Hi,
Only got as far as priming trim on new house before cold weather set in. Here in Maine we get very few days above 50 this time of year, so more than likely it will be March or April before I get the topcoat on.
Question is this: should I reprime everything in the spring or just wash it and apply the topcoat? Primer is Benjamin Moore top-line alkyd (Moorwhite) on bare pine, and their 100% acrylic latex primer on top of factory primed hardboard trim. Topcoat will be Moorglo (100% acrylic latex).
The reason I ask is that BM says you shouldn’t let primer be exposed for more than a month. I assume that’s because it doesn’t have the UV protection that a topcoat has.
I want to do this job right, but on the other hand I don’t want to “gild the lily” unecessarily.
Any experience opinions on this, painters? Will a winter of exposure affect the primer significantly, or should I just give it a good cleaning in 4 months and paint away?
Replies
Ed
I think that it's better safe than sorry and a quick palm-sand and fresh primer in the spring is the ticket. Some primers you can tint, I don't know if this is one of them. Then you could potentially put only one top coat on after and get solid coverage. I don't know if this is considered a good paint job though.
I think that the extra effort, however you decide to go, is worth it because hack paint jobs ultimately give wood siding and trim a bad name. Then nobody will want to spend the money on a nice wood siding claiming maintanance issues and opt for vinyl. Vinyl is my personal pet peeve. I talk everyone building a custom project out of it if I can. It looks and performs like the cheap crap it is.
We are starting an addition next week. I wish I were at your stage. Happy trimming.
Ian
Thanks for the opinion. In fact I did tint the primer, but planned on two topcoats anyway just to make it an extra-durable job. I tend to be pretty fussy about painting (spot priming nail holes, for example, then filling, then spot priming again), so I guess I'll put another coat of fresh primer on in the spring, then the topcoats. If it gives me an extra two years of life on the paint job, it's worth it.
I was just curious about others' experience on leaving primers exposed for more than a month or so.
I agree with your estimation of vinyl, but some people just don't see the aesthetics issue. I decided not to paint our shingles (pre-dipped in bleaching oil) to eliminate the maintenance factor--just the trim is painted.
Good luck on your addition--tough time of year to get started, at least here in New England. But I'm amazed at the way people pour foundations and frame up structures in the dead of winter around here--quite a building boom going on, I guess.
Ed,
Speaking from Maine myself, the most important thing that will give you extra years on your paint job is if you back primed everything before it went up. Whether you reprime, or paint, in the spring, a light sanding and proper prep are key, I have sanded and reprimed in similar situations and it still looks great 4 years later. I have always found the six P principle to ring true: proper preparation prevents piss poor performance. common sense always prevails over cutting corners. wish you the best. D.
I read somewhere that the reason is that the primer will chalk up and the next coat will have poor adhesion. I also recall that the solution was to wash with tsp to remove the chalk and dirt. Even if you do opt to reprime, I would preceed it with a wash of tsp.
Steve
That sounds like a plausible explanation. If it's true, then I can just do careful prep on the existing primer and go right to the topcoat, which would save me considerable time. Maybe I should give Benjamin Moore a call and see what they tell me. I have a hunch they'll say to reprime.
If you just prep the primer and topcoat, your paint will fail early because the primer is made to adhere to the substrate, paint is formulated to be high hiding and weather resistant. Reprime it and be done.
Agree with ya!
Re prime
I would definately check with Ben Moore too. Let us know what they tell you, if you don't mind. Thanks.
Steve
I'll pass along the word from BM, but they're sure to say reprime after 30 days. Makes sense, since the primer is not designed to withstand the elements.
Too bad I didn't have a couple more weeks of warm weather. Actually, this afternoon things are warming up surprisingly, it may hit fifty on the south side of the house. Maybe I'll see if I can hit some of it today.
Just spoke with BM. They say 30 days max exposure on any primer, exterior or interior (and within 2 weeks preferably). Apparently the surface hardens and becomes slick, so topcoats don't adhere as well.
They suggest washing and repriming everything once the warm weather returns.
I was afraid of that! But at least the primer I got on will seal out the moisture for the winter.