When positioning a ladder against a house or tree, it is safest to position it so that the distance from the base of the ladder to the house or tree is one quarter of the ladder's extended length. Otherwise the ladder may fall forward or tip backward. Spring is the ideal time to paint the exterior of a house. Do it as soon as the weather turns warm enough, but before the temperature gets too hot. In very hot weather paint dries too quickly and leaves marks where strokes were overlapped.
When painting the outside of your house, fold newspapers over the tops of doors and then close them. You won't paint the doors shut. Don't use a flame to soften alligatored paint. The flame can shoot into a crack and ignite the sheathing. Paint will not bond on a surface wet from morning dew or on a prime coat not thoroughly dry. And without proper bonding, paint will peel. Be sure to wait for dew to dry before painting.
If using an oil-based paint on an area that has suffered mildew, add a mildew inhibitor to the paint, (This isn't necessary with water-based paints, which don't contain the oil that fungus feeds on.)
Painting gutters is easy but downspouts can be tricky. To protect the interior of the downspout against rust, drop a string with a weight on it down through the spout, and tie a sponge to the bottom end of the string. Use a sponge that must be compressed to fit inside the spout. Using plenty of paint, soak the sponge, and then pull on the string to squeeze the sponge up through the spout. The paint will spread evenly from bottom to top as the sponge goes up.
To prepare old wood for paint it's not necessary to remove the old paint. Simply seal all knots with thinned shellac and sand when dry. If the knot is loose, tighten it with wood caulking. After the caulking has dried, coat the spot with shellac, and then sand. To avoid marring a paint job when leaning a ladder against clapboard siding, cover the top ends of the ladder with heavy woolen socks. The paint will remain unmarked.
If paint is blistering on hollow porch posts or columns, trapped moisture could be the problem. Cure it by boring small ventilating holes at the top and bottom of each post or column. Don t use a sander with a revolving disc to remove paint from wood siding. It will gouge the surface. Use a wire brush to remove loose and peeling paint from curved metal surfaces. A scraper or putty knife will take such paint off flat surfaces. Use steel wool on rust spots, and a mirror to inspect the undersides.
Plant or prune shrubbery or trees so branches don't touch painted exterior surfaces. The undersides of leaves hold moisture long after a rain, and prolonged moisture causes paint to blister and peel. When painting the exterior of your house, protect nearby shrubs from paint splatters by covering them with drop cloths or old sheets.
Raw metal is coated with a protective, oily film that keeps paint from adhering properly, so it's best to paint galvanized metal after it has weathered for at least 6 months. If you prefer not to wait for the metal to weather, strip the film by washing the metal with pure white vinegar. Rinse the metal with water and allow to dry before painting.
When painting the outside of your house, fold newspapers over the tops of doors and then close them. You won't paint the doors shut. Don't use a flame to soften alligatored paint. The flame can shoot into a crack and ignite the sheathing. Paint will not bond on a surface wet from morning dew or on a prime coat not thoroughly dry. And without proper bonding, paint will peel. Be sure to wait for dew to dry before painting.
If using an oil-based paint on an area that has suffered mildew, add a mildew inhibitor to the paint, (This isn't necessary with water-based paints, which don't contain the oil that fungus feeds on.)
Painting gutters is easy but downspouts can be tricky. To protect the interior of the downspout against rust, drop a string with a weight on it down through the spout, and tie a sponge to the bottom end of the string. Use a sponge that must be compressed to fit inside the spout. Using plenty of paint, soak the sponge, and then pull on the string to squeeze the sponge up through the spout. The paint will spread evenly from bottom to top as the sponge goes up.
To prepare old wood for paint it's not necessary to remove the old paint. Simply seal all knots with thinned shellac and sand when dry. If the knot is loose, tighten it with wood caulking. After the caulking has dried, coat the spot with shellac, and then sand. To avoid marring a paint job when leaning a ladder against clapboard siding, cover the top ends of the ladder with heavy woolen socks. The paint will remain unmarked.
If paint is blistering on hollow porch posts or columns, trapped moisture could be the problem. Cure it by boring small ventilating holes at the top and bottom of each post or column. Don t use a sander with a revolving disc to remove paint from wood siding. It will gouge the surface. Use a wire brush to remove loose and peeling paint from curved metal surfaces. A scraper or putty knife will take such paint off flat surfaces. Use steel wool on rust spots, and a mirror to inspect the undersides.
Plant or prune shrubbery or trees so branches don't touch painted exterior surfaces. The undersides of leaves hold moisture long after a rain, and prolonged moisture causes paint to blister and peel. When painting the exterior of your house, protect nearby shrubs from paint splatters by covering them with drop cloths or old sheets.
Raw metal is coated with a protective, oily film that keeps paint from adhering properly, so it's best to paint galvanized metal after it has weathered for at least 6 months. If you prefer not to wait for the metal to weather, strip the film by washing the metal with pure white vinegar. Rinse the metal with water and allow to dry before painting.
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