Exterior house painting:High pressure water paint strippers(?)
Uma Bhatt
We have to paint our wooden house this summer. We were thinking of renting
a machine that sprays out high pressure water for stripping paint off of
our house. Our neighbors house was stripped in 2 days last summer, though
I think it was done by professionals. Has anyone used one of these machines?
How easy is it (it certainly looks easy, but that could be very deceptive)?
Any advise on the specifications of the machine we should rent (we can rent
several different machines with varying psi)?
-Uma Bhatt
kathleen gagen
>
> We have to paint our wooden house this summer. We were thinking of renting
> a machine that sprays out high pressure water for stripping paint off of
> our house. Our neighbors house was stripped in 2 days last summer, though
> I think it was done by professionals. Has anyone used one of these machines?
> How easy is it (it certainly looks easy, but that could be very deceptive)?
I have used a power washer to strip pealing paint from a house. Be sure to
put drop cloths under the work area. This is especially important if lead
paint is present to prevent soil contamination. This method is quite effective
I used this method in combination with a small amount of scraping. All loose
paint was removed. Be careful to keep the stream of water moving. Failure to
do so can result in gouging the wood.
One problem with this proceedure is that it may tend to raise the grain of the
wood. If this happens it may be necessary to sand the surface. I have used
a belt sander for this purpose.
Good luck with your project
Kathi Gagen
ga...@andy.bgsu.edu
Geoffrey Hazel
Pressure washing is not very hard. Get a good unit, gasoline powered, with
at least 1500 psi or better. Have someone at the rental yard show you how
to use it. If you are going up 2 stories, use a GOOD study ladder.
Wear raingear, or you will get very wet and chilled, even on a hot day.
Prepare to get soaked anyway.
Start at the top and work your way down, rinsing as you go.
Use the blaster tip for stubborn paint , but mostly use the narrow fan to
pry off loose chips.
beware of spraying window sashes if they are puttied, or you will have
a lot of re-puttying to do!
Watch you balance on the ladder; those things have a kick back to them!
If there's any time left on your rental, clean off your driveway, front walk,
etc., cause there's no better tool to do it than a good pressure washer.
Unit is ususally quite heavy, so have 2 strong people available to lift
it in and out of your pickup/van.
Really, they're not hard to use or get the hang of. Just be methodical
in your approach.
--
Geoff Hazel | Haven't you got some real work to get
gah...@bcsaic.boeing.com | done now?
kathleen gagen
> In article <1992May12.1...@meteor.wisc.edu> bh...@meteor.wisc.edu (Uma Bhatt) writes:
> Pressure washing is not very hard. Get a good unit, gasoline powered, with
> at least 1500 psi or better. Have someone at the rental yard show you how
I have used a good electrical unit. They are lighter. If you use an electric
unit, however, be sure to use a grounded circut and an exterior grade
cord.
> Wear raingear, or you will get very wet and chilled, even on a hot day.
> Prepare to get soaked anyway.
On a HOT day i just put on a bathing suit or shorts and a T shirt. The job
is MUCH more pleasant on a HOT day.
BTW, Be sure to close all the windows!!! Close both the windows and the
storm windows if applicable. You may want to check for water infiltration
through the windows anyway. Double hung windows that are not locked or
properly weatherstripped may leak, especially if you spray UP where
the top and bottom windows meet. I found this out the hard way.
Kathi Gagen
ga...@andy.bgsu.edu
Matthew J. Harper
>Kathi Gagen
>ga...@andy.bgsu.edu
Also be careful to keep the spray moving. It is possible to punch a whole in
the side of the house if you don't. (No, it didn't happen to me. I just know
someone who's cousin had it happen.)
-Matth
Matthew J. Harper ! Progress Software Corp. ! {disclaimer.i}
God created heaven and earth to grow barley and hops. Now he homebrews !-)
--
Matthew J. Harper ! Progress Software Corp. ! {disclaimer.i}
God created heaven and earth to grow barley and hops. Now he homebrews !-)
Stavros Macrakis
Just be sure the house is good and dry before painting. 3-4 warm, dry
days are a minimum. Don't paint wet wood; it will promptly peel.
-s