We all love this New England's old glamour with its white-steeped churches, classic architecture and old mansions adorned with blue flowering hydrangea bushes. I know you will agree with me, there is nothing prettier than a well cared colonial house, right?
But the problem is that old houses need extra care. For instance, if the exterior paint is peeling it won't look very attractive. Houses like that need to be worked on professionally in order to be all charming again. You can't paint a house built in the seventeen hundreds without a proper adequacy.
We have proudly worked on some houses like these, and we know what we are talking about. There are a few steps to take before applying a coat of paint. Here goes how we do it:
Scraping
Houses of this age will certainly have lead paint and demands the use of required safety equipment when scraping to reduce the risk of contamination. It is necessary to isolate the access to the working area as well. Sanding is not advised on these kind of jobs. It is important to make sure that the surface is 100% free of gray wood and existing coats or the new paint won't last long on the surface and will eventually peel again.
In most cases, a typical period to repaint is between 6-8 years depending on the age of the house and the series of weather conditions that follows the years after.
Priming
Before priming, it is always good to test the coating on the surrounding peeled areas first, just to make sure that it will have a good adherence to the wood surface, then you can prime it. Priming it carefully with an oil based primer will greatly reduce moisture penetration into the wood.
We recommend Moorwhite Exterior Wood Primer by Benjamin Moore. It is slow drying, demanding more patience from the contractor and of course the homeowner, but it is worthy the time. It has great adhesion even on weathered surfaces.
Caulking
No painting yet! It is necessary to calk wherever is needed first, specially at angles and crevices in order to prevent moisture to infiltrate the wood. We use Siliconized Acrylic Caulking (45-60 year grade).
We also recommend to clean or repair the gutters so they can accurately channel water away from the walls. I have written a detailed article about this previously. Find more about gutter cleaning here:
Light carpentry
If the wood surface is touching the ground or is crumbling with age, it is necessary to replace it by using any kind of wood that won't deteriorate easily like pressure-treated wood, cedar or redwood.
Painting
Finally it is time to paint the siding! We apply two coats of 100% acrylic latex paint. Products of quality and great durability like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams are essential for a good overall job.
But the problem is that old houses need extra care. For instance, if the exterior paint is peeling it won't look very attractive. Houses like that need to be worked on professionally in order to be all charming again. You can't paint a house built in the seventeen hundreds without a proper adequacy.
We have proudly worked on some houses like these, and we know what we are talking about. There are a few steps to take before applying a coat of paint. Here goes how we do it:
Scraping
Houses of this age will certainly have lead paint and demands the use of required safety equipment when scraping to reduce the risk of contamination. It is necessary to isolate the access to the working area as well. Sanding is not advised on these kind of jobs. It is important to make sure that the surface is 100% free of gray wood and existing coats or the new paint won't last long on the surface and will eventually peel again.
In most cases, a typical period to repaint is between 6-8 years depending on the age of the house and the series of weather conditions that follows the years after.
Priming
Before priming, it is always good to test the coating on the surrounding peeled areas first, just to make sure that it will have a good adherence to the wood surface, then you can prime it. Priming it carefully with an oil based primer will greatly reduce moisture penetration into the wood.
We recommend Moorwhite Exterior Wood Primer by Benjamin Moore. It is slow drying, demanding more patience from the contractor and of course the homeowner, but it is worthy the time. It has great adhesion even on weathered surfaces.
Caulking
No painting yet! It is necessary to calk wherever is needed first, specially at angles and crevices in order to prevent moisture to infiltrate the wood. We use Siliconized Acrylic Caulking (45-60 year grade).
We also recommend to clean or repair the gutters so they can accurately channel water away from the walls. I have written a detailed article about this previously. Find more about gutter cleaning here:
Light carpentry
If the wood surface is touching the ground or is crumbling with age, it is necessary to replace it by using any kind of wood that won't deteriorate easily like pressure-treated wood, cedar or redwood.
Painting
Finally it is time to paint the siding! We apply two coats of 100% acrylic latex paint. Products of quality and great durability like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams are essential for a good overall job.
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