Nailing It Down

By Dave Murnen and Pat Beaty

You still have time to paint your house this summer — or at least give it a good scrub. We’d like to help you with a little advice and the loan of a few tools, if you need them.

Remember, in our climate most houses need to be painted about every five to nine years. Also, remember that simply washing your house can make a huge difference not only in how it looks now, but also in extending the life of your current paint job.

Once 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.

Painting in the rain or when fog is expected can also cause problems. You can put a nice coat of paint on when it’s drizzling, 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 really is a tried-and-true system!

Don’t paint too 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 into a can again, 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 trapped moisture behind the paint. The next sunny day, the heated moisture can turn your hard work into a paint-blistering nightmare.

Trim: more than good 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 these windowsills is critical. When 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 this wood sill to decay — eventually, all the way 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 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 it 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 sure address is visible

When 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 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 the 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.

Borrow equipment from us

We believe that having well-painted, well-protected houses, helps our community in several ways.

Thanks to a generous donation by Cosmo Manufacturing in Cosmopolis, we have plenty of equipment to loan out free.

We have no ladders, paint sprayers or power washers. However, we do have long-handled brushes, rollers and roller racks, caulk guns, putty knives, scrapers, wire brushes, drop cloths, buckets and ladder stand-off attachments for safety.

Just call us here at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 360-533-7828 to reserve the equipment.

We require a modest deposit, which is returned when the tools are returned.

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.