Painting House
John Tomaszewski
I'm about to begin painting my house. It currently is slate-blue cedar siding.
I'd like to paint it a country yellow. I have concerns about a lighter color
over a darker one. I addition, I'm planning on using an alkyd primer tinted to
match the finish coat and then use a latex finish coat. I also have white trim
that I plan on painting with a white alkyd primer followed by a white latex
finish. I plan to powerwash everthing prior to painting. I also plan to use a
50/50 water/bleach combo to remove the mildew on the house. I plan to use an
eggshell finish so it won't attract dirt as easily as a flat finish and will be
easier to wash off. Comments, suggestions are welcome.
Thanks, John.
Jim Sokoloff
John Tomaszewski wrote:
>
> I'm about to begin painting my house. It currently is slate-blue cedar siding.
> I'd like to paint it a country yellow. I have concerns about a lighter color
> over a darker one.
Yellow paint has horrible coverage. In fact, as the old saying goes, I'm
not too sure if yellow can cover yellow, let alone slate blue.
--Jim
rwhittenATworld...@nospam.net
On 24 Jun 1997 13:51:29 GMT, tom...@morgan.com (John Tomaszewski)
wrote:
>I'm about to begin painting my house. It currently is slate-blue cedar siding.
>I'd like to paint it a country yellow. I have concerns about a lighter color
>over a darker one.
Reasonable concerns. Yellow paint has very poor hiding power.
(I can't comment on the cedar siding, never painted any.)
>I addition, I'm planning on using an alkyd primer tinted to
>match the finish coat and then use a latex finish coat.
If the slate blue is latex I don't think you want alkyd between two
coats of latex. If the blue is alkyd, then OK.
The solution to the problem, for yellow or for any significant change
to a lighter color, is one coat of high quality white paint (not
tinted at all.)
Consider the effect of placing a sheet of transparent yellow plastic
over a slate blue surface or a white surface. The blue will reflect
less light back through the sheet and add a blue tint to the yellow.
The white will reflect more light with no color tint. The result is a
pure, bright yellow. Don't tint the first coat - use pure white.
White paint that has high hiding power and has other good
characteristics is available, but it is expensive. The cost of
painting is ca. 15% materials, so it makes sense to buy the best paint
available.
White paint that ONLY has good hiding power and few other good
properties is called contractor grade paint. DON'T use contractor
grade paint - EVER.
The contractors use it because it is a little bit cheaper. The
manufacturers sell it because it is a lot cheaper to make - and there
is a big demand for paint that looks good - for a while. (The
painting contractor has little incentive to use a paint that lasts
longer.)
Inexpensive pigments provide good hiding power in a paint that has a
porous film with poor washability and scrubability. Expensive
pigments (rutile - titanium dioxide, etc) are required to provide good
hiding in a paint with good film integrity (good washability and
scrubability.)
>I also have white trim
>that I plan on painting with a white alkyd primer followed by a white latex
>finish. I plan to powerwash everthing prior to painting. I also plan to use a
>50/50 water/bleach combo to remove the mildew on the house.
Surface prep is the most important step! Your bleach solution is too
concentrated for me. I recommend 1 part bleach to 3 - 4 parts water
with 1/4 cup powdered laundry detergent or some other wetting agent.
Let it sit on surface long enough to soak into the dirt and mildew.
Bleach solution doesn't remove the mildew, just kills it and removes
its black color.
If mildew is a bad problem, consider adding a mildewcide. I can't
recommend a brand, however.
>I plan to use an
>eggshell finish so it won't attract dirt as easily as a flat finish and will be
>easier to wash off.
High quality flat will do better than contractor grade eggshell.
Chose your sheen for desired appearance. You are correct that an
eggshell should be smoother and tend to hold less dirt.
One coat of white under two coats of yellow, with good surface prep
and occasional (not too frequent) washing, should last up to 8 years.
Good luck!
Reed