Exterior Paint

I have recently had a painting contractor perform a re paint on the exterior of my house. It is mostly cedar siding and trim with ateas of stucco and some of the siding is hardy (sp). He came out and had the house painted in about 4 days with a spraying machine, but I have been looking at it, and I think that I may have been suckered. Any advice on how the paint job should look is appreciated.

Color me Red,
Hesperia, MI

Dear Red,

On a typical exterior re paint, there are measures and steps that need to be taken in order to ensure proper longevity.

Let me start by saying that the exterior of your house should be treated like your skin. Proper care of your skin will keep it from drying out, cracking and discoloring. The first step in ANY exterior paint job should be "exfoliation", which basically means get all the peeling and loose paint off from the house.

1. Removal of all loose paint
A good power washing or just a good scraping is the first job that should be performed before a paint can is opened. Old paint can be tricky, as it will look solid until you start scraping it, or putting the pressure from a power washer on it. You want to make sure that yourself or your contractor properly removes ALL loose and peeling paint from the exterior, before he does anything else. Once the house is power washed, the wood needs time to dry out completely before the next step.

2. Caulking
Don't let a contractor tell you that caulking is optional! Caulking seals up nail holes and cracks that paint will not fill, and keeps moisture from seeping into these cracks and holes where it will only cause rot in your wood! Nail holes, butt joints, joints where siding meets trim, etc, should all be caulked with a good quality white ( not clear) exterior siliconized acrylic caulking. DO NOT USE SILICONE! Pure silicone, while being extremely durable and water tight, will not take paint. If you feel the need to use silicone, please look at the label for "paintable" silicone. Be certain that all nail holes, and such are filled and no clumping of the caulk is left around the nail holes and cracks. This will show through your paint if the caulk isn't smooth. I require my employees to wipe any nail holes and cracks that will show easily with a damp rag, to remove any extra residue so the finish will be smooth. The idea behind the caulking is two fold. One, it seals your holes and cracks, but it also makes for a smooth, appealing finish.

3. Primer
Primer is definitely a MUST! Too many painting contractors today think that paint is "self priming". This is WRONG! You must, and I need to stress this, MUST prime any and all bare wood, any paint that is fissured (cracked, but still adhering well to the house) and any caulking that has been applied. There are several types of primer, that are all equally suitable for this application as long as it is a good exterior primer. for smaller jobs, that basically sum up to a small repair, i use a fast drying exterior latex primer. I apply two coats of this primer to ensure that the wood is sealed properly. For a large re paint or a new construction "first paint", I prefer an alkyd based primer. This is what most refer to as oil based. It is tougher to work with and takes longer to dry, so if you are a DIY'er, I would suggest the latex exterior primer.

Primer changes the PH level of the wood, especially in cedar, and prevents the color of the wood from "bleeding". It also provides a solid adhesion base for your finish paint. I always try to have the paint store tint my primer toward the color of my finish paint, in order to make it easier to cover. Darker colors aren't as easily tinted close, because primer is usually white, and there isn't enough room in the bucket for a lot of color to be added.

The primer should be applied liberally, avoiding drips, sags, and runs. Latex primer can be painted after about 3 hours, provided the weather is at least 50 degrees, and the temperature is around 5-10 degrees higher than the dew point. Alkyd primer should be left to dry for 12 - 24 hours depending on weather. It will form a film over the outside and appear to be dry must faster, but it hasn't "cured" and will still be wet inside. If paint is applied before this particular primer has cure properly, it will take forever to cure and your base for the finish paint will be compromised. Much as you wouldn't pour concrete into loose sand.

4. Applying your finish paint

Okay...here is the final and some would say, the tricky part. Paint CAN be sprayed. However, ALL paint has a warranty. This being said, there are steps to take that ensure that the warranty for your exterior paint will hold up if it fails.

Before I begin this, let me say that I know there are A LOT of contractors who aren't going to like have this piece of info out there, and I'm sure the hate mail will ROLL IN over this.

Any and all exterior applications of paint MUST be rolled or brushed, and be a minimum of TWO (2) coats! Not one heavy coat, Not 3 good coats that were only applied by spraying. I'll tell you why this is. Part of this goes back to skin care. You wouldn't use the "Bullfrog" brand sunscreen that has the little pump on it, and spray on sunscreen without rubbing it in, right? Right. Because, it won't cover as well and it can wash off. Paint is much the same way. it must be brushed and/or rolled (especially on wood) in order to push the paint into all the little cracks and fissures, and ensure that all the wood is properly sealed. It also provides a solid color and prevents uneven paint coverage. My crew uses an airless spray rig on every job, but the spray man had a man with a brush and roller coming behind him, brushing and rolling every square inch of the paint being applied. Let me make this clear;

If you call your local paint store and tell them that your paint isn't holding up, they will send someone out to check the paint. They will look at the millage (thickness) of the paint and will be able to determine just by looking whether or not the paint was back rolled and/or brushed or just sprayed onto the siding. If it was just sprayed, your warranty is void. If your warranty is voided, then your screwed. The contractor will not likely return and repaint your house without a court order to do so, and even then, it's unlikely.

Every paint job I perform is warrantied for the same duration as the warranty of the paint, barring damage from hail, tornadoes, falling limbs, etc. I'm this positive of the workmanship.

Finally, after the first coat is applied, the paint will need to dry. If it is anything other than a flat paint, which I strongly advise against due to the less than appealing appearance that it leaves over a few years not to mention the lack of durability, then the first coat must be allowed to dry, keeping in mind the weather guidelines, I mentioned the the primer section. After the first coat has dried, then the second coat can be applied using the same method, taking care to watch for areas where old paint was removed to the bare wood, and applying extra paint in those areas, for extra protection as well as to camouflage these areas.

If, upon surveying the finished product, BEFORE you write a check to the contractor, you happen to see light spots, "holidays" (unpainted areas or spots), cracks, holes etc., don't be afraid to mention these to your contractor before payment is submitted to them. Require that they be repaired and I would suggest that you go so far as to find someone you know, or call an inspector ( it's worth it) that isn't afraid of ladders and heights to do a final inspection and write up a "punch list" for the contractor. ALWAYS make certain that you are 100% satisfied with the job performed. If you aren't satisfied, don't submit payment until you are. If the contractor doesn't want to comply, then hold his check, get another contractor to finish the job, submit an invoice and pay him out of the original contractors final payment.

These are the steps required to acquiring a trouble and virtually maintenance free exterior paint job that will last you for years to come. The only other advice I would give is to paint before it needs it. If your paint is starting to discolor, or you find chips in it from the weather, FIX IT! Fix it right then. It will save you further cost down the line.

There of course are other things to be considered in painting your home, but these are the basic steps to applying a good exterior job.

In closing, and in answer to your question, Red; Your paint job, in it's entirety should look SOLID. Everything should be uniform and basically look like it's been poured from a mould and installed on your house. Even your Hardi siding, which is fibered concrete, should be treated the same as your wood siding to prevent bubbling and peeling later.