painting cedar clapboard exterior

Smittydidit · 04-01-2011, 02:21 PM

I Live in MA. I purchased a home here in 1996. The house was built in 1986. The color of the house is cape cod grey or a color similar. In about 2004 the western side of the house started to peel and chip. The white trim is black from mildew. As a side note, we have a inground pool in this area. We also had woods and thicket starting to encroach on our back yard. We have since removed and expanded the yard. Partially for looks and the other part to reduce any moisture that maybe affecting that side of the house. This side of the house is in the sun now most of the time. Our south side of the house is in about the same condition. The house is sided with cedar clapboard. The front of the house is cedar shingles which are holding up very well. We had college pro painters come in around 2005 ( that probably didnt help in the long run) , Now it is 2011 and for the past couple of years the degredation has started all over again. I`m looking for advice on how to repaint the house. I understand that the prep work is the hardest part in order to have the finished product be of the highest quality as well as durability. I have some painting experience...Understand some of the mechanics. Here are my questions.

1. Can I carefully power wash the house and if so, what do I use with the preasure washer?

2. Oil based primer sealer? or latex.

3. Anything you folks can add would be greatly appreciated. I`m in no rush to complete this job. I have the summer and have no problem doing a section at a time so the job will come out well. Thank you.

Matthewt1970 · 04-01-2011, 02:59 PM

Power washing is always a good idea. Most will have a container to add detergent or bleach if you wish. Just make sure if you use detergent to thoroughly rinse it with just water afterwards. Give it a good day to dry out before you do any scraping and another day before you put any primer on the house. Sand as much as you can after you scrape and every bit of time spent sanding will be rewarded with a job looking that much better. Feel free to use any palm sanders or anything you got. You just need to spot prime any bare wood and possibly where the mold was. Oil is still king for primer. Nothing penetrates better and lasts longer.

Smittydidit · 04-01-2011, 03:14 PM

Thanks Matthew. I appreciate it. In the back of my mind I was figuring I would have to use a palm sander. What do you suggest for Grit. I`ve read between 50- and 80.

Thanks
Smitty

jsheridan · 04-02-2011, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smittydidit

Thanks Matthew. I appreciate it. In the back of my mind I was figuring I would have to use a palm sander. What do you suggest for Grit. I`ve read between 50- and 80.

Thanks
Smitty

Hey Smitty, sounds like an ambitious project. Good luck with it. I would work with both grits. The problem with using 50 is that it really scratches deep, scratche which might be visible through the finish. High and out of the way places shouldn't be a problem. Follow up the 50 with the 80 in the easily eyeballed areas. Any wood that has been exposed for awhile should be thoroughly sanded. All that said, 80 weight paper is generally sufficient for surfaces in relative good shape.

housepaintingny · 04-02-2011, 10:37 AM

I would recommend washing any exterior surface to be painted. I like to use liquid tsp and about a quarter of a cup of bleach per gallon of water for paint prep. I do use a power washer, but its important to turn the pressure down and don't shoot the water up wards under the clap boards. Scrape any loose/flaking paint in conjunction with sanding. I prefer an orbit sander with 60 grit and on occasion 30 grit to really feather paint out. In general 60-80 grit should be sufficient. Prime any bare spots with a quality oil base primer and then apply two coats of a quality exterior 100% acrylic latex.