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My Peeling Clapboard Nightmare

25K views 51 replies 14 participants last post by  GSP 
#1 ·
Carried on from my "Linseed Oil Paint" post:

The house was built in 1967. It's in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and the rain hasn't stopped for 8 months. :laughing: Summer could be hot, if it ever gets here. Climate is probably similar to Seattle, but a little hotter in the summer due to being further from the ocean.

The house has cedar clapboards, and the wood is of good quality and in good condition. The problems started a few years ago when the original owners had it painted by somebody else due to their advancing age. From what I'm told, he (the neighbour I silently curse every time I see him:furious:) pressure washed it and sprayed it. When we moved in, the paint was starting to peel badly. The house is fairly tall, so we hired someone to paint the "tall" parts. She scraped the loose stuff and gave it a light sanding. The paint she applied starting cracking fairly quickly. It would appear that the paint she applied has bonded to the old layers of paint on the clapboards, as it is now peeling off in big sheets that expose the wood underneath--maybe I should have had her paint the entire house, because it looks like all the paint would have fallen off within another year and I could start fresh.

The linseed oil paint idea looked attractive because it is supposed to last and not peel. I DO NOT want to be doing this job over and over again.

Here are some pics of the area that was recently repainted--peeling away nicely:



Pillar that was recently repainted--cracking and stains coming through:


Area that was repainted a few years ago (the power wash and spray method):

Trim on a post outside--the bare areas leave a chalky residue if you wipe a finger over them:

Soffits:
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Holy paint peel batman!

What type of paint was used to paint your house? It looks like a flat paint to me. Was it latex or what?

We live in the Seattle area and paint all our homes with at least a Satin finish. It's unfortunate, but in my opinion--you've got a lot of scraping to do. Check out the Paint Shaver or the other one that uses heat--Silent Painter. I would say most all of that paint has to come off before I would even dream of painting it.
Then, hire a qualified painting company who has experience with your climate. If the paint fails, you at least have someone you can go back to and demand a refund or a re-paint. Most quality companies will offer some sort of guarantee.
I'm sure other people will have great ideas, but I would say hire a professional.

I'd worry about the moss on your roof too, unless you want to pay for roof repairs. :)
 
#3 ·
What type of paint was used to paint your house? It looks like a flat paint to me. Was it latex or what?

We live in the Seattle area and paint all our homes with at least a Satin finish. It's unfortunate, but in my opinion--you've got a lot of scraping to do. Check out the Paint Shaver or the other one that uses heat--Silent Painter. I would say most all of that paint has to come off before I would even dream of painting it.
Then, hire a qualified painting company who has experience with your climate. If the paint fails, you at least have someone you can go back to and demand a refund or a re-paint. Most quality companies will offer some sort of guarantee.
I'm sure other people will have great ideas, but I would say hire a professional.

I'd worry about the moss on your roof too, unless you want to pay for roof repairs. :)
The top layer is latex. I'll definitely use an oil primer, though.

I'm of the mind that as much as possible must come off. I've had a few quotes, but nobody will guarantee anything unless if's stripped, and nobody will quote that cost. Others just say they'll scrape the loose stuff and go to it, but that'll look bad when it's done, and probably won't work anyways. My thought is to strip it myself, and hire someone to do final prep/paint as you've suggested.

I plan to use a infra-red paint remover as I can work with that in the early hours before the kids get up, and the mess will be more easily contained. I've also got someone reliable and reasonable I can hire to work on it during the times when I'm occupied with other things. If I can handle the stripping, I think the paint quotes will become more reasonable, and the painters will be willing to guarantee their work. Might have to limit myself to stretching it out over a couple of years, but I need it to be done properly (unfortunately, a colour change is out of the question if it can't all be done at once).
 
#6 ·
Ah-ha...is that Western Red Cedar? Even if it isn't WRC, you'll have to pay particuar attention to the fact that cedar has colouring compounds in it that may affect the final colouring of your finish.

