Painting a timber house
Steve Loft
kit imported from Scandinavia, we believe). It has been painted with
Wickes Shed and Fence Timbercare (Red Cedar). The current owner says it
should really have just been oiled originally, but now that it's got
this fence paint on it, there's no alternative but to keep painting it
with the same stuff.
We don't particularly like the colour of the paint, and I'm sure there
must have been a better choice of paint for a house than fence paint. Is
the current owner right, are we stuck with it forever?
Steve
Terry
Steve: Not only colour! If I may comment .... having built and
owned two houses with overlapping wooden horizontal siding
(clapboard). Also a couple of sheds on the property also stained
clapboard.
First house had 8 inch cedar (10-11 years restained once IIRC).
This one (33+ years restained several times) has 10 inch pine.
We have always used a penetrating "Red Wood Colour" oil based
stain, which can 'breathe' and let out any latent moisture from
inside the walls. We only use 'paint' for white trim. Paint makes
a solid film through which moisture cannot escape. Today there
are probably water based stains; but whether these could be used
over an existing paint/finish?????
Moisture control inside the house, bathroom exhaust fan, crack
open a window or a chimney if doing extensive cooking etc.
important.
When it comes to wooden houses, particularly those built here 40
to 60 years ago, there have been a lot of myths perpetrated here
about getting 'paint' to adhere to the outside of those with
peeling problems; mostly associated with poor vapour barriers,
wrong kind of paint and inadequate ventilation.
Although some interior oil based paints will provide a measure of
vapour barrier, a help in older homes not properly built with
plastic vapour barriers and the like; typically, 'mother'
painting inside will often use water based paints, easier to
clean up etc. 'Father', painting outside tended to use oil based
paints; in our severe maritime climate possibly some sort of
marine/boat paint. Resulting, in some cases, moisture trapped in
outer walls possible rot and paint peeling!
An acquaintance resorted to putting on new pine siding with the
rough face outwards, thinking that outside paint would adhere
better. His real problem was their tendency to have pots boiling
away on the stove without ventilation; his paint still peeled!
Experience with a housing authority, responsible for a
considerable amount of tenant occupied wooden housing, (as
opposed to homeowners), showed that life styles had a fair amount
to do with such problems as moisture/ventilation, paint adhesion
etc.
Not trying to lecture but hope these comments about our
experience since 1960 helpful? Terry.
PS. Wooden houses easy to work on and easy to repair/modify
yourself if you are a competent at d-i-y! All the best of luck
with yours.
The Natural Philosopher
I would say that sandblasting, followed by two or more coats of a decent
preservative stain, and possibly preceded by renovating any rotten bits
of timber held togtether by the paint, would work.
Sandbalsting will take of teh piant and about a mm of teh wood as well,
more or less, depending on the nature of the wood. Its not as expensive
as you might think.
> Steve
>
Peter Ashby
> Steve Loft wrote:
>
> > We are buying a house which is faced entirely in cedar wood (it was a
> > kit imported from Scandinavia, we believe). It has been painted with
> > Wickes Shed and Fence Timbercare (Red Cedar). The current owner says it
> > should really have just been oiled originally, but now that it's got
> > this fence paint on it, there's no alternative but to keep painting it
> > with the same stuff.
> >
> > We don't particularly like the colour of the paint, and I'm sure there
> > must have been a better choice of paint for a house than fence paint. Is
> > the current owner right, are we stuck with it forever?
Coming from Down Under where wooden houses are common you have two
choices. You can try removing the current paint and then stain it, I
helped a neighbour in Auckland restain his walls one summer, it looked
good.
Or you could paint it. Remember that you can paint it any colour, it
doesn't have to be treated like a fence, an opaque paint will do too. Is
the wood roughsawn or planed BTW?
Peter
--
Peter Ashby
School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland
To assume that I speak for the University of Dundee is to be deluded.
Reverse the Spam and remove to email me.
Steve Loft
p.r....@MAPS.dundee.ac.uk says...
> Or you could paint it. Remember that you can paint it any colour, it
> doesn't have to be treated like a fence, an opaque paint will do too. Is
> the wood roughsawn or planed BTW?
It's planed, IIRC. Funny how you can buy a house and not remember
details like that!
Steve
Steve Loft
says...
>
> Steve: Not only colour! If I may comment ....
Very useful, Terry - thanks.
Steve
Steve Loft
> I would say that sandblasting, followed by two or more coats of a decent
> preservative stain, and possibly preceded by renovating any rotten bits
> of timber held togtether by the paint, would work.
What would you think to removing it with a pressure washer? I know that
one contributor to this ng has done that successfully, but that was on a
fence. I'm a bit concerned about any effect the washer might have on the
layers behind the cedar facing.
Steve
wanderer
news:i0k0r-...@flyboat.nybbles.co.uk...
If you use a pressure washer, remember that the water will get into every
little crack and crevice. May not be too much of a problem if you do the
work over the next couple of months, to give everything chance to dry out,
but you might just show up one or two water courses you didn't know you
had.....
It might be worth going to a specialist decorator's merchant and talking to
them about it. They may be able to offer advice about the best way of
dealing with the problem.
Colin Blackburn
Same here. We viewed the house twice and were still convinced that the
porch was just a narrow lean-to area around the front door. Turns out we
can get a table and chairs in there for two. Never trust your memory!
Colin
Peter Ashby
Steve Loft <st...@nybbles.co.uk> wrote:
In that case you could get a very nice opaque finish in almost any
colour you like to look good on it. Make sure whatever you use is
acrylic though to handle the inevitable expansion and contraction.
Moving from opaque to translucent finishes is always a problem, usually
solved with either dipping, stripping or sanding all of which are
impractical in your case though sand blasting might well work but might
also be difficult to control, rather like a belt sander ;-)
The Natural Philosopher
> In article <5979c40cb0402153...@free.teranews.com>,
> Steve Loft <st...@nybbles.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
>>In article <p.r.ashby-52668...@dux.dundee.ac.uk>,
>>p.r....@MAPS.dundee.ac.uk says...
>>
>>>Or you could paint it. Remember that you can paint it any colour, it
>>>doesn't have to be treated like a fence, an opaque paint will do too. Is
>>>the wood roughsawn or planed BTW?
>>>
>>It's planed, IIRC. Funny how you can buy a house and not remember
>>details like that!
>>
>
> In that case you could get a very nice opaque finish in almost any
> colour you like to look good on it. Make sure whatever you use is
> acrylic though to handle the inevitable expansion and contraction.
> Moving from opaque to translucent finishes is always a problem, usually
> solved with either dipping, stripping or sanding all of which are
> impractical in your case though sand blasting might well work but might
> also be difficult to control, rather like a belt sander ;-)
Sandblasting can be done to an accuracy of about 1/4". Leastways teh
guys who did mine were that good.
I'd say its a far better technique than pressure washing for this problem.
>
> Peter
>
>