" writes:
We are in the process of interviewing painters and we came across a
painter that sounds pretty good in the respect that he's willing to
guarantee his work when none that I've talked with were willing to do
so. However, he claimed that spraying the paint on was better than
brushing the paint on. I'm not sure of this. He also mentioned that
primer doesn't need to be used over the entire house - only on bare
wood - however, he stated that he will most likely use primer on our
entire house. I'm not sure this is a good idea either. His other
methods were sound (pressure washing, scraping). Anybody have
experience with paint being sprayed on and it's longevity when applied
in that manner.

Seems to work well for all the cars out there on the road. :-)

My concern would be one of potential overspray, and how they manage
that. Outside with wind, this could be quite a problem. Spraying can
also lead to more waste for certain surfaces (fences, for example),
but if he's specing the job as a whole, that's his problem and not
yours.

Durability of finish, as I recall, has much less to do with method of
application than it has to do with paint quality and method of surface
preparation.

Did he state why spraying on was better? The typical reason for it is
that it can be easier and faster. You obviously don't get brush marks
which is a nice plus, but typically on an exterior that isn't an issue
because seldom are people close enough to scrutinize and even if they
were, the wood's rough texture makes it a non-issue.

As for primer, it's true that primer is strictly only something
required by bare wood, or it can be an inexpensive coating to help
cover up a bigger color change.

As for preparation methods, I'm out of my depth there. I had a cedar
sided brown house and I put a high quality dutch lap vinyl siding
over that with board insulation behind it and kissed my exterior
painting days goodbye! But in that neighborhood, that worked.
Obviously there are styles of house where maintenance of a natural
finish is desired, and some folks just can't stand vinyl no matter how
good it is.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/