Staged4more Home Staging + Redesigns | Home Staging in San Francisco Bay: San Francisco, San Mateo Counties

I read a great article on Inman news today about Pro’s Guide to Painting Home’s Exterior. The experts Bill & Kevin Burnett have a 3-coat approach, especially on older wood homes & trouble spots (like windowsills) that are subject to the wrath of sun, wind and rain.

They also talk specifically about bay area’s Victorians: “Wood siding on Victorian houses in the San Francisco Bay Area is usually clear heart redwood. A century ago, when the siding was applied, building paper and insulation were unknown. As a result, the wood dried from both sides. Even if the house was painted regularly, today the siding is as dry as a bone. A paint job on this type of house has to be done right to get the longest possible life from the new paint. It’s time consuming if you do it yourself or very expensive if done by a professional.”

The Burnetts recommend 3 basic steps: preparation, priming (including caulking and filling voids) and finish painting.

On Prep: “A paint job is only as good as the preparation. Prep is a boring process, but if you invest the time and effort, a good prep job will pay lasting dividends. Usually, the first step is to clean the surface to be painted by pressure washing. However, sometimes an older home’s buildup of multiple layers of paint requires stripping the paint to the bare wood. If this is the case, use a propane torch or electric heat gun to strip the old paint before pressure washing.

If you use a propane torch, also use extreme caution. Dry wood and open flame do not get along well. Kevin spent a month or so burning the paint off one side of his Alameda Victorian. Good thing he did, too; the paint lasted at least 10 years before the new owners needed to repaint.

Let the building dry out a full week after pressure washing to ensure that any excess water evaporates. The next step is to use a disc or belt sander to feather the edges of the remaining paint. This way the transition from paint to bare wood is less noticeable. Be certain to dust away any residue after sanding.”

On actual painting & finishing: “Now it’s time to paint. To spray or not to spray? An airless sprayer gets the material on quickly but is susceptible to leaving thin spots and to overspray. There’s nothing quite as tacky as overspray on a roof. But brushes and rollers are slow. We’ve always compromised. We use the sprayer to get the material on the siding, then back brush or roll to ensure an even coat. This method works for all three coats of paint.

Whatever application method you choose, the next step is to apply the primer coat. Use a high-quality primer. We’ve always used an oil-based primer for exterior work. We recommend that you purchase the paint at a paint store rather than at one of the big box stores. Salespeople at paint stores cater to the trade and generally are very knowledgeable and ready with helpful tips. Ask about adding extra linseed oil to the primer to replace some of the moisture lost in the wood over the years. Also ask them to tint the primer toward the finish color for a finish that fully hides the undercoats.

Allow the primer to dry thoroughly. Then caulk and fill all voids in the building. This is critical. The better the