First time poster. I live on the Penninsula in SF Bay. Our Arts & Crafts style home has redwood trim on the exterior of each window. That trim is painted a fairly dark green color.
Here is my problem. The paint is cracking at the joints were the stiles meet the rails. The paint is only two years old and it looks like it is 50 years old. I think the contractor who remodeled the outside of our home 5 years ago made three mistakes. I’m looking for ideas on how to fix the problem.
The three mistakes:
Used construction grade 2×6 redwood from HD and didn’t prime all six sides.
Didn’t cut a rabbet on the edge of the RDW to allow for the nailing fins of the window and the waterproof membrane, hence the trim doesn’t appear to sit flat agains the sheathing.
There is no mechanical connection between the stiles and rails. When the paint first began to crack, before he left the job site, his crew mortised in mending plates and used bondo. However, after the contractor refused to fix the trim, a painter I hired to investigate the problem found that the mending plates were not mechanically fixed to the wood. They just hammered in the plates and covered in bondo.
My question: What is the best way to fix this problem? I think I have two options: Remove and replace all the wood trim; or
Scrape off the offending peeling paint, reprime and then nail a 3/4 veneer of man made material or RWD.
Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks
Replies
Use waffle fasteners or something similar to fasten the pieces together. With a little exterior spackle it won't be visible from 5 feet away.
Also, never stand closer than 10 feet to any exterior trim.
Didn't cut a rabbet on the edge of the RDW to allow for the nailing fins of the window and the waterproof membrane, hence the trim doesn't appear to sit flat agains the sheathing.
That's one reason I hate nail fins and always specify NO FINS on my order.
There is no mechanical connection between the stiles and rails.
I think what you're saying here is that the casings are not joined together. (The stiles and rails are part of the window sash, not the trim.) But anyway, there's not a lot of reason to use joinery where the casings meet up, and it was never done that way in old work.
I think the biggest problem is that the material choice is, frankly, crap. If it were me, I'd just pull it off and do it right. I've definitely learned that it just doesn't make sense to mess around with substandard materials -- it's simply a waste of time because the materials will fail in short order and then the work will need to be done a second time.
When (if?) you replace the casings, I'd suggest using 1x (or possibly 5/4) stock. 2x stock for casings is pretty heavy and unwarranted. If the style you're using allows it, use butt joints (not miters) at the corners, and if you're interested in achieving an authentic look, put on a faux sill and skip the aprons.
Edit: depending on siding, it's sometimes necessary to have a casing slightly thicker than 3/4" -- this can be achieved with 5/4" stock. Alternatively, you can use backbands to get the casing thicker at the outer perimeter (where it's needed).
Post a picture if you can.
Edited 7/16/2007 3:53 am ET by Ragnar17