But seeing as how it is still a wood, then a few things apply:

(a) it will require an oil or alkyd primer and preferably two finish coats of an acrylic paint, to get about 10+ years worth out of the paint job.
(b) seeing as how you are in a special climate where it gets very wet, painting when the wood has less than 18% moisture content will be a challenge.
(c) brushing IMO would be better than spraying...
(d) whatever you apply on cedar must be cedar-aproved and preferably a local product to where you live; I know there are companies out there that do that, not necessarily national-name brands either.
(e) drying concerns me. That is I am not sure how the walls dry - to the inside, to the outside - or not at all. That means more research and questions about insulation & vapour barriers if any...

As far as linseed oil paint goes, I am out of my depth and couldn't say for sure whether or not linseed oil paints would do here. My gut tells me it's fine but I'd rather defer to a local expert.

You never did say what prep was done before the finish coat was applied by those two people. In fact, I'd go as far as to say your primer identification - if it was put on - is more relevant than the choice of sheens. Any way you can find out?

It may be redundant to ask that at this point, since I am not sure you have any other choice but to strip it.

I think the pressure wash also had something to do with it; but what alternatives there were/are, I don't know.
 
#8 ·
You never did say what prep was done before the finish coat was applied by those two people. In fact, I'd go as far as to say your primer identification - if it was put on - is more relevant than the choice of sheens. Any way you can find out?

It may be redundant to ask that at this point, since I am not sure you have any other choice but to strip it.

I think the pressure wash also had something to do with it; but what alternatives there were/are, I don't know.
I have no idea what the prep looked like for the paint job prior to our buying the house. The person who did the areas that are now peeling the most sprayed everything with bleach and water, power washed, scraped the loose paint, did some sanding, then primed and painted (though may not have primed beyond the parts that had been scraped down to the wood).

It would appear that she used Zinsser 123 Bullseye primer, which is--according to the website--water based. The painters I've talked to since much prefer the Zinsser Cover Stain (oil-based) or one of the oil-based primers from Cloverdale Paint.

I tackled a small area last summer using the Zinsser CoverStain, and it seems to be holding well except in a few places where I didn't get all the old layers off. That would seem to tell me that if I scrape everything/use the infra-red paint remover I should get good adhesion with an oil-based primer and a quality top coat.
 
#7 ·
Is that a plywood soffit peeling too?

It seems that you have a biggger peeling problem at the ceiling level and the floor levels, or is that me? = an insulation leak?

Just wondering.:huh:
 
#9 ·
GSP, you have a number of types of paint failure occurring there. The blistering, where it's falling off in sheets, was probably an area redone when the wood was too wet to repaint, or as stated before, you have vapor barrier issues. Moisture is transferring from the inside through the outside, taking the paint with it. The other failures, checking and cracking, could have a number of causes. Regardless, the best course is complete removal. After complete removal, I would
Wash the house with a solution of trisodium phosphate and bleach, rinse it with some pressure, but not the typical power washing pressure, use about 500 psi.
Allow the surface to fully dry, even if you have to tarp areas of the house to prevent the rain from hitting it, this is critical. Max moisture content is 18%, preferably 15.
Machine sand the entire surface. This is critical. When wood is exposed to the sun, as little as one week, the surface becomes degraded as the sun's UV rays destroys the lignin and the wood fibers begin to separate. This layer of dead wood must be sanded off down to a stable, sound surface. Pressure washing alone does not accomplish this job. Once the wood is sanded and dusted off, use air pressure, it must be primed immediately.
Cover stain is good and spec'd for cedar. However, it dries quickly and thus doesn't penetrate as deeply as other longer oils might. CS suggests over night dry on cedar, so the quick dry aspect doesn't give the edge over longer drying oils. I would look into BM Pentetrating Alkyd Primer or Cabot's Problem Solver Primer, both excellent for cedar applications. Or, you may want to consider chucking the primer/paint and doing a two coat solid stain system, which may prove to be better for you now cost wise, and in the long term because of ease in prep for refinishing.
If you do it over the long term, do it wisely. Do one side at a time, strip it completely, wash it completely, then sand it completely. Prime/stain completely. Remember, after one week the wood begins to degrade, and mildew grows probably as quickly.
All first coats must be thoroughly brushed into the grain, no spraying. Primer must be "massaged" into the wood, especially when it's weathered. Otherwise, it just lays on the surface.
I would look into using Peel Away paint removal system, which would allow you to do whole sides in one fell swoop. Stay close to the forum and keep us posted. Ask questions before you act, don't wait and ask how to correct mistakes. Good Luck.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all that! I'll look into the Peel Away system--I see that two of the local paint stores are listed as dealers. As for the rinsing stage, I have one of those cheap electric pressure washers, so I hope it might do the trick. I'll have to see if I can find out how much psi its pushing out. As for the washing stage with TSP and bleach, how much of each do you recommend? Should I spray it on with a garden sprayer and do some scrubbing? Just let it sit then rinse?

