My sights were already set terribly low: the plan was to knock the worst of the old paint off the siding, prime the bare spots and slap a single coat of new, different color over the old, plus do the same to the trim.
That got rained out. So I got a near-match to the current color (which I might use as my second trim color, eventually), scraped most of two walls, and Tam and I have slapped some paint on it. Add in the short wall I got quick & dirty scraped and primed and it actually is progress but that's probably it. Might have another shot at it next weekend.
And the place will still be a color I'm not all that fond of. Sure beats a cardboard box under an overpass!
Those of you who have done Major Painting will know even the original plan was not a proper painting job and there's a reason for that: the old siding is soft and dry; it's really about due to be replaced, which I can't afford; and if I have the siding off, the next neat trick would be to add insulation, which I also can't afford, and replace the four old, bad windows, which -- well, you know the refrain. Having my house payment effectively doubled by unexpected real-estate tax increases has got me in a bind.
Any really aggressive approach to getting rid of the old paint (have I mentioned the bottom layer is quite old and very white?) is going to chew up the old soft pine and land me in siding-replacement land, so my goal is just to stabilize it as much as I can and accept that the old paint is going to keep on peeling and needing scraped and panted over; it's not a great solution but it is adequate. Lost a good part of yesterday and most of today to the kind of problems they pay me to solve, a mixed blessing; I'm really hoping to get a little bit of an Indian Summer in which to accomplish a bit more before the snow flies. Don't bet money on it.
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
12 comments:
I did the east end of my house last year. I scrubbed the loosest stuff off with a wire brush, and primed with Glidden exterior primer. Hint: Pick ONE board. One wall. Scrape, brush, prime ONE board. Next day, do the board above it, and paint the board you did yesterday. It breaks the task into 2 hour chunks, which are manageable. And doing the primer first will stretch the old paint and wood, and let you see firsthand where the old boards need to be calked.
Sucks, I know. I am damned sure glad the rest of the house is stone.
"I have the siding off, the next neat trick would be to add insulation, which I also can't afford"
I suppose I shouldn't mention that there is insulated vinyl siding out now?
I'm not good with the vinyl siding. I'm just not. The house has very nice Arts & Crafts cottage-type trim work and every vinyl re-side job I've seen done on one of these ruined it. Long-term, proper insulation amd either new wood siding or cementacous "board."
All I can do is offer moral support.
Good luck!
let me know if you want an extra hand next weekend. I promise not to try and knock myself out on your upper living room window again. :-)
It's not until you own an older house that you discover that caulk, spackle and paint are actually structural materials.
We just replaced all of the windows and combination/storms on the second floor of our 1901 farmhouse-in-the-city. It's amazing what thermopane (double layer) windows and good storms do to tighten up the perimeter. It used to be we couldn't keep a lit candle in the front (west-facing) bedroom; now it's draft-free and quiet.
Best of luck...we just had our first snowfall this weekend, and they're predicting three inches for tomorrow. That stuff will head your way next.
Good luck with everything!
I do understand what you have, most of mine is brick, but the back addition has some of the same issues softened wood, I filled them in with paintable chaulk, and gave those spots an extra coat. The brick part has been painted more than once, and the cost to strip and repoint the brick would be really expensive, so I'm painting, it, and filling gaps with silicone before painting. Of course on the side of the house few people see was a badly built chimmey added 20 years a go, and I decided since it was no longer used to tear it off the house much easier said than done, and since a generator is being brought this week I need to finish getting it down, and the area cleaned up and still don't have a ladder long enough to reach the top side. Ah the joys of home ownership.
Thanks for the supportive comments and Brigid, weather permitting, you're hired! ...We pay in free meals.
Ugh. I know exactly what you're up against. Stupid siren song of HGTV floundered us on a unique fixer upper opportunity seven years ago.
Here's to a few more weekends of project possible fall!
Katrina did a number on my house's paint. Wagner makes a gadget that takes the loose paint off and feathers the edge of what remains in one pass. It looks like a very short yellow hole shooter with a wheel on the end.
It saved me a whole lot of sweat, after the local "no power" co. got the lights back on. 31 days.
On insulation, I saw a guy insulating a house with injectable foam. Drill small hole high between studs, insert probe, squirt until cavity is full. Plug hole, sand and paint.
Not cheap, but you can do it a wall at a time. But I am no help on windows. Other than disassemble, replace worn parts, reassemble, putty, install and caulk. Work!
Stranger
Power sander! black and decker and a few other companies make rotary power sanders for cheap! you can totally do away with scraping if you use a power sander. hands get numb after 30 mins or so but you can make super short work of most of your preping labour with power sanders for all but he most tight places! hope that helps good luck!
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