In article , (David Roberts) wrote:
Hi,
I'm in need of some help judging the different stories I get from
several painters recently. I've been getting estimates to paint my
house exterior (wood clapboard). Please give me your take on the
following statements.

1a) You should caulk everywhere, including between the clapboard to
seal the house from moisture and prevent pests from getting inside. (
I do have a big ant problem and see them crawling between the boards).

You should caulk any gaps that won't be sealed by a couple coats of paint. As
a practical test, if you can slide a credit card into a gap, caulk it.

1b) You should never caulk between the wood boards because the house
must breathe and adjust with the moisture and temperature changes.

It'll breathe *through* the wood -- and through the door every time you come
or go.


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2a) The paint job should last between 15-20 years.

With proper surface preparation and a premium quality paint, yes.

2b) The paint job will last up to 10 years.

With proper surface preparation and a good quality paint, yes.

With poor surface prep, or a cheap paint, you might be lucky to get five
years.

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3a) Using rollers and brushes is superior to spraying the paint on.

3b) Spraying gives a more uniform paint job with no roller marks.

Yeah, including a uniform paint job on anything that the prep crew didn't
remember to mask off. It's a hell of a mess. It's fast, though, which means
less time spent for the painter and thus higher profit.

If the guy who told you that rollers and brushes are superior to spray is the
same guy who told you the job should last 15 to 20 years -- hire him.

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4a) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take 3-4
days.

4b) Painting the 1 story house (approx 1675 sqft) should take about 2
weeks.

Highly variable, depending on the skill of the painter, the method of
application, and the size of the crew.
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5a) You should putty over the nail heads to both make it look better
and protect the nail.

True.

5b) You shouldn't waste your time putting over the nail since it will
come off within a few years. The primer and paint will protect the
nail head.

Oil-based primer and paint, yes. Latex primer and paint, no.

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6a) Two coats of paint are essential. The extra coat will extend the
life of the paint job.

That's generally what the manufacturers of the better paints recommend.

6b) One coat is sufficient, and we put more paint on with that coat so
it will protect better.

Naaah. Two thin coats are better than one thick one.
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7a) Spot priming is fine, only on wood that is bare or where the old
paint comes right off.


7b) It is good to prime the whole house regardless as to the condition
of the wood or existing paint.

Somewhere in between the two strikes me as about right. If the old paint is
loose, even if it doesn't "come right off", it should be scraped to bare wood
(and then primed, of course). Areas in which the existing paint is in good
condition *and* well-adhered to the wood probably don't need repriming, but it
doesn't hurt.

A couple of "gotchas" to look out for:

1) If the house is already painted some medium to dark color, spot priming may
give a spotty appearance to the final coat, because the spot primed areas will
be lighter than the rest of the wall. In this case, either the primer should
be tinted, or the entire house should be primed.

2) The guy who says to prime the entire house may be wanting to do a quick job
he it's faster to just prime everything, than to scrape the areas that need
scraping, and then spot prime them. If the guy advocating spot priming is
going to go to the trouble of scraping loose paint (and if he's the same guy
that says to putty the nails), let him do it.

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8a) The new paint will only look as good as the old if the surface is
still rough. Sanding the wood is for aesthetic reasons, not
protection.

Sounds about right. Beware, though: on older homes, the paint may be
lead-based. Sanding that stuff is a Bad Idea.

I've also been given estimates ranging from $2000-8600 and warantees
from 2 years to 7 years, respectively.

I'm guessing there's a direct relationship between price and guarantee, right?
You can probably figure out why.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Ask for references from all of them.