Big challenge for me is dealing with the highest spots, as I can't reach one roofline from the other. I'm not a fan of falling down!
 
#12 ·
I hear everyone talking about brushing the primer on and I'm betting that to anyone with as big of a house, they're probably saying "Yeah right".
Would spraying the house, and then back rolling it be more of a time saver?
Actually, when it comes to raw wood, rolling requires back brushing. In that type of app, the roller only applies the finish to speed things, it still must be brushed into the wood and layed off. Spraying bare drywall requires back rolling, and spraying/rolling bare wood requires back brushing. Just is, the size of the project doesn't matter. What did painters do prior to the invention of rollers and sprayers? When my father started, they painted ceilings/walls with six inch brushes and buckets of paint, with leaded paint. Talk about a workout. I'm told that when rollers were first introduced, the unions resisted using them because it put men out of work. The brush will always be the basic application tool, regardless.
 
#16 ·
As to the cleaning solution
3 parts water
1 part bleach
Add four ounces of powdered tsp per gallon of mixed bleach/water.
TSP does not dissolve in cold water, mix it in hot water then add it in. Add it after the mixing to prevent foaming up.
You should be able to apply it with the pressure washer if it has a soap tip and downstream injector. Let it dwell for 15-20 minutes and rinse, you shouldn't need to scrub.
If you choose the peel away, do ample experimentation before you go whole hog. Be sure you know well how it works before you do large areas.
As to staging, if the top picture is the most difficult area to access, you shouldn't have a problem. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Contrary to general work practice, do the easiest, most accessible areas first. You don't want to be learning the routine on a ladder/plank at thirty feet. First you need to develop a plan of action, from stripping methods to prepping the wood, to the finish product. I would choose a small complete area that you can do yourself from start to finish to test your plan and determine which aspects you can do yourself and those you choose to contract out. If you're determined to get it done, you will. In the meantime, I would seek out some solo/one man paint shops who would be willing to work with you on a partial completion, over a period of time basis. They may even be willing to help with some of the difficult access areas. But before you talk to anyone, you need a plan and certainty it will work. You have a lot of work to do, why are you still sitting at the computer? Chop-chop. :laughing:
 
#17 ·
Now I'm in trouble. :laughing:

The wife is excited by the prospect of a colour change. She likes this combo from the Cabot site:



"Bluestone" solid stain (I like the idea of a stain), "Deep Forest" for the doors and shutters, and white trim.

Whaddaya think (aside from "get away from the computer and start working"). As it sits now:



Heading out to buy some paint stripper to test.
 
