Different ways to restore old painted wood siding

Q:How should I paint my previously painted exterior siding?
A: Depends on the desired outcome.

There are different ways to prepare to restore old painted wood siding.
Here are a few:
Gel Stripping agent
Angle Grinder
Orbital Sander
Scraper
Sanding Sponge
Sand Blasting

The level of finish you would like will determine the process.

Every year I run into multiple projects on houses that have multiple coats of paint where the previous painter scraped the peeling or flaking paint, scuff sanded the edges, spot primed the bare wood and re-painted. This is fine but normally it hinders you from using a higher gloss paint (because the scrape marks will show up) and normally is the minimal expected from a painter. A step up from that would be using a orbital sander after the scraping to get a more polished sanding job. Better yet would be to take a angle grinder with a sanding attachment and fully sand any peeling areas back to the closest board cut so you have a perfect finished look. A few draw backs to the angle grinder and orbital sander are that they remove the vertical texture in a shake and they create a lot of dust. Another draw back may be that while some areas are peeling and will be fully sanded to ensure a perfect finish, the areas that are not peeling decide to peel the following year. To ensure the most durable, flawless finish the the painter needs to remove ALL of the previous coating. This can be done by Sand Blasting or extensive sanding/angle grinding. You should consider the project, talk with a qualifed painting contractor and decide which option is best for you. You'll probably not sand blast the 150 thousand dollar split entry but may want to consider it on the 1 million dollar house.
Be aware of Lead Based Paint Laws, Risks and Requirements

Call NICK DETTINGER
COMPLETE CUSTOM PAINTING
651-336-0561 cellular

Water-based Paint over Oil Based Paint

Should I paint over a oil-based enamel with a water-based enamel ?

Sure. The new water-based enamels look a lot like the oil based-enamels that you are covering, They dry faster, do not amber over time and provide a durable finish. You'll want to be aware of a few things before starting however.
First, it is recommended that you use a bonding primer after a generous scuff sanding. Oil enamel tends to dry hard so you want to make sure you knock-down the sheen of the oil coating prior to priming. If you are looking for a quick fix and a matching coat (and don't want to go through the process of 1 coat of primer and 2 top coats) you'll want to aggressively sand the coating. Using a bonding primer will save you some time in the sanding department, but will cause you to have to use 2 top coats instead of one matching coat (Because you'd be going from a flat primer to a satin or semi-gloss enamel) If you only want to use one top coat to "clean up" make sure you sand the previous oil enamel aggressively to ensure proper adhesion. Also clean it fully by first vacuuming everything then wiping it with a rag or tac-cloth. I'd also recommend and lead testing kit and a 3M respirator prior to starting the sanding if the wood-work was painted in the 70's.

NICK DETTINGER
COMPLETE CUSTOM PAINTING LLC
TWIN CITIES METRO AREA
651-336-0561 cellular

Powerful lighting will result in flawless interior work

Q: What is the very best way to insure a flawless finish on interior paint work?
A: Start with very powerful lighting?

Prior to starting a interior paint job we do all the things that the homeowner expects us to do (tape off the base board, cover the floors, fix large holes with multiple coats of mud).
The difference between doing these things with powerful lighting versus that rooms normal lighting is significant. Prior to starting the Spackle or mud repair we bring a 2 bulb halogen light stand into each room and shine it on each wall. This allows us to see ALL of the imperfections from the previous paint job. This will add time to the mud repair and also show us the correct amount of paint that should be applied (2 or 3 coats). Often times 2 coats looks adequate in a rooms normal lighting but under the halogen lighting it becomes obvious that 3 coats are necessary.
This will take a little longer and may add some expense in painting cost but the end result will be better. It you have a house you plan to live in for a extended period of time it is worth it to take the time and do it with powerful lighting.

NICK DETTINGER
COMPLETE CUSTOM PAINTING
651-336-0561 cellular phone

The painting contractor is the painting expert.

It is important to remember that when you deal with a customer or general contractor many times they have something in mind for their paint job that may or may not be correct. The issue in particular that comes to mind is timing regarding a job. It seems like General Contractors will propose a time frame for their subs that does not make sense. They'll have the trim being installed prior to the walls being primed or they'll have the ceilings primed but not painted and in-between have the flooring finished. The issue does not have to be about timing. Sometimes a homeowner will propose one top coat when clearly 2 are necessary. Or they may ask you to skip prep work to save money for a whole host of reasons (they are selling their house, renting it, replacing their siding in a year) etc etc.
It is important that the painting contractor acts as the painting expert. In my first few years in business I would let General Contractors tell me what they wanted with regard to their timing but I've found that nobody knows better the most effective and efficient way to finish their project than the painter (why would they). They don't have the experience, the know how and really don't know what it will take to deliver on your standard. I started seeing it when sloppy General Contractors would cram their schedule and then ask us to to do little extras in order to still meet their dead lines.
I have found that it is better to be extremely informative up front and take the role as expert. Most customers and General Contractors will be receptive if you've done a few jobs for them and they love the results. If you don't know better then it is best to be honest, receptive and allow the general contractor to give orders. But if you know best how to deliver the very best results, then don't let a General Contractor tell you something that cuts your profit or quality. Make sure to communicate.

