Renovation 4th Edition

by Michael Litchfield

  P R O T I P

  and other apparel related to lead safety.

  pressed directly onto coated surfaces. Peel Away’s

  Basically, stripping exterior paint becomes a

  although power washing is

  active agent is lye, which is extremely caustic, so

  choice between mechanical scrapers and chemi-

  widely used to clean stucco,

  after stripping surfaces, you’ll need to apply a

  cals. Sandblasting is too dirty, damaging, and

  brick, aluminum, and vinyl sid-

  special neutralizing solution before priming or

  dangerous to be done by anyone but an expert.

  ing, it’s not appropriate for wood

  painting.

  Sanding and hand scraping a whole house is

  siding. it can gouge and even

  impossibly slow. And whereas heat guns are OK

  shred wood, force water into

  aPPlYing exterior Paint

  for small areas, the snail’s pace of stripping a

  gaps around doors and windows,

  house and the real risk of starting a fire make it a Prep work done, it’s almost time to paint. Even if

  soak insulation inside walls, and

  distant third option. So, in the end, some combi-

  inject water into wood that will

  you’ve read this entire chapter, you might want to

  take weeks to dry. Certainly,

  nation of mechanical scraping, chemicals, and

  scan it one last time for tips about paint quality,

  never use power washers to

  limited hand scraping will probably serve best.

  tools, basic techniques, spray painting, and so on.

  strip paint: they’ll scar wood and

  Mechanical scrapers such as AIT’s Paint

  Here’s a quick review of factors mentioned in

  scatter paint flecks to the ends

  Shaver® are serious, two-handed tools.

  greater detail earlier in this chapter: Regarding

  of the earth.

  Mechanical scrapers look somewhat like angle

  exterior coatings, the more opaque the finish, the

  grinders but have carbide-tipped rotary cutter-

  better it will protect wood siding. Clear, oil-based

  heads that shave paint from the clapboard faces

  sealers help siding shed water without obscuring

  and edges. The better models have vacuum

  the wood grain, but they must be reapplied every

  attachments that collect most of the debris.

  two to four years because they offer relatively lit-

  Nonetheless, have tarps in place before starting,

  tle protection from UV rays. A second option,

  and to prevent cutter damage, set siding nails

  semitransparent stains resemble thinned-down

  well below the surface. Thus, as you strip, you’ll

  paints and represent a compromise that adds UV

  need a hammer and a nail set to set the nails you

  protection but reduces siding visibility. That is,

  missed. Also, be sure to use scaffolding so you

  you can see wood texture but not its grain. Third,

  can focus on the tool and not your footing.

  there’s paint that completely hides and thus pro-

  To minimize damage to the siding, first set the tects wood the best, if correctly applied. Which

  tool’s depth adjustment so you need several passes brings us to acrylic latex.

  to strip a surface. Finding the right cutting depth acrylic latex is king. What’s not to like? Simply

  is largely a matter of trial and error, so first test

  called latex, it’s durable, flexible, virtually odor-

  the tool on an inconspicuous section. Beyond

  less, and cleans up with soap and water. Use

  that, the real trick to mechanical scraping is

  good-quality latex primer-sealer and paint on all

  keeping the steel shoe/guard flat to the surface so exteriors, whether covering existing paint or

  the tool strips evenly. Where a Paint Shaver won’t

  Painting

  533

  a spray OF TiPs

   Spray exterior trim first. mask the siding, spray the trim, and let

  it dry before removing the first masking. then mask over (cover) the

  trim so you can paint the siding.

   to mask off windows, apply double-sided masking tape around

  the perimeter of the window. Press sheet plastic to the tape and trim

  off the excess plastic.

   to keep paint off building elements you don’t want painted, use

  a cardboard shield to block the spray, as shown at left.

   don’t spray when it’s windy. even if the air is calm, move cars

  and lawn furniture away from the house or cover them. if your house

  is close to a neighbor’s, ask the neighbors to do the same or, better,

  do it for them.

   After you spray a section, immediately brush the paint into the

  surface. Back brushing helps sprayed paint adhere better, look great,

  and last longer. But because latex dries so quickly, back brush before

  spraying the next section.

  Use a cardboard shield to prevent

  overspray onto adjacent areas.

  After spraying a section of siding,

  immediately brush the paint into the

  wood—and into the building seams—

  using a 4-in. brush.