#21 ·
Cedar siding needs to dry once wet through the paint. Someone sealed the boards lap joint with paint, notice most of the damage at the gable end is at that joint. The wet breaks the paint film in layers, look at the top area of those boards, notice the paint at flat board is still attached to paint at the under-lip of the board. Water is trying to get out from behind the board at the lap (as it should) rather than dry outward through the face. I’m guessing they are not back-primed, either: http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/pdf/RainScreen.pdf

Your soffit is blistering due to lack of venting, those 3"circular should be end-to-end to be effective: http://www.lomanco.com/ProductPAGES/CirkVents.html

http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/products/intakeSoffit-specs.shtml


Gary
 
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#29 ·
Most of the lap joints are sealed with the build-up of paint. Those should be opened up when I strip everything down. I doubt the boards are back-primed, and short of removing all of the clapboards (which I doubt could be done without causing too much damage), I don't see a solution to that problem. The attic is a definite problem--the pitch has sweated out of the rafters due to the huge heat build-up there in the summer. I plan to substantially increase the soffit ventilation with rectangular vents. As for improving the ventilation up top, I've thought about powered fans at the gable end vents, or adding ridge vents.
 
#27 ·
Smoking Gun, it's always good practice to sand any exposed wood prior to priming. It's not that the finish will absolutiely fail if not, it depends. The Forest Products Laboratory states that after as little as one week's exposure, the surface of the wood begins to degrade from UV, and the ability of the surface to hold a primer coat begins to decrease. I'm sure it's a very long and slow process. If you can scrape your fingernail across the grain and pick up loose fibers, the surface is deteriorating. I wouldn't worry so much about it. Just keep an eye on it and spot repair any failure you may have. It's good practice anyway to do a full inspection of your exterior each spring, find anything that has failed, and do spot repair/touch-up.
Just keep it mind for the future to sand any raw wood. You never can tell how long lumber was sitting around before you put it up. Sanding also opens up grain, removes some surface contaminants, and rounds off sharp edges. It's just good practice.
As to the Peel Away, I've only worked with it one time, so I'm not really a good source for your anwers. But, I do know of quite a few people who have used it with good results over the years, enough to recommend it based on that feedback. I also saw a This Old House episode (or that type of show) where they used it on a hundred year old wood sided house with impressive results, as it took it all down to bare wood. That's why I recommended OP do a sample area to see if it could be effective. I do know that applying and removing it involves far less elbow grease than most stripping processes. So, since it does so, I'm sure it's $$$$. Hope that helps.
 
#28 · (Edited)
jsheridan-
Thanks for the excellent advice.
Everything you said makes perfect sense.
I have done carpentry, worked in a boat factory putting in all the teak woodwork in the 29 foot cabin cruizers, (Long time ago.) Just never thought about the bare wood on siding breaking down so fast from UV rays.
I've been sanding the bare wood after scraping with a carbide scraper (Bought four extra blades.) I'm using an orbitol sander. I was getting ahead of myself with the scraping and sanding. Got a friend that said he would help paint but not the prep work. After the east side was done with prep, I started on south side (Half done with south side). He has been busy and I had to go back and scrape ALITTLE on east side and more sanding. Now it's been two weeks and I'll have to inspect the south sides bare wood and lightly sand where needed.

I had told my wife at the beginning of this project that I was going to do one side at a time.But for other reasons.
I am going to make sure I keep a tight rein on how far the prep work is ahead of the painting. I just need to cordinate some days with the help.

I thank you for the informative advice you've given. It absolutely makes sense!
 
#30 ·
The knowledge at our local paint stores is somewhat lacking. The Benjamin Moore people told me not to use an oil-based primer: "Nobody uses that anymore with the new technology." The clerk told me they didn't even have one? Nobody will talk about lead, and nobody carries test kits because: "The concerns about lead are all over-blown. It's not a big deal." There are houses here that are 100+ years old, so I'm sure there is plenty of lead!

I've ordered an infra-red paint stripper, and plan to use that with some of the stripping products (probably Peel-Away and Readi-Strip). I'll have to find an alternate source for the strippers because the local prices are incredible! Probably find a retailer in WA State.
 