NICK DETTINGER
COMPLETE CUSTOM PAINTING
651-336-0561

Should I prime my wall first

Lots of paint jobs are done with a matching coat of paint. 1 matching coat is ok if you want a cheap job, but I normally don't recommend it for a quality conscience buyer. If you want the job to be better you should prime the surface and put two matching coats over the top. You will be more happy with the outcome. Even if you want a matching color I recommend priming the wall first. Lots of hand oil, dust, debris sits on the wall surfaces (interior or exterior) and the correct primer will assure that those blemishes don't bleed through.

Complete Custom Painting
NICK D
651-336-0561

What sheen should I use for exterior painting?

The same rules for interior paint usually apply for exterior paints. The higher the sheen the more durable and capable of being washed. Other considerations for the sheen level are what item you are painting. If you are painting a large wall that isn't a focal point of the house you may want to consider a flat finish. Flat paint will hide better than satin paint. All of the potential spray marks and roller marks are less likely to be seen when you use flat paint. With that said, it shouldn't matter which sheen you use on the siding (if you apply the appropriate amount and back roll it, the finish should be even.)
Generally speaking you will want to use a higher sheen level on items that you want to stand out. Front doors, decorative trim boards, panneled ceilings etc are all good candidates for a satin or semi-gloss finish. Large walls typically go well with flat paint.

Above all is making sure you applying enough paint. You should apply two full coats. That means that the 2nd coat of acrylic paint should be applied 4 hours or so after the first coat (or at least move the ladder to every locatin twice). Lots of painters try and do a quick coat for the 2nd coat (that means that they wait for the first coat to set up for 5 minutes without moving their ladder and then quickly spray in the same place). It is not possible to do that with satin paint and shouldn't be done with flat paint either. Stick with quality paints, make sure you apply a full 2nd coat and use the higher sheens on items that you want to stand out.

Nick D
651-336-0561

What is a reasonable exterior painting warranty? Does it Cover the Cost of Applying the Paint?

What is a reasonable exterior painting warranty? Does it Cover the Cost of Applying the Paint?

There are a lot of paints starting to emerge that say things like "35 year warranty" or "Life Time Warranty" on the can. It sounds like a great deal but like most warranties before assuming that the paint will actually last 35 years you should read the entire warranty on the can.

If you do you will find that the "Life Time Warranty" is actually no warranty at all. The exclusions on ALL of the paints that I have used that claim to have a "Life Time Warranty" include the following:
Does not warrant against fading.
Does not warrant against paint on horizontal surfaces.
Does not warrant against damage as a result of water.
Does not warrant against damage as a result of vapor barrier issues, improperly installed windows, improperly installed siding, unclean surfaces, surfaces that were too hot or cold.
Warranty includes ONLY THE PAINT for the areas in question that are failing.
Warranty does not include the cost of application or labor.

So you can see that if your paint does fail, the likelihood of the paint manufacturer actually paying to have it fixed is almost none. Even if they do "take care of the problem" they will only do so by providing one gallon of paint. The homeowner is still responsible for the labor to apply it and all the other paint they will need to purchase because it won't match (being that the paint manufacturer will only warranty areas that are failing and the assumption is that not all of the paint on the entire house is coming off).

So the homeowner is left with choosing a good painting company that will warranty their work.
What is a Reasonable Exterior Paint Warranty THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE LABOR IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG?
Depends on the surfaces but as a general guideline,
The PDCA recommends 1 year on all surfaces.
It is reasonable to offer more than one year on the appropriate surface but the reason that the PDCA recommends only 1 year is because surfaces like wood, steel or areas that are exposed to excessive moisture are areas that will need maintenance.
Something like James Hardie Siding will last longer and if you are lucky your metal gutter paint job might last 10 years (even though they are warranted for 1 year). I painted my gutters and down spouts 7 years ago and they are still in excellent shape. I used one prime coat and 1 top coat. Even though they've had snow pile on them, they have not peeled. However, it would be a bad idea to assume that would be the case for all metal surfaces and go around telling customers that their paint jobs "will last a life time."
Everything in Minnesota needs maintenance if it is outside. Be wary of painters that say they are offering a lifetime warranty. Make sure you read the entire warrany on any can of paint. Not just the part that says "Life Time Warranty."