SUCCESSFUL EXTERIOR PAINTING

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 34, 3 November 1933, Page 4

SUCCESSFUL EXTERIOR PAINTING

Jobs Should be Completed Before Summer

HOW TO ACHIEVE LASTING RESULTS

Two very suitable periods or the year in which to carry out exterior painting are early spring and late autumn. _ 1 o choose the summer is a mistake, for new paintwork is not partial to changing atmospheric conditions and strong sunshine. For the best results, paint should be allowed “to take its own time about drying under equable conditions. An obvious disadvantage of the ’tween season period mentioned is the uncertainty of the weather. There is, however, a commonly-believed fallacy that cold must be avoided. Far from this being so, it is a fact that if suitable allowances be made coldweather, painting is both safe and effective.

BUTSIDE painting methods vary, or should do, with the time of year, the paint being modified according to surface and temperature. If reasonable care is taken in surface preparation, and > ——l the proportion of drier in the paint increased, spring painting has much in its favour. The primary purpose of outdoor painting is surface preservation, but appearances run it a close second. By painting in the early spring the property retains a clean appearance throughout the year, whereas -late autumn painting, however good, will have lost its freshness by the action of the rigours of winter. Cold weather does not harm paint. All that is necessary is to increase the quantity of drier. Driers are added only for convenience, since many pigments if left alone will dry in reasonable time. The wearing properties of paint are decreased by the inordinate use of driers. The up-to-date painter will have tested both pigment and drier so that under the most trying conditions drier is used systematically and not in a haphazard manner. Many house owners leave outside painting until the summer months, under the impression that painting done in warm weather is less likely to blister than that done in winter. On the face that seems a logical view. Observation and experience, however, cause many reservations. Fresh painted work often blisters In warm weather owing to the action of intense heat succeeding heavy night dew. Varnish applied in the blazing sun will often bubble up, leaving an irregular surface, to say nothing of Its Jack of atmosphere resistance. It is not too much to suspect that outside painting in cold or mild weather has a better chance of permanence owing to slower and more natural drying. Precautions to be Taken.

There are, of course, precautions to be taken. More harm is done possibly to painting surfaces by lack of preparation than by lack of paint. It Is here painting estimates need, careful consideration. A few pounds lopped off a painting price may be false economy. The idea that anyone can paint, at least outside work, is the cause of considerable annual waste. Painting done with a guarantee would do much to eliminate the incompetent and unscrupulous. All outside work in or near towns should be washed before painting to remove accumulated soot and grime.

Skipping the cleaning and flooding the paint with terebine is unworkmanlike. Even If th? paint dries It is only on-the surface, and the grease is there all the same. Further, excess terebine or drier of any sort has a habit of proclaiming itself in creased and cracked surfaces in a short space of time. Wash the paintwork, using one or the trade soaps, which are both safe and cheap; and finally rinse thoroughly with cold water. Pumice-stone may be used judiciously, but not slavishly.

Roughness is no bar to outside work provided the surface be sound. Where white lead was used in the first instance, the advantage will now be reaped. Water paint as an undercoat will be revealed, since the finishing oil coat will have either been largely absorbed by the undercoat or destroyed by the action of the weather, leaving the ground to the mercy of the elements, and, incidentally, to the action of the washing solution. Waterlogged wood, especially window sills, should be dealt with before repainting. A burning off lamp is excellent for drying out damp parts, which should be primed almost immediately. Knots must be burned until the gum or turps Is exhausted, and if in the process they have risen should be gouged slightly lower than the ground. Loose putties, sometimes painted over, should be ruthlessly removed, the bare places painted, and new putty applied. In cold weather the paint used as a primer or undercoat may have a larger proportion of turpentine than in summer time, any deficiency in weathering being made up by the application of a full-gloss finishing paint. Most of the large paint firms supply ground and gloss, both lead base, in white or tints for outside work. These coatings are convenient and efficient, the flat undercoat possessing good body, while the gloss finish stands up well to weather conditions. Difficulties with Iron. The most troublesome factor in cold weather, painting is iron surfaces, such as guttering and stackpipes, since damp has an affinity for them. Choose a dry day and use a quick-drying paint for the inside of gutters, a red oxide or a lead paint containing a fair proportion of red lead. Some discrimination in the selection of colours is desirable. Blue, for example, is likely to be more affiacted by frost or dampness. Possibly at this period gloss paint or enamel finish is to be preferred to clear varnish. Sudden cold blasts of night frosts may turn varnished surfaces white if they are not dry. By summer time woodwork should be dry beyond doubt, and bare parts will be like a sponge,- absorbing paint greedily. These bare places may be brought forward with paint possessing equal parts oil and turps. Repeat the coats until the surface Is non-absorbent. Flat undercoatings hide! and do not grip such parts. They are in order after the suggested preparations. Without the bringing forward mentioned, these places are the prey of succeeding bad weather, being weaker than the remaining surface. AU blistered work should be burnt off and painted from the bare surface. Pin-head blisters painted over are pea siz.e within a few months. Blistered paint, besides looking bad, is bad, giving scant surface protection. Generally speaking, a more oily undercoat and a slower drying gloss finishing coat are indicated for summer painting, allowing at least a day between the coats. The Danger of Parsimony. If a parsimonious policy has been pursued the result will now be evident, whereas surfaces that have been kept well painted will have stood the test satisfactorily. Dewy nights followed by. bright warm weather may cause blistering unless care is taken during painting operations. Surfaces covered with dew may be thoughtlessly painted, with disastrous results. . For permanency autumn painting seems best, but against this advantage there is the fact that its freshness will have gone before spring and it will look dull throughout the summer. Spring cleaning might more often extend to the outside of the house, for exteriors are often allowed to deteriorate until radical damage is done. "Paint more; save more,” - st good slogan, might possibly be Improved upon bv “Paint little and often.’’ ’Where appearances have to be considered, an annual wash, touch-up, and one coat of paint will be superior to the annual wash and full painting operation once In three years, as by the first method work will always look comparatively fresh and will always actually be in good condition.