#32 ·
"Smart Strip" by Peel Away: I tried some of this on a door frame, thinking that it might be useful where I have smaller areas to strip. Even after liberal application and a full 24 hrs, it didn't do very much. I'm not very impressed.

May have to give one of the more traditional toxic paint removers a try?

As for the peeling plywood soffits--I think they'll get replaced with vinyl or metal, and I'll add more vents in the covered areas above the front door. Need to bust out the calculator to figure out the appropriate amount of ventilation to keep everything balanced. To my surprise, there is ridge vent on the roof, but the attic still gets terribly hot...

I'm grinding away with the silent paint remover. While tedious, it's getting the job done. The thicker the paint, the better it works.
 
#33 ·
I was up scraping off some of the loose paint blisters like below, and one of them was full of water! Not much of a mystery as to what is happening there!



Not sure how to make sure that the gaps between the clapboards don't get plugged up with paint again, as they fit rather tightly together? Suggestions?
 
#34 ·
These pictures look like a job we're on now. The homeowners painted it several years ago without any prep or primer. They used Walmart paint and although the color was pretty, it didn't last very long. We spent about 5 days scraping and sanding and it still could have been done more. Too bad they're not willing to shell out any more dough. It needs what you're doing! Keep up the good work!
 
#38 ·
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#39 ·
Similar vintage to my home, and I see they wedged the siding to maintain the gaps at the overlap of the clapboards. Thanks for the link.

Given time and money, I'd love to re-do the exterior with a proper rain screen, but as I have neither....:laughing:
 
#40 ·
This is what I've posted in one of the other forums: I'm really hoping that I'm well on the way to ensuring a quality, long-lasting repaint of this house!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Over in the painting forum, I've been wrestling with a re-paint on my circa 1967 clapboard home in Chilliwack, BC. As you can see in the pic below (this is the worst area), the previous paint is not adhering well. :laughing:



This is most pronounced on the walls that get the sun. Previous paint has all but sealed the gaps at the bottom of the clapboards, which isn't allowing moister to escape. One of the paint bubbles was actually full of water!

Now, in looking at this article:




There is a house with similar problems. They improved the breathing by inserting wedges under the clapboards to maintain the gaps.



Does anyone have experience with the Wedgevent system? The site does a good job of explaining the circumstances that lead to this type of paint failure, right down to the added effect of having hot water radiators along the insides of the exterior walls (as we do in this house). It seems like a good solution?

http://www.wedgevent.com/index.htm

Or should I just go with a regular wedge? Anyways, I'm hoping I'm on the way to solving this problem without tearing off the siding and starting over. The cedar clapboards are, for the most part, in good condition.

Thanks for looking; all input is welcome!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
#42 ·
This is what I've posted in one of the other forums: I'm really hoping that I'm well on the way to ensuring a quality, long-lasting repaint of this house!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Over in the painting forum, I've been wrestling with a re-paint on my circa 1967 clapboard home in Chilliwack, BC. As you can see in the pic below (this is the worst area), the previous paint is not adhering well. :laughing:



This is most pronounced on the walls that get the sun. Previous paint has all but sealed the gaps at the bottom of the clapboards, which isn't allowing moister to escape. One of the paint bubbles was actually full of water!

Now, in looking at this article:




There is a house with similar problems. They improved the breathing by inserting wedges under the clapboards to maintain the gaps.



Does anyone have experience with the Wedgevent system? The site does a good job of explaining the circumstances that lead to this type of paint failure, right down to the added effect of having hot water radiators along the insides of the exterior walls (as we do in this house). It seems like a good solution?

http://www.wedgevent.com/index.htm

Or should I just go with a regular wedge? Anyways, I'm hoping I'm on the way to solving this problem without tearing off the siding and starting over. The cedar clapboards are, for the most part, in good condition.

Thanks for looking; all input is welcome!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I have used the system on a couple houses, my own as one and it seems to do the job as advertised and they are not all that expensive.
 
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