Preparation is the key to good painting results

Press, 23 February 1989, Page 26

Preparation is the key to good painting results

Summer’s warm, balmy days are the time for picnics, barbecues ... and painting the house. House painting is a job frequently tackled by the home handyman, which is fine, provided he uses good materials and methods. ,

The key to an attractive, long-lasting coat of paint is in the surface preparation. The result is only as good as the initial work done before the painting. Prising open the paint pot comes ..only after the tedious and boring preparation work has been done thoroughly. First you will need to work out your colour scheme, and a shopping list of materials. . For the average size wooden 1200 square foot bungalow you will need 27 litres of paint — nine each of prime, undercoat and top coat. The total price will vary between $5OO-$550, a major city

store estimates. You will also need paint brushes, turpentine, putty, sandpaper, wire brush, a ladder and perhaps scaffolding. Beware of buying paint on special, however tempting a bargain it might seem. You should stick to the same paint manufacturer for all three coats of paint to guarantee long-lasting results.

Both oil and water based paints perform well, but you should not attempt to use a combination of the two types. If the paint on your house has blistered, peeled or flaked, there is little choice but to strip off the old paint completely. Try this simple test if you are unsure: press a strip of adhesive tape firmly on to the painted surface, then pull it off rapidly at 90deg. to the surface. If any paint lifts, you will have to strip it off.

The main cause of paint breakdown is the sun, though rain, wind-driven dust, ice and snow have some effect too. Paint on the south side of. the house not receiving direct sun will last much longer than the paint on a surface facing north. Light colours last longer than dark because they reflect most of the heat from the sun instead of absorbing it. The surface temperature of a white board might be 30deg. C while a black one next to it could be as hot as 60deg. C. The alternate expansion during the day and contraction at night is one of the causes of paint breakdown.

Paint can be stripped by one of three methods:

waterblasting — not r - commended by the Building Research Association because it is all too easy

for moisture to penetrate into the building.

Burning off should only be attempted by someone who knows what he is doing. Keep a hose or fire extinguisher handy.

Sanding is probably the most preferable for the home handyman. Several sorts of equipment can be bought or hired for the purpose. Non-one should attempt to remove lead paint, still found on many buildings, unless qualified to do so. Breathing in dust or allowing the residue to fall on the ground is a serious health hazard. If you think the paint on your house could contain lead, contact the Health Department who will test it free of charge. Do any repairs as you sand. Replace loose nails and putty around window sashes where necessary. Prime cracks and holes before filling, then prime again. Replace any boards beyond repair. Timber often splits where nails have been driven in. To stop moisture getting in, the gap should be stopped up with putty.

Advice for those who tend to spread their painting project from one end of summer to the next is — DON’T. Leave as little time as possible between coats because chemical deposits build up on the surface of the paint which prevents bonding.

And if all this sounds like back-breaking, timeconsuming work, the cheering news is that next time need not be so labor ious. Once you have built up a good paint system, spot priming could be your starting point next time.