  534 Chapter 18

  unfinished siding. Oil-based primers are justified a brush to cut in the edges—or spray it. Exterior

  only if your siding is raw redwood or cedar, or if

  rolling is much the same as interior rolling: Roll

  you’ve had problems with tannin bleed-through

  on fat paint in a zigzag pattern, before rolling it

  and so need to block stains before repainting.

  out evenly. To minimize spatter, roll the first

  Latex is also best for masonry, stucco, aluminum, stroke up. In general, the smoother the exterior

  P R O T I P

  and vinyl siding because it’s the only coating flex-

  surface, the shorter the roller cover nap.

  ible enough to expand and contract as siding

  apply primers and topcoats full strength,

  it’s impossible

  heats and cools.

  to tell from a

  except when the paint seems to be drying too

  manufacturer’s small sample

  Optimal conditions. Check the weather before

  quickly. Latex dries quickly and adheres well, so

  swatch how a paint color will

  you start painting. Ideally, wait until several con-

  you don’t need to sand between coats unless you

  look on a house. instead, prime

  secutive dry days are forecast. If possible, wait a

  wait several days or more. Consult the label on

  and paint a sheet of plywood—

  week after a rain. Also allow morning mists to

  the paint container for drying times and maxi-

  and repaint it until you find a

  evaporate before painting. Humidity near 90% is

  mum intervals between coats. For a lasting paint

  color you love. by the way, paint

  risky because it doesn’t allow the paint to cure.

  job, apply one coat of primer and at least two

  stores often are willing to tint

  The best temperatures for curing range from

  topcoats. (It’s generally not necessary to prime

  primer to match your eventual

  60ºF to 85ºF. Don’t paint when temperat
ures are

  existing paint that’s in good shape and well

  topcoat, which helps topcoats

  cover better and look truer.

  90ºF or above because surfaces that are too hot

  prepped.) However, prime all siding that has been

  can cause paint to blister. Finally, stop painting

  sanded or begun weathering down to bare wood.

  two hours before sundown if nighttime tempera-

  Oil-based stains and semitransparent stains

  tures could drop below 40ºF.

  do not need thinning. Apply them full strength

  If possible, don’t paint in strong sun. Paint the to bare wood. If you’ve stripped the house of its

  west and south faces of the house early in the

  original paint and want to switch to stain, test a

  morning; the north face at noon; and the east

  small section first. Because a clear stain will

  face and any part of the south face still remain-

  probably look uneven, a semitransparent stain is

  ing in the afternoon.

  likely the better bet. To apply stain, a paint pad

  Latex paint should flow on easily and dry

  will hold more stain than a brush but requires a

  slowly enough that brushmarks level (disappear). little practice to avoid runs.

  To slow the rate of drying, add a dash of Flood

  As with paint, apply stain to the undersides of

  Floetrol to latex, as indicated on the container.

  the shingle or clapboard courses first. To avoid

  To slow the rate of drying of oil-based paint, add

  getting stain on your skin, wear a long-sleeved

  Flood Penetrol.

  shirt, rubber gloves, a hat, and safety glasses.

  a painting sequence. Paint the house from top

  to bottom. To minimize overlap marks on clap-

  boards, paint horizontal sections all the way

  across, until they end at window or door trim or

  at the end of a wall. After painting large sections,

  zzzzzz avoiding direct sun

  go back and paint the trim, windows, and doors,

  top to bottom. Last, paint gutters, porches, and

  Sun

  N

  rises here.

  decks. If you can remove shutters, doors, screens,

  and the like, do so; they are much easier to paint

  if placed across sawhorses. Don’t bother to mask

  trim or windows unless you’re spray painting.

  Again, you can scrape stray paint from window

  glass with a razor tool later.

  Using a brush, paint the bottom edges of hori-

  zontal siding before applying paint to the flat

  face of each board. To distribute paint evenly

  along siding, load the brush with fresh paint,

  then partially unload it by dabbing every foot or

  Start

  so. Spread out the dabs, brushing the paint in

  painting here.

  and smoothing it with the grain. For exteriors,

  a 4-in. brush is the workhorse for the big spaces.

  A 3-in. angled sash brush is handy for cutting in

  trim edges and corners. For a sequence of paint-

  Avoid the sun around the house as you paint

  ing double-hung window parts, see p. 522.

  so that you apply paint in the shade if possible.

  If the house has a stucco exterior or some

  Paint applied in full sunlight is more likely to

  other flat expanse, roll the paint on—after using

  blister later.

  Painting

  535

  19 Wallpapering

  Wal paper has been popular for centuries,

  particularly in formal rooms, where there’s less

  danger from little ones’ grimy fingers and rowdy

  ways. Paint has long been favored for rooms that

  get the most use and abuse because it’s durable

  and easy to clean and apply.

  Today, wallpaper is available in so many

  materials—including grasses, bamboo, rice

  paper, foil, and cork—that they are collectively

  called wallcoverings, and some of them are stron-

  ger, more durable, and easier to maintain than

  some paints. Many are backed with paper or

  cloth, with cloth being stronger. But by far the

  most popular are vinyl-coated wallcoverings,

  which are washable and grease-resistant.

