Nailing It Down
By Dave Murnen and Pat Beaty
Ahh, the long, sunny days of summer! Just as the weather is perfect for outdoor activities, freedom and vacations, it’s also the best time in the Pacific Northwest — especially near the coast — to get out your brushes for painting or staining the exterior of your house.
Around here, most houses need a fresh paint job every five to nine years. Is this the year for your house?
As we’ve recently mentioned, an annual quick wash and rinse can increase the longevity of your paint job. So, if this isn’t the year to repaint your house, at least consider washing it.
When it comes to painting, whether you decide to do it yourself or hire someone, it’s good for you to know some tips for a good paint job.
In last week’s column, we took you through all the important details of prepping the house. This week we’re focusing on the actual painting.
WHEN PREP WORK IS DONE
After you’ve carefully scraped, washed, primed and caulked, it’s time to open up that can of paint!
Just as it’s not ideal to paint in a downpour, it’s also not recommended to paint any surface in the direct sun. Doing so can cause the new paint to “skin over,” resulting in poor attachment to the siding, even blistering.
Painting in rain or fog can also cause problems. You can put a nice coat of paint on during a drizzling day, but it may not be there the next day. So, if you need to paint when it’s raining, try attaching tarps to the gutters and pinning them to the ground to make a fly tent to work under.
If you have the luxury of choosing the weather, we recommend starting early on a dry, warm morning with either the south or the west wall. As the sun moves overhead, do the north wall, then the east wall, etc., staying out of the direct sun and avoiding any hot wall surfaces until they cool. It’s a tried-and-true system.
DON’T PAINT LATE IN THE DAY
If you decide to apply your paint with a sprayer, we suggest using it to load the wall area in front of you, then immediately back-brush the sprayed surfaces — catching the drips, evening out the thick and thin spots, and maximizing the bond of the paint to the siding. This way you’ll never have to dip your paint brush in a can, and you’ll get the job done fast.
Spraying out too far past your ability to back-brush can cause the paint to sag, drip, glop and surface-dry. In other words, it won’t be the best job.
Another caution: Don’t paint too late in the day. In late summer and early fall, we often have fog in the afternoon. Painting late in the day can result in moisture being trapped behind the paint. The next sunny day, the heated moisture can turn your hard work into a paint-blistering nightmare.
TRIM IS MORE THAN LOOKS
What about the windowsills and trims? The bottom of the window, called the “sill,” is where all the rain running down your windows ends up. Notice it is well sloped for water runoff and usually projects beyond the siding, so the water will drip straight to the ground.
The condition of the windowsills is critical. If they are left unpainted, the sun and rain will make them crack and absorb water rather than shed it away. Gradually, the absorbed water will create perfect conditions for the wood to decay, and that will eventually spread into the house framing, sheathing and interior wall surfaces. The bugs will feast, and the seeping molds and powdery mildews will take over the wall.
Major damage and major expenses usually follow this lack of concern for timely caulking and painting.
DOORS ARE KEY TO SUCCESS
Doors require the same initial scrutiny and timely care as windows. We often find dry rot where the metal threshold meets the wood jambs. If minor deterioration has occurred, you can scrape out the rot and treat with bleach to kill any remaining fungus. (Dry rot is a fungus.)
After everything is dry, fill any holes or large cracks with wood putty, sand it smooth, then prime and double-coat with good paint.
At the same time, check out the general operation of each door. A door should operate quietly with a drop of oil at each hinge pin. If the insulation strips are in good shape, there will be no gaps for air to enter around or under it. And the locks will work smoothly when the door is properly aligned and the locks get a shot of silicone.
Painting your front door in an eye-catching color lets everyone know where your entry is and will enhance your new paint job, too.
MAKE ADDRESS VISIBLE
While you’re painting your house is a good time to determine whether your house numbers are prominently displayed. Not only will this help delivery trucks and out-of-the-area friends to find your house, it is also a safety measure so that firefighters and police can quickly find you in an emergency.
It doesn’t hurt to have two sets of numbers, one near your front door and one on the fence near a driveway or in another helpful location. Whatever color or style you decide on, make sure it is easy to see and read from the street.
Dave Murnen and Pat Beaty are construction specialists at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor County, where Murnen is executive director. This is a nonprofit organization committed to creating safe and affordable housing for all residents of Grays Harbor County. For questions about home repair, renting, remodeling or buying, call 360-533-7828 or visit 710 E. Market St. in Aberdeen. Our office is fully ADA-compliant.
