Hi,
I’d like comments as I plan to paint a brand-new 20 X 40 garage/shop.
The exterior siding is pre-primed Hardibacker siding, the trim is lumberyard douglas fir, the insulated garage door is either preprimed or painted…and the steel entry door is either primed or painted. The construction was finished this week.
I’d like to wait until it is completely dry (it’s raining today), caulk any seams, etc, prime the trim with oil-based primer and then use an airless sprayer to paint the exterior..with oil-based exterior enamel. I will have masked off the doors and windows, etc. I’ll then paint the garage door and entry door a contrasting color using the airless sprayer and use a brush for the small amount of trim.
I’ll probably use a high quality paint such as Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams.
Here are some of my questions:
Do I need to do anything to the Hardibacker siding..clean it, etch it, tsp it?
Any recommendations about paint brands or primer/paint combinations? I want a long-lasting paint job.
I’m considering renting an airless rig. I have a Wagner airless gun..but it’s small and not very good…. Is this wise?
I can’t tell whether the garage door is primed or painted (Overhead Door brand 16′ insulated door)…I’ll assum that the coating is paint and reprime and paint again…to make sure…any advice?
Thanks in advance!
Larry Pile
Replies
The topic of primed doors came up a demo I watched at a recent contractors' appreciation event at the Building Box (one of the local big box supply stores in this area). A couple of the painting contractors were asking a paint rep about priming new doors and a door rep was right there and answered for her: he said that while he could build a situation where a brand new, custom made door could be top-coated the day it was delivered to the site; in virtually all other cases, the door should be reprimed. He went on to say that the real benefit of the factory primer was to give the painter a good surface to prime with a minimum of prep and that usually all they needed was a good wash prior to priming.
As an aside, he recommended latex paint, they believe that oil paint doesn't last as long due to the expansion/contraction of the steel doors in our climate (he said that a garage door in full sun for an hour during the summer can reach surface temperatures above 150ºF) - there was an interesting discussion after that as one of the contractors was from the "we only do oil" camp while the other now prefers latex.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I won't make any recommendations about which paint to use on the Hardibacker as I haven't any experience on that issue, but for the metal doors I'd recommend using XIMS as the primer and Sherwin-Williams exterior latex Super Paint as the topcoat as I've had superior results with this combination on exterior metal doors.
That fir trim is the critter that's apt to require the most frequent attention as fir isn't as paint friendly as some other woods. Not saying it's a bad choice, just that it could prove to the most maintenance intense over the years. Oil primer there is definitely the way to go IMO.
I've had super results with the Sherwin Williams Duration paint that I put on this Vic's wood bevel siding about 6 years ago now.... after a very extensive prep job. Looks like it was painted a month ago, but I don't know for sure if it's compatible with that Hardibacker.
One suggestion is to prime before you caulk because the caulk will last longer than if applied to bare wood.
I hear that the paint will have better adhesion if it is brushed. You can spray it on, but then brush it out to work it into the surface. This gets a better bond. I would probably just roll the paint on instead.
Edited 5/10/2003 7:00:53 PM ET by markh128
Edited 5/10/2003 7:02:30 PM ET by markh128