Exterior
Painting: House Painting Preparation
When it comes to the duration of exterior house painting,
this is clearly based in preparation, materials and skillful application.
The types of
preparation
involved will depend
on the exterior surfaces being prepared, the degree of damage and
the amount of preparation anticipated. And of course the budget
to carry it out.
Cleaning
Painted stucco, especially situated in regions of high sun exposure,
should be pressure-washed to clean and remove
any chalk residue, that is basically the accumulated breakdown
of the paint surface.
Exterior flooring too may call for pressure
washing,
as it
is usually
a good idea to wash the surfaces with an appropriately diluted,
mild detergent, then rinsed. ( but always use caution, as excessive
or concentrated pressure or simple aiming can cause damage,
infiltrating into the house)
So take extra caution.
At the minimum, areas that cannot be water cleaned should be vigorously
cleaned with a duster, meaning an old wide paint brush that has
been retired.
Any heavy debris or sediment should
be removed prior to advanced preparation. Eves that harbor dust
and spider webs are common areas in need of cleaning..
In the general, clean from the top down.
Patching/Replacement
After fully cleaned and dry, view all surfaces and mark with blue
masking if necessary areas to receive patching (whether cementitious,
wood, composite, or what have you)
Proceed by replacing as needed,
with the recommended product and installation or application
sequence ( example; wood siding follows a course) and make sure
any exterior patching products applied are of the highest quality
as a great number of product claims simply fail to hold up to
the demands of weather, the freezing and temperature extremes.
Get recommendations. But as a rule it is generally best to replace
rather than patch
(not only are
exterior patches hard to sand, they don't match texturally
and expand and contract at inconsistent rates).
You will also want to remove any rust completely awaay from
metal and treat with a rust inhibiting primer.
OTHER
Countersink any protruding nailheads and patch as needed.
Scrape and remove any loose or lifting paint, and sand and
prime as needed.
Caullking – removed failing caulking and
cut out if necessary.
Before applying a fresh new bead, compensating
for shrinkage due to drying while following
manufacturers’ specifications.
MASKING/PROTECTION
If spraying, masking areas sufficiently. Continuing farther
off for solvent based paint application -- though it is generally
not the
best
idea to be spraying where any drift is even possible.
Handheld maskers come in handy, wherever overspray or ‘fall’ is
anticipated. Though masking should be done, not too in-advance
of painting, as the sun can lift it particularly from rough areas
and bake the tape to stick, if left to stay for too long a period. This can happen even for tape designed and advertised to withstand
lengthier periods.
Moisten down plants and vegetation that are to be covered with
sheets of plastic. Leave
openings in the upper plastic if possible, for ventilation.
Cover all areas with protective canvas drop clothes.
