Best Way To Prep Wood Siding For Paint

Before sanding scrape loose and flaking paint from the siding.

Best way to prep wood siding for paint.

Wood cleaner can damage bare wood. Use a brush when painting old siding. Prepare before you paint then get the right paint. Expect to pay the premium for good paint.

We decided to strip the paint to give us the best chance of producing the longest lasting paint job. For best results fresh siding should be pre primed on all six sides with a stain blocking primer and top coated with 100 percent acrylic latex paint. Or you could wash it by hand with tsp or a similar product available at home centers and paint stores and rinse it. Keep the sander moving at all times to avoid sanding a depression into the siding.

Use a molding scraper to remove paint from convex shapes. Work a paint scraper from every direction keeping the blade flat against the wood so you don t create gouge marks. Alkyd oil primers are recommended but one may choose a high quality latex primer as long as it contains stain blockers. Clean the entire surface with soap and water or a pressure washer to remove any dirt and grime that s built up over time.

Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe. Houses painted before 1978 may have paint that contains lead according to the centers for disease control cdc lead paint should be removed by contractors who are certified by the epa. Chemical strippers can be used to loosen paint from. Prepare the surface with old buildings such as my 130 year old barn water blasting the loose paint is not a recommended practice.

Painting and stripping old wood siding overview. Proper prep before painting will make the job last longer. In the long run good paint preparation techniques add years to an exterior paint job including cleaning scraping filling caulking and priming. Tired of your paint job.

Check the label to be sure it s recommended for metal siding. Before weathered wood can be painted it will require extensive prep work to ensure that the paint stays on for more than just a couple of years. Sand rust from nail heads then set and caulk the nail holes. If the wood grain has lifted after wood cleaning or if the wood appears furred use 120 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface.

You save time and money. The best way to get this siding clean is to power wash it. Preparing exterior wood for painting isn t difficult but it does require some prep work to ensure that your new paint has a smooth stable surface to adhere to.