years ago.  (They tore off the corner boards which had a 3/4" bead detail, as well as the drip edge at the base.  Fatherrapers!  Motherstabbers!) As I've gotten a section repaired I've scraped off the loose paint and removed the rest with a heat gun.  Comes off easy and clean.  Then I fill holes,sand, caulk, and prime using a Glidden latex exterior primer with stain blockers to seal the cedar.

   I chose a latex primer for ease of cleanup.  This is a weekend warrior job that will probably take me two summers, not to mention vacations, and I figured to make an awful mess of my equipment if I used oil on such a sporadic basis.  However, everyone seems to recommend oil-based primer here - why is that? I've only primed about 10% of the project.  Should I switch to the oil base, or is there an issue mixing oil and latex?

2. 
   chiefclancy | Jun 10, 2003 06:03am | #6

   one question from a novice. can you use ladder jacks with just one ladder?

   They are designed for use with two ladders, to support a ledge between them. However I have found them immensely useful in reaching odd corners, when I can't get another ladder up to support the other side. It's hard to describe without a picture (had one, but can't find it at the moment). But at $90 a pair, I'd only get them if you really think you'll use them.

   also, what is a quick-lock standoff?

   Mine's made by Werner. They sell them at HD, very useful. I prefer the type that clips on and off quickly. I attached a pic showing what I mean. Also another thing I forgot to mention that you can see in the pic, is that for safety I always drop a 60# bag of tube sand at the base of the ladder to help prevent it from kicking back.

   and is SW sherwin-williams?

   Yep.. they are my favorite, but they're also the closest, so maybe I'm just lazy...

   penetrol, i assume, is the product made by the flood company..

   Yep, that's the stuff... it's a paint conditioner. I always use it to thin oil-based paint, especially the primers I've been getting lately which seem quite soupy. This isn't very scientific, but it's my understanding that applying it to bare wood allows the wood to soak up some of the oil, which means it will suck less of it out of the primer/paint. The theory goes, the paint will then stay on longer.

   -Andy

1. 
   chiefclancy | Jun 10, 2003 06:05am | #7

   here's the pic I promised...

1. 
   billiam | Jun 10, 2003 06:19pm | #8

   andyl

   thanks for taking the time to share advice and the picture....

   bill leukhardt- ct