I am going to repaint a house that has an interesting challenge in that the siding is rough barn shakes (lots of uneven texture and nooks crannies). My painting routine usually consists of:
1-Pressure wash to remove dirt followed by adequate drying time.
2-Fix/Fill any defects and popped nails.
3-Scrape, sand to remove any loose paint and feather the edges.
4-Prime then paint
I usually rely on a paint shaver for step 3 which will not work on rough cedar shakes. Has anyone run into a similar situation? I see that Wagner makes a tool called the paint eater that uses a small 3m abrasive disk and was wondering if this is a possible solution. Any thoughts on this problem are welcome.
Thanks,
Jon
Replies
I think the Paint Eater will smooth out the rough character, so maybe not a good idea. One option might be a wire wheel on a drill, so you can go with the direction of the grain.
Whatever the case, it seems you have a very time consuming task on your hands. I'll keep thinking, see what I come up with.
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It's probably been thirty years since I did a house with those shingles.
I used a wire brush, and a five-in-one. The brush got probably 95% of what was loose. The point of the glaziers tool got the rest.
And yes, it was a tremendous PITA.
I saw a nylon bristle wheel, that had abrasives on the tips of the bristles, that was marketed for just this application a while back.
Sorry, I can't remember the brand name, or where I saw it. Just that it seemed like a neat idea.
I consider it a sin to pain nice cedar shakes to begin with for two reasons, one of which affects you.
First is that is seems an affront to beautifl wood.
The other is that a lot of water still gets behind these pieces, so it tends to get trapped there and advance the cause of rot, and boil the paint off prematurely, beating one reason for painting them all to death.
Were I doing this, i would start by examining them closely to see if the wood is already getting punky on the backside. If it is, explain that long term, they are better off replacing them than re-painting, and that I cannot offer any warrantee.
After they refuse my advice (Yes, this has happened twice) I power was, then wire brush and let dry, then paint.
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I agree 100% But as long as the painting has already been done it would be a hard sell to replace. I run into people who say "I'm just going to sell it" as a rationalization for the old "slap some paint on it" idea.If there is no mold and we know that all of the old paint isn't going to be removable I would do one of the following: 1)Make the price account for all the prep, and look into the brush idea (I'd like to know who makes it--I have one covered with abrasive but its for metal), 2) Write out the problems in the contract and limit any warranty time, 3) Move on to another job. (Breathing all that paint/cedar dust even with a respirator will be unhealthy) TyrThings are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.... Roman Poet Phaedrus 15BC–50AD
Unfortunately, the paint has already been applied. I agree that wood looks best in the 'natural' state but there is no accounting for taste in this world. The shakes appear to be in excellent repair (no mold) but the previous paint needs to go as it is loose and flaking. I suspect that the previous paint job was done too quickly after a power washing so that the moisture kept the paint from bonding properly. I think that I am going to investigate the abrasive wheels from Dico and the 3m equipped paint stripping wheel from Wagner and see if they work. I may also consider having my head examined before taking this job........Any other suggestions are welcome.Thanks,
Jon
"it is loose and flaking. I suspect that the previous paint job was done too quickly after a power washing so that the moisture kept the paint from bonding properly."Also consistent with what I say - that wind blows rain in behind, the cedar stays wet, and drives the paint off.
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A number of good points here...I especially agree with the heresy of painting worthy wood. Considering cost of stripping and repainting, should the owner think about fresh (unpainted) shakes?JML, there's no profile info on your location. Are shakes expensive in your area?Scott.
Edited 4/28/2009 12:37 am by Scott
I live in CT just outside New York City which means that new shakes are very expensive. The homeowner seems to want them painted in any event, so I suspect that I would be very sad replacing all the shakes only to cover the wood with paint again. The homeowner would probably be less excited about the cost as well. This is one of those jobs that I would avoid like the plague if the economy were stronger......Short of dry ice blasting (which sounds intriguing), has anyone used the abrasive wheels from Dice or 3M to try to remove paint of irregular surfaces?ThanksJon
Been there--done that. Went to one HO, listened to what she wanted, made some measurements, notes, and it not being a big job threw out a price. Left with ears still ringing and estimated the next job. That led to another job that led to a 3rd--same client. Still grinning. TyrThings are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.... Roman Poet Phaedrus 15BC–50AD
With both jobs I recall this on, I gave prices for either good prep and paint or replace with new, and both times, they went with the lower bid and then replaced shingles five years later when the paint had boiled off again acording to my prediction.So I don't get too excited about this sort of job.
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Sandblaster.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
Ever try that? Paint is hard to cut with a sandblaster, but cedar isn't. I'd think that the cedar would end up in sad shape after it was over. Of course I'm hypothesizing.
I guess it would depend on how tough the paint is, but your point is well taken.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
there are water based paint removers that might be a option, or possibly a higher pressure, finer spray, on the pressure washer
Cedar is a very soft wood, so high pressure could assure that these will be getting replaced.
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Google dry ice blasting, it's incredible. The paint freezes and shrinks and just falls away. NO abrasion, no fumes, no water intrusion, no clean up mess (other than the paint itself).
I am seriously considering investing in the equipment.
View Image
dry ice blastingyou selling waterfront property in Tucson?
I think it was Sphere who warned us about such hyperbolebut do tell us more
Serious as a heart attack, it's a great way to get it done.
http://www.mpwservices.com/services-cryojetic_cleaning.php?gclid=CISnw5aClJoCFQOIFQodplNxNQView Image
How expensive is the equiptment?
Up there. But 10 grand will get ya started off pretty well.View Image
We use dry ice and plasma to clean parts to go into the cleanroom. It's pretty good, but uses a lot of co2.
IIRC the pellets can be $$$ like 40 bucks for 50lbs. I think a pellet maker would also be a good investment, but the pellets avail. are commercial waste products, and lets not even talk about ADDING co2, cuz it's already in existance.View Image
We use co2 to generate dry ice.