Hi Folks,
Isn’t Powerwashing Wood and then Painting Next Day Forbidden – or did I miss something new in the last few years as I was sliding over the hill?
I have a painter now who tells me that we can apply a slow-acting stripper to a wood house on day one. Powerwash the paint off on day two. Spray on the primer on day three. When I came up out of my chair objecting “You Can’t do That!”, he explained: “No! No! Most people don’t know how to use a powerwasher. If you are careful and don’t use high pressure, you can remove the paint from a wood house without getting the wood wet.” Inside my head all kinds of red lights are flashing now.
I stopped at our local commercial paint store and indirectly asked the manager about this scenario – “Wood house: stripper day one, powerwash day two, prime day three. Okay, what primer do we use?” She didn’t bat an eye. ‘This is our best oil primer right here. It soaks in well and you can put anything on top of it.”
Have I missed something? The last time I saw a job painted that way it failed the next year. Thanks for some feedback
Replies
Where do you live and what type of wood siding? When will it be painted?
Not sure how you can powerwash without getting something wet? Regarding wood siding, I don't allow the use of a powerwasher as a general rule. To much chance for damage.
If they are priming bare wood, I would ask if it will be backbrushed if they are spraying
We're in north central Indiana. Paint in Spring. The house is a lovely craftsman bungalow of cottonwood siding, with cypress trim. All exterior wood is roughsawn, with the sawmill marks from a blade of 4' to 5' diameter (except for the eaves brackets which are squared smooth, and the underside of the roof at eaves which is car siding ((v-groove 1X8)) ) Built in 1915.
I get nervous and distrustful when people even talk to me like this. But the paintstore manager's nonchalance at the idea of painting the day after powerwashing leaves me wondering how other people think about these things - or whether they really are thinking.
You wanna bet on the Bears?
Your wood needs to be dry before primer is applied. The advantage of an oil based primer is that it is absorbed into the wood thus improving the bond. If the pores of the wood are filled with water that's not going to happen is it?
In theory, you could apply a latex product over damp wood but it won't dry properly as long as the wood is still wet.
The way to determine if the wood is dry enough is by using a moisture meter. Much more accurate than waiting an arbitrary number of days.
Yeah, I always take any store personnel's advice with a grain of salt.with your roughsawn siding I wouldn't let anyone I didn't know really well get anywhere near with a powerwasher. It can do a lot of damage fast.As I said above, I'm not a big fan of powerwashers for painting anyway. Good luck with your home.
Barry E-Remodeler
Gauranteed failure. you would need majic to take paint off siding without getting the wood wet. He may be implying that the stripper chemical will separate the paint nad all he is doing is rinsing it off and the paint comes with it. But I do not believe it can be done effectively or well.
That then takes a minimum of three days to dry.
I prefer an oil primer to latex, but if there is any chance at all of moisture migrating out of the wood, use latex. It will et some moisture pas through instead of blistering the paint off.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
" Isn't Powerwashing Wood and then Painting Next Day Forbidden - or did I miss something new in the last few years as I was sliding over the hill?"
" If you are careful and don't use high pressure, "
Well based on what he says he is not power washing it.
He is only use a it to wash off the stripper and paint.
Much different than trying to use the power washer to knock the paint off.
The problem is not with surface of the wood getting wet, but with driving water behind the wood.
Now whether he can do it or not I have no idea.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I powerwashed the trim on my house, waited a week and then painted. It failed, and quickly. Within 2-3 years on almost all of it.
I definitely would avoid it.
EDIT: The paintstore manager probably doesn't have a clue. They're only there to push their products, not to give *correct* advice.
Edited 1/28/2007 9:06 pm ET by JonE
The painter should have a moisture meter and take a reading before proceeding. Everything else is just speculation. Not all coatings are the same, read and follow manufacturers application instructions. I'd be concerned about the paint, what type, which brand and why. I'd ask for references and check them out and I'd ask the painter to take me to a house he did a few years back.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match