  Most wallcoverings come prepasted. This

  makes them easier to apply and—years later—

  easier to strip from the wall. Because the manu-

  facturer has already pasted the covering, all you

  need to do is unroll it and soak it briefly in a

  water tray. As you’ll see in this chapter, many

  pros avoid the drips and mess of a water tray by

  rolling a prepaste activator onto the backing.

  Selecting Materials

  Choose a wallcovering whose pattern and color

  are appropriate for the room. There are no hard

  and fast rules on what works. But in general,

  lighter colors make rooms look larger, and darker

  colors make rooms look smaller. Smaller, sub-

  dued patterns are better for quiet rooms. Splashy

  floral prints tend to serve better in places such as

  front halls that bustle with activity. Delicate tex-

  tiles or grasses are best reserved for rooms with

  To hang wallcovering, start by unfolding the top half of a

  pasted strip and carefully align it to a plumbed line or to

  the plumbed edge of the preceding strip.

  536

  Stringcloth

  Cork

  English fabric

  Grass

  Vinyl-coated with

  Foil

  Lincrusta

  decorative border

  little traffic and little risk of bruising. Also, con-

  papers will accentuate flaws and won’t conceal

  sider the age and energy level of the people in the underlying bold paints or vivid patterns. If walls

  room. For example, vinyl-coated murals of rock

  or trim are badly out of square, avoid coverings

  stars or sports themes will appeal to kids and

  with large, bold patterns because slight mis-

  endure abuse.

  matches along their edges will be more obvious

  Washable wallcoverings can be sponged clean than if patterns are subdued.

  occasionally with a mild soap or cleaning solu-

  tion. Scrubbable coverings can take a vigorous

  Wallcoverings

  scouring with a nylon-bristled brush or a pad, as

  Wallpaper, actual paper, is most appropriate for

  well as stronger cleaning agents. There are also

  historically accurate restoration and wherever

  strippable and peelable wallcoverings, discussed

  you want fine detail. Although vinyl coverings are

  at greater length in “Stripping Wallpaper”

  increasingly hard to distinguish from paper,

  on p. 543.

  vinyls tend to look glossier. Although paper may

  For do-it-yourselfers, it’s smart to choose a

  have an aesthetically pleasing flat finish, it is

  covering that’s easy to hang. That is, textured

  more vulnerable to grime and abuse.

  coverings can be fragile and difficult to handle.

  The condition of existing walls also should affect

  Vinyl is today’s workhorse, available in a dizzy-

  your decision. For example, heavy coverings can
/>   ing range of patterns and in finishes ranging

  conceal minor wall flaws, whereas lightweight

  Wallpapering

  537

  paper-backed, acrylic-backed, or unbacked (raw).

  And the backing largely determines the method

  Papering oVer DiFFereNCes of installation. Avoid slopping adhesive or water

  Almost everybody still refers to wallcovering as “wallpaper.” But in this chapter, wall-

  onto the fabric facing because some fabrics stain

  covering, the noun, will be the general term for both paper and nonpaper coverings.

  easily; delicate fabrics are usually dry hung, in

  which paste is applied to the wall and the dry

  However, when used as a verb, wallpaper refers to the act of hanging either type of

  wallcovering is smoothed onto it.

  covering. Last, you can assume that advice on papering or prepping walls also holds

  true for ceilings.

  Natural textures, such as rice paper, grasses,

  and bamboo, tend to be expensive, temperamen-

  tal, and delicate. And because the thinner cover-

  ings reveal even minor flaws in wall surfaces, you

  first need to cover the walls with a lining paper.

  from flat to glossy. Vinyl is especially suitable for

  Still, natural textures are evolving, with vinyl-

  areas with traffic and moisture. Most vinyls are

  coated versions that are relatively durable and

  washable, and cloth-backed vinyls are usually

  easy to install. Besides their beauty, most natural

  strippable—that is, they are easily removable

  textures have no pattern that needs matching.

  when you want to change them. Although no

  Foils and Mylar® also vary greatly in appear-

  wallcovering is intended to conceal major cracks

  ance and ease of handling. For example, heavier,

  and irregularities, heavier vinyls can conceal

  vinyl-laminated foils are durable and easy to

  minor flaws.

  install. However, some uncoated metallic cover-

  Fabric coverings include cotton, linen, silk,

  ings retain fingerprints, so you should wear

  stringcloth, and wool. They’re often chosen to

  disposable nitrile gloves when hanging them, or

  match or coordinate with colors and textures in

  perhaps avoid them altogether. That said, foils

  drapes and fabric-covered furniture. They come

  are well suited to small rooms because they

  reflect light, thus making the space appear larger.

  Lincrusta, an embossed wallpaper similar to

  a fine cardboard, is making a